Leckrone rejoins Fayette County Baseball League
There will be a familiar name back in the lineup when the Fayette County Baseball League starts a new season Sunday. At the same time, there will be an old team playing under a new name.
For many years, Leckrone was a strong member of the lineup, being a perennial contender for the championship under the management of Arky Shaffer, and before that under Bernie James.
Then there came a brief spell when the community was not represented, but now the Leckrone faithful will once again have their own entry to follow.
Lou Pasquale, former Leckrone player and long-time player and manager in the County League, will manage the new team, and while the team’s name will be new, many of his players will be well known to the fans.
Last year, Pasquale managed Anthony Crane, and now players from that team, along with some who played for a couple other entries, will form the nucleus of the lineup to be known as Mario’s, which will play its home games at the newly-renovated Leckrone field.
Mario’s will make its debut on Monday, playing Bud Murphy’s at the Breakneck Field.
The league gets under way Sunday with two games, Perryopolis playing Fayette City-Belle Vernon at the Fayette City Field, at 1 p.m., and Carmichaels starting defense of its league championship by hosting the Lockerroom, at 5 p.m.
Lockerroom is new to the league in name only.
Pasquale said, “We went down there to the Leckrone field and put in a couple of long days to get the field ready. Some of the center field fence has been painted green to give the hitters a good background to bat against, plus we have renovated the backstop, replaced the benches and we dug up the infield. You might say the field has undergone a complete facelift.”
Pasquale will again be a playing manager, although as he put it “just playing when I have to, but I will be going at first base, second base, designated hitter, pitcher wherever I can help.”
He will have a coaching staff of John Harvey, Bill Rouse, Scott Van Sickle, and Dave Van Sickle.
There will also be a nucleus of veteran players, including Pasquale’s nephew, Len Pasquale, at second base; plus Ron Dellarose (OF); John Harvey (C); Bill Rouse (RF); Ryan Encapera, who Pasquale said “will be going at catcher, first base and pitcher when he returns home from teaching in Florida”); Scott Van Sickle (SS); Todd Dunham (P); Jim Kubina (OF-P); Jim Cole (IF-P); Brad Baker (OF), the league’s number two home run hitter last year; Brent Baker (P-1B-OF); Chris Brunson (P); and Jason Greene (2B-3B), who has been one of the top hitters at California University of Pa.
Pasquale said, “We have a good group of experienced players; now all they have to do is get out on the field and do what they know how to do.”
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The Lockerroom team playing at Carmichaels on Sunday is an old lineup under a new name.
In fact, you could call them a “home grown team.”
Until this season, the team played under the name of Masontown, but manager Clint Zvolenski said there has been a name change since last year, when his lineup battled all the way to the playoff semifinals.
Zvolenski said, “We have a double name this year, playing with Lockerroom and Masontown Trophy as our sponsors.”
Some players will be missing from last year’s lineup, but there is still a good nucleus to build around.
Zvolenski, who will again be playing third base, listed as other returning players Craig Zvolenski (2B), Jason Rosner (P), Andy Patrick (C), Jason Francis (C-1B) and pitchers Todd Dunham and Adam Dukate.
Newcomers include Chad Kovach (SS), outfielders C.J. Shimshock, Josh Pike, Jay Diaz and John Helmick and Mike Kalafut (P), who is finishing up his season at Penn State-Fayette.
First baseman Ben Lemansky, who had been out of baseball for a year or two because of his work schedule, is now back with the team.
Coaches include Craig Zvolenski and Jason Rosner.
Manager Zvolenski said, “We have a good nucleus of players returning, and yet you can also see somewhat of a youth movement. We have a lot of players from Masontown or who went to Albert Gallatin High School, so I guess you could say that in one sense we have a home grown team. We got to the semifinals of the playoffs last year, and the returning players have already set their goal as returning to the playoffs.”
Home games will be played at German-Masontown Park.