Red Raiders ‘head-ed’ in right direction
Mark Edenfield figures he has baseball players who are “head-ed” in the right direction. Not that Uniontown’s players don’t always have the top of the section in their sights; it’s just the process by which they hope to get there.
There isn’t a baseball coach around who won’t tell you that mental outlook – using one’s head – is a big factor in winning. Thinking teams so many times might just be average in other aspects of the game, but by using their heads in all phases of the game, there will be many times when they will come out on top.
As he looked over his players for Monday’s season-opening game at Latrobe, the sixth-year Raider head coach said, “Overall, the baseball instinct, the mental aspect of the game is here with this group of players. We have a lot of talent in our program, and I feel that even the freshmen players are going to help us.
“This is a very coachable group of players. You always want players who can think, who can use their heads in games.
“You can’t beat a thinking player. Not an over-thinker, just a quick thinker who can adjust quickly to whatever situation is at hand.”
Edenfield and his staff have to replace nine players lost through graduation, and they have nine returning lettermen to start building around. They include four seniors – the only seniors on the team – in Neil Kelly (P-1B), Gary King (P-1B), Jonathon Latsnic (P-OF) and Nate Lewis (OF), plus juniors Greg Billy (OF), Mike George (3B), Ryan Guthrie (OF), Howard King (C-P) and Nathan Klingensmith (2B).
Completing the roster are:
Juniors – Jeremiah Ditmore (OF-C), Randy Fisher (P-SS), Scott Hruby (3B-OF-P), Jamelle Price (OF) and Matt Vanek (DH).
Sophomores – Ryan Coffman (P-IF), Brian Liptock (1B), Nick Neratka (IF), Travis Tolnai (P-IF) and Jonathon Van Bremen (C).
Freshmen – Nathan Fike (P-OF-1B), Steve Kezmarsky (SS-P), Josh King (C-OF) and Ryan Robowski (P-OF-IF).
Helping Edenfield prepare the Raiders are varsity assistants Joe La Presta, Lou Pasquale (long time player-manager in the County League), and Tony Rose (County League player).
Eric Scheponick coaches the junior varsity, assisted by all the varsity staff; Butch Wingrove directs the junior high program, and volunteer coaches include Joe Bonadio and Ken Meadows Jr.
Edenfield, who has 15 years overall in baseball coaching (assistant at Belle Vernon), said, “It’s nice to have so many coaches who can break down a game by positions and work with players on that basis.
“Fundamentals and the ‘belief system’ are very important. Before you can start any phase of a program, you have to have players who can believe in themselves and in each other, who believe they can accomplish any task that is handed to them.”
So far a bright spot for the Raiders has been “our outfielders and the offense we have returning, plus we have only one senior infielder (King). Our outfield has good speed; good throwing arms and they are good on defense. They will get to the ball even if they have to dive for it.”
Edenfield said, “We are young in the infield. We have experience on the corners, but we are going to be young in the middle. We are working on that in practice now with the aim of getting more middle infield strength.”
Like the other coaches in Section 2-AAAA, Edenfield doesn’t like the idea of the WPIAL giving them only eight section games. The Raiders are in a five-team section after Hempfield was moved out and no replacement team added, meaning that each section member will play only eight games.
He said, “Eight games don’t give any balance to the section. You play 12 exhibitions and eight section games, but why not reverse that? The majors play 162 games to decide their championships, the NFL plays 16 games, the high school football teams play 10 games, but we can play only eight games to decide a section title.”
Despite the short schedule, Edenfield sees “parity in the section and teams knocking each other around. A second place team could wind up 4-4. The team that can come together in such a short time is the team that is going to prevail.
“Our own hopes lie with coming together and playing basic, thinking baseball.”
Local fans will have to wait to see the Raiders at home with their first six of games, and eight of the first 10, being played on the road. The Raiders will also be involved in a doubleheader on April 19, matching them and Laurel Highlands against New Oxford, Pa., at the Hutchinson Field. Uniontown plays the first game at 11 a.m., and Laurel Highlands goes in the 2 p.m. nightcap.
Laurel Highlands graduate Scott Anderson coaches new Oxford.
All Raiders’ home games will be played at 4:30 p.m. again this year at Farmington.
The exhibition schedule (4 p.m. unless noted):
March 24, at Latrobe; March 25, at Yough; March 26, at Mount Pleasant; April 1, at Brownsville; April 3, at Bethel Park; April 17, at Hempfield; April 19, New Oxford, Pa., Hutchinson Field, 11 a.m.; April 25, Frazier (Senior Day, 4:30); May 5, at Canon-McMillan; May 7, Yough (4:30), and May 8, at Morgantown (DH, 5 p.m.).
Section games include: (4:30 unless noted) April 5, at Connellsville (2 p.m.); April 8, Albert Gallatin; April 12, at Ringgold (noon); April 15, Laurel Highlands; April 22, Connellsville; April 24, at Albert Gallatin (4 p.m.); April 29, Ringgold, and May 1, at Laurel Highlands (4 p.m.).