Looking ahead
Knoch baseball coach George Bradley has a book of sayings.
The venerable manager pulled a fitting one out of that book to describe how he and his Knights are viewing the 2016 baseball season after winning the PIAA Class AAA championship last spring.
“There's a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror,” Bradley said. “You have to focus on what's ahead of you.”
What's ahead of Knoch this season is every team's best.
The Knights won't sneak up on anyone.
And neither will the two-headed monster that tops their pitching staff in seniors Cole Shinsky and Alex Stobert.
The two hurlers are about as different as two pitchers can be. Shinsky is a tall, lanky monster of a left-hander with dominating stuff. He was 10-0 last season with a 1.29 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings pitched.
Shinsky has committed to Ohio University.
Stobert also has good stuff, but he's more of a ground-ball, finesse pitcher. The right-hander was 7-0 last season with a 1.81 ERA and won three huge playoff games on the way to a state title.
Stobert has committed to Tallahassee Community College.
“With me and Shinsky — all we want to do is go out and pitch the best we can each time out,” Stobert said. “We have high expectations for ourselves.”
And so does the rest of the Knoch baseball team.
Bradley brought in a pair of Navy Seals last weekend to drive home his point about not resting on laurels.
“Complacency kills,” Stobert said. “That was the main message. You can't be satisfied with what you've done in the past.”
The Knights did lose some major cogs from last year's state title team.
Shortstop Chris Law, catcher Asa Adams, third baseman Garrett Traggiai, second baseman Jordan Kowalski and outfielders Dustin Montgomery and Ryan Grossman graduated.Bradley, though, is confident in the players he has returning and welcomes the challenges his team will face this season.“That's the way you want it,” Bradley said. “That's good. It's a good thing. It's nothing to shy away from. Our philosophy is we're going to play ball and see what happens. If we do all the things we're supposed to do and not loaf, we should be OK. We're going to give it our best shot.”Here is a look at some players to watch in the Butler County area during the 2016 high school baseball season:Ryan Lauster, senior SS, Slippery Rock— Lauster batted .444 with two home runs, 23 RBI, five doubles, four triples and swiped 13 bases for the Rockets last spring.That stat, though, that sticks out the most was Lauster struck out only five times in 90 plate appearances.Derek Boben, senior P, Moniteau — Boben, a Slippery Rock University recruit, was lights out last season for the Warriors with a 7-0 record and a microscopic 0.36 ERA. He fanned 55 batters in 39 innings.Josh Beale, senior 3B, Freeport — He's already homered this season in the opener Thursday and hit .353 last season with 10 extra base hits.Connor Ollio, sophomore P/IF, Butler — Ollio is already making a name for himself on the diamond, not just in Butler County, but around the continent. He played for Team USA 15U this summer in Mexico.He had a 1.20 ERA in that tournament as a pitcher. He sported a 2.10 ERA for Butler last spring as a freshman.He's also a feared hitter. He batted .474 for the Golden Tornado last season.Zarek Simkovich, senior, P/IF, Mars — Simkovich batted .485 last season for the Planets and led the team in runs scored and stolen bases.Justin Orlowski, senior, P, Grove City — Orlowski has already committed to Penn State DuBois and turned in a solid campaign last season for the Eagles.He was 3-1 with a 2.24 ERA.Dom Bucko, junior, CF, Knoch — Bucko didn't commit an error last season while playing his home games in the spacious center field at Kelly Automotive Park.At the plate, he batted .346 and had an OPS of 1.024.Bucko has verbally committed to Kent State University.Robert Schad, senior, RF/P, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic — Schad has some serious pop in his bat. He blasted four home runs last season to go with a .425 batting average.Corbin Kessler, senior, SS/3B, Seneca Valley — Kessler is one of the most versatile athletes in Raiders' history and he showed that on the football field in the fall.This spring, he'll have to show that versatility again as he is one of only a few impact players returning for Seneca Valley.Holden Martin, senior, P/2B, Karns City — Martin tossed a gem in his first outing of the season Thursday.In limited innings last season, the right-hander struck out a staggering 18 batters per nine innings.
