Coming up aces
There will be some not-so-familiar faces on Butler County pitching mounds this spring.
Area baseball teams have lost some aces to graduation.
Butler will have to replace the trio of Mick Fennel, Matt Baranchak and Colin McKee. Seneca Valley lost Matt Smith and Zach DiTillio and Karns City will have to find a way to overcome the loss of Derek Sadowski, who was 7-1 with an 0.91 ERA and struck out 91 in 46 innings to go with only six walks.
“He’s one of those guys who is tough to replace,” said Karns City baseball coach Randy Collins.
There are some legitimate aces back, however.
Robbie Miller and his 0.76 ERA returns at Freeport, Cole Terwilliger is back at A-C Valley and Grove City may have three aces in Matt Gordon, Ryan Grace and Ben Lucas.
Here is a look at Butler County area baseball teams this spring:
Butler• Coach: Todd Erdos, third year• On the mound: Adam Schaffner (senior), Drew Spangler (senior), Cory Wheeler (junior), Jesse Savisky (junior), T.J. Rice (senior), Nick Reamer (junior), Ryan Vero (junior)• In the field: C-Kyle Campbell (junior), D.J. Perez (sophomore); 1B-Ryan McCrea (senior), Logan Maxwell (junior); 2B-Ryan Denny (junior); 3B-Jake Stoner (senior); SS-Wheeler; OF-Mike Hepler (senior), Zach Collins (senior), Spangler, Vero, Savisky• Outlook: Butler fans are going to need a program this season.The Golden Tornado lost 11 seniors, including their top three pitchers, to graduation and Erdos is still trying to sort out all the new faces.“I think this group is a good mixture,” Erdos said. “The seniors are good leaders and hard workers and the team is gelling nicely together.”
Seneca Valley• Coach: Eric Semega, 13th year• On the mound: Zach Spangler (senior), Connor Coward (junior), Jason Martin (senior)• In the field: C-Brad Gresock (senior), John Paul Gonzalez (junior); 1B-Spangler; 2B-Gonzalez; 3B-Carson Kessler (senior); SS-Sam Fragale (senior); OF-Martin, Jon Dorogy (senior), Coward• Outlook: The Raiders have won back-to-back WPIAL titles. Semega sees no reason why SV can’t make that three in a row.“We have the nucleus of our entire team back,” he said. “Offensively, we’re going to be better than we were last year and defensively, we’re actually going to be stronger. The pitchers are inexperienced, but physically talented.”
MarsnCoach: Brian Hobaugh, fifth yearnOn the mound: Dave Bednar (senior), Nathan Furl (junior), Colin Hershman (senior), Matt Eperesi (senior)nIn the field: C-Eperesi; 1B-unknown; 2B-Alex Smith (senior); 3B-unknown; SS-Kevin Giallonardo (senior); OF-Ben Erdahl (senior), Josh Bartley (junior), Matt Parrish (junior)nOutlook: The Planets have some big question marks at the corner infield spots. Pitching, though, shouldn’t be a problem as the rotation is led by Bednar, who already has committed to Division I Lafeyette College.“We won the section last year,” Hobaugh said. “And we have the nucleus back from that team.”
Knoch• Coach: George Bradley, third year• On the mound: Gavin Miller (junior), Taylor Sharar (senior), Zach Junk (junior), Cole Shinsky (freshman), Jesse Vereb (junior), Dustin Montgomery (sophomore)• In the field: C-Andy Fritz (senior), Miller, Hunter Balliet (senior); 1B-Caleb Thorn (junior), Montgomery, Shinsky; 2B-Chris Law (sophomore), Balliet; 3B-Sharar, Hyte Eurich (junior); SS-Chase Voltz (senior); OF-Balliet, Jordan Hickey (junior), Junk, Tyler Smith (senior), Vereb, Spencer Voltz (junior)• Outlook: The Knights will have a flexible lineup with several players who can see time at multiple positions.The pitching staff, led by Miller, could also be a strength.“Miller threw quite a bit last season. He’s a bulldog,” Bradley said. “The other guys — we have a nice blend. We’re going to battle day in and day out.”
Freeport• Coach: Chris Graczyk, 13th season• On the mound: Robbie Miller (senior), Ethan McCormick (senior), Luke Mariotti (senior), Josh Beale (freshman), Nate Pastorek (freshman)• In the field: C-Matt Swartz (junior); 1B-unknown; 2B-Miller, Mariotti, Ryley Cowan (senior); 3B-unknown; SS-Miller, Mariotti, Cowan; OF-Damon Smith (senior), Dustin Koedel (senior), Levi Negley (senior)• Outlook: Miller was 5-1 with an 0.76 ERA last season to go along with 46 strikeouts in 37 innings for the Yellowjackets, who had a team ERA of 2.85.Pitching appears to be the strength of the team again in 2013.“Miller was outstanding and Ethan was having a good year, too, but he got hurt,” Graczyk said. “We have some question marks at the corners, but those things tend to work themselves out.”
