With numbers down, Donley would be happy to see Maples get even
MAPLETOWN – This is one year that Jay Donley would like to get even. No, not get even in a vengeful sense. Just even on the baseball field.
The long-time Mapletown High baseball coach said, “We had a tough time last season, and we wound up 7-12 overall, 2-8 in our section.
“Now I just want to get back to being all even, get to the .500 level on the field, and then go from there with anything that we can earn.”
But it might be a tough row for the Maples to hoe, for the one problem that eternally plagues small schools has again reared its head – numbers.
Donley said, “I would just like to see some numbers on the field for we don’t have numbers like some other schools.
“We are the second smallest school in the WPIAL playing basketball, but I don’t know who might be smaller than we are in the baseball program. Only Union, playing this week in the state basketball finals, is smaller than we are.”
One bright point for the Maples is their returning players, nine lettermen in all.
They include seniors Matt Brown (IF), Drew Denham (OF-P), Jayce Donley (IF-P), Joe Kovach (OF), Andy Latusek (OF) and Chris Petrick (IF-P), juniors Justin Corso (C-P) and Steve Rozak (IF) and sophomore Brad Myers (OF-C), who is also the only sophomore on the roster.
Completing the roster are:
Juniors – Doug Macniak (OF).
Freshmen – Jesse Boord (IF), Zach Cumberland (IF-P), Cory Dillinger (IF-P), John Grim (OF), Matt Jones (C), Doug Pincavitch (OF), Nat Roberts (IF) and Ryan Shuppe (OF).
Only one letterman was lost to graduation last year, first baseman Erskine Whyel.
There is some experience among the returnees with Latusek being a fourth-year starter, Denham, Donley, Corso and Petrick three-year players and Brown, Kovach and Myers in their second year as starters.
Donley, starting his 26th season as head coach since succeeding legendary coach Mike Caruso, said that he has “a good, experienced nucleus of players returning with the exception of shortstop, where two freshmen are battling for the starting position, but seven positions and pitching have experience.”
The Maples played scrimmage games with Clairton and Albert Gallatin with Donley noting “we swung the bats better than we did last year. But in pitching we don’t have the real hammer on the mound who can get 12 or so strikeouts, so we will have to play good defense back of our pitchers. We did that in our two scrimmages.
“The pitchers will have to throw strikes and we will have to play defense and get hits to back up their efforts.
“I also feel that we do have some good baseball instinct among our players.”
But on the other hand “depth is going to be a problem for us. We don’t have the numbers, so if we get a starter hurt, we don’t have the depth to replace him. A big question mark is going to be shortstop, where two freshmen are working for the position, and both of them could wind up starting for they are pretty even.”
Once the season gets under way, Donley said,
“We have to hit in clutch situations. We had hitters last year, but we didn’t get the clutch hits too often. You have to produce when the opportunity presents itself.”
Right at the moment, the Maples have only four pitchers with any experience in Denham, Donley, Petrick and Corso, but there are also two freshman prospects in Cumberland and Dillinger.
Two prospects Donley felt might help won’t be available, one because of an injury and the other just not coming out.
The pitchers also have a coach who can show them a few things about pitching a baseball in Kevin Pincavitch, who has been an assistant under Donley for several years, and who has pitched professionally. Pincavitch will be with the Maples until May, and then he will report to Bangor, Maine, in the Northern League (Class A) to be their pitching coach.
Donley said, “With nine years in the minors, Kevin knows a lot about a lot of things in baseball, and he is very good at working with our players. While working with the minor league pitchers, he also picks up a lot of little things about the game while on the bench, which he in turn passes on to our players.”
Mike Gresh, who works with the outfielders, rounds out the coaching staff.
The Maples will compete in Section 1-A, along with Avella, West Greene, Jefferson-Morgan, Chartiers-Houston and Carmichaels.
Donley said, “Carmichaels went to the semifinals last year, and they have a big group returning from that team. Chartiers-Houston is a good team with a good program, and they are going to be a contender. Jefferson-Morgan should be pretty good, and then with Avella, West Greene and us, I think it’s going to be a battle royal in this section.
“The key to our own chances rests with us hitting better, being tougher on defense, having pitchers throw strikes, clutch hitting and making the routine plays.
“We also have good camaraderie on this team. But we just don’t have the numbers that other schools do. In 26 years of coaching I have never cut a player. But I sure would like to have the numbers that some other coaches cut.”
The exhibition schedule (4 p.m. unless noted):
March 22, Northern Garrett, Md. (12 noon); March 25, Beth-Center; March 28, at Bentworth; March 29, Maplewood (12 noon, plus JV); March 31, Clay-Battelle, W.Va., (3:30); April 2, at Monessen; April 14, at Clay-Battelle, W. Va. (4:30); May 5, at Beth-Center (6 p.m., JV 4:30).
Section 1-A games (4 p.m. unless noted):
April 5, Avella (noon, plus JV); April 8, at West Greene; April 10, at Jefferson-Morgan; April 11, Chartiers-Houston; April 15, at Carmichaels; April 22, Avella; April 24, West Greene; April 25, Jefferson-Morgan; April 29, at Chartiers-Houston; and May 1, Carmichaels.