STEVEN DIETZ/SPECIAL TO THE EAGLE

Center Township pitcher Mike Woodward has been one of the keys to Center Township's Legion baseball success this season.

Eagle Staff Writer

Five wins in the last two seasons. Futility and frustration. Youth and little else.

That was the all-too-familiar story line for the Center Township American Legion baseball team.

Until this season.

After languishing in last place or near the bottom of the Butler County American Legion standings for the better part of two decades, something funny is happening this season.

Center Township is winning. It is on top looking down at the rest of the league instead of the rest of the league looking down at it.

"We're kind of tired of losing," said third baseman Adam Miller. "It really felt good to win a couple of games."

Center Township is 5-0 heading into this week's games and has a game and a half lead on the rest of the pack.

The five wins matches its win total the last two seasons combined and suddenly the team is thinking championship - something a Center Township team last achieved in 1981.

"The strange thing about it is how young our team actually is," said shortstop Josh Shaffer, who is one of the oldest players on the team at 19. "The young guys have really, really pulled the older guys up."

Last year, Center Township was 1-19. It's only win came on the strength of the pitching of 15-year-old Rich Hasydak. The team is so deep this year that Hasydak is playing for the local Colt team.

Still, not many on the team really knew what to expect this season.

"Actually, I knew from the start we would be pretty good," the shortstop said. "We had a lot of potential, but I had no idea we'd be 5-0."

The key for Center Township this season has been its pitching and defense. The team is blessed with a wide assortment of arms, led by Nathan Markle.

"I have five quality starters," said manager Kevin Shaffer. "Three of them have been particularly dominant, led by Markle, Trevor Dunkel and Mike Woodward. Most of these kids I've coached before."

Shaffer took over last year for long-time Center Township manager Arnie Trufley. Before that, he coached in the Pony/Colt system and had many of his current players in the dugout with him at those levels.

That has made the adjustment period that much shorter. Players coming in know the manager and, more importantly, the manager knows them - and their strengths and weaknesses.

Putting players at the proper positions has shored up the team's defense. Center Township committed just three errors in its first four games.

"We've been playing real good defense," Miller said. "That gives our pitching a big boost and the team a big boost."

Another big boost was provided by the influx of young players who were not accustomed to losing.

Many of the players came from successful Pony/Colt programs.

"It worked kind of the opposite of what you might expect," Kevin Shaffer said. "When we won our first game, the older guys were jumping for joy. The younger guys just walked off the field like they had been there before. They are used to winning and expect to win and that has carried over to the older guys.

"We expect to win every game."

Shaffer's philosophy is that everyone participates somehow in a game. That helps him keep team morale high and builds depth.

"If you put on a uniform on, by golly you are going to play," Shaffer said.

That means finding time for 18 players - the most any Center Township team has had on its active roster in quite a while. That makes Shaffer's job easier when vacations roll around.

"The kids that aren't playing a lot now know they will later," Shaffer said.

That keeps them sharp and sets Center Township up for later in the season for the playoff push.

It's going to be a little tougher, though, to get to the regional this year.

The league has moved out of Region 6 and into Region 7 and only one BCAL team will qualify. In the past, two teams qualified - the regular season champion and the tournament champion.

The regular season champion will get an automatic berth into the best-of-three championship series to determine the tournament winner, which will get the only spot in the regional.

That makes Shaffer all the more cognoscente of just how far his team has to go.

"It's early yet," Shaffer said. "But these guys have the desire to win. They're just good guys. There are no egos on this team."