Slippery Rock• Coach: Nate McCollough, second year• On the mound: Mitch Robinson (senior), Cody Stephenson (senior), Levi Leonberg (senior), Jake Arienzo (sophomore), Jackson Kerchis (freshman)• In the field: C-Robinson, John Bowser (freshman); 1B-Kerchis; 2B-Leonburg, Matt Badger (junior), Ryan Laufter (freshman); 3B-Barnhart; SS-Stephenson; OF-Travis Lauster (sophomore), Taylor Buhler (senior), Arienzo• Outlook: The Rockets will be a young team with the lineup littered with freshmen and sophomores.Usually, that would be out of necessity. For Slippery Rock, that’s out of design.“It’s not because we are trying to rebuild,” McCollough said. “It’s because those are the guys who can help us win.”
Grove City• Coach: Pat Forese, 26th year• On the mound: Matt Gordon (junior), Ryan Grace (senior), Ben Lucas (senior), Jesse Hodge (sophomore)• In the field: C-Collin Lawson (senior); 1B-Gordon, Doug Horner (junior); 2B-Gordon, Derek Saylor (junior); 3B-Lucas, Grace; SS-Hodge, Lucas; OF-Jordan Anderson (sophomore), Dylan Osborne (senior), Dustin Maine (junior), Jared Sample (junior)• Outlook: There may not be a team in District 10 that can trot out a better trio of starting pitchers than Gordon, Grace and Lucas.“We have the pitching back and they are going to be solid,” Forese said. “It’s just a matter of finding a defensive alignment that works for us. Hopefully we can catch it and throw it behind our solid pitchers.”
Karns City• Coach: Randy Collins, third year• On the mound: Matt Yough (sophomore), Tyler Kepple (junior), Wyatt Everetts (junior), Nick Ganter (senior), Holden Martin (freshman)• In the field: C-Nathan Weckerly (junior); 1B-Mike Riley (junior); 2B-Martin, Tyler Rodgers (senior); 3B-Scott Kiser (senior); SS-Yough, Kepple; OF-Everetts, Ganter, Zach Moore (junior), Dillin Geibel (junior)• Outlook: Sadowski is gone, but Yough logged some solid innings last season and Kepple, if his shoulder is sound after an injury during football season, had a 1.75 ERA in limited innings last season.“We’re going to have to have some offense, put more runs up on the board to help the pitching this season,” Collins said.
Moniteau• Coach: Ross Martin, eighth year• On the mound: Trent Young (senior), Colton Cumberland (junior), Zach Jewart (sophomore)• In the field: C-Austin Blauser (sophomore); 1B-Caleb Eshenbaugh (sophomore); 2B-John McBride (sophomore); 3B-Jake McBride (sophomore); SS-Cumberland, Aaron Marterella (freshman); OF-Hayden Grasha (senior), Cody Skiver (sophomore), Jake Fullerton (sophomore), Elijah Stewart (freshman), Wyatt Gifft (freshman)• Outlook: The Warriors took a big hit on the mound in graduation losses, leaving the staff a bit thin.But Martin is pleased with the way the younger players have developed in open gyms and in the early days of practice this spring.“They are grinders,” Martin said. “They are mentally tough and we will battle in every game.”
A-C Valley• Coach: John Irwin, seventh year• On the mound: Cole Terwilliger (senior), Greg Elliott (senior), Austin Morgan (junior), Andrew Strasser (junior), Jeff Eaton (junior)• In the field: C-Kevin Kaufman (senior); 1B-Eaton; 2B-Brody Irwin (senior); 3B-Terwilliger, Strasser; SS-Keaton King (senior); OF-Eric Orton (senior), Elliott, Strasser, Morgan, Hunter Deffinbaugh (sophomore)• Outlook: Terwilliger, who had a 1.42 ERA last season, leads a pitching staff that could be dominant this season.“We have the pitching,” Irwin said. “It’s just a matter of making them hitters.”
Union• Coach: Unknown• On the mound: Shawn Hazlett (senior), Jake Gezik (senior), Kaden McGregor (senior), Brandon Stitt (senior), Hank Murphy (freshman)• In the field: C-Stitt, 1B-Gezik; 2B-Brent Trithart (senior); 3B-Perry Kriebel (senior); SS-McGregor; OF-Brody Shick (senior), Chet Carmichael (sophomore), Hazlet• Outlook: Doug Kriebel stepped down as coach after five years because of a work schedule conflict. As of a week before the start of the season, Union had no official coach, although Kriebel’s brother, Jeff, and Al Carmichael were running practices.Jeff Kriebel will most likely be approved by the school board for the job, Carmichael said.
