Uniontown Legion wraps up county title
Ron Popovich received some good news at around 3:45 Friday afternoon. His Uniontown American Legion baseball team had won its fourth Fayette County title in five years without even breaking a sweat. Uniontown (12-3) received a forfeit victory over Colonial 3 (3-12) to wrap-up the regular season championship.
“It still feels good to win the title even under these circumstances,” Popovich said. “It is rather unfortunate that they could not play the game. I guess they had some kids banged up. This has been a great year for us.”
Uniontown and Charleroi (10-4) will receive byes in the first round of the playoffs as Connellsville (8-6), Carmichaels (7-8), Belle Vernon (5-10) and Colonial battle it out to determine who will play the top two teams.
The positions will be determined in a three game series with the higher seeds playing two home games.
The playoffs start Monday with Uniontown and Charleroi waiting until Thursday to see which teams they host.
The first round and semifinals are three game series, while the finals will be a five game series.
“We do not really care who we play,” Popovich said. “We have played all these team three times, so we know each other. The only team we lost to twice was Charleroi, but it was at their place. Although, any team that plays at home in this league has an advantage.”
Before the Uniontown manager can get ready for the playoffs, he will coach some of his players in an All-Star game today at Hutchinson Field in Hopwood. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 and will feature the North All-Stars verses the South All-Stars.
“We have six guys participating in the game,” Popovich said. “The main concern is for no one to get hurt. Most pitchers will probably only go an inning or two. The managers will probably meet before the game to discuss how long each player will play.”
Getting back to the playoffs, Popovich does not see any team as a threat with the league being wide open.
“We do not fear any team, but we also do not take any team lightly,” the Uniontown skipper said. “This league is so wide open that any team can take it. I am not taking any team for granted. Everybody has a chance to win. If I had to pick any team, I would say Charleroi just because they beat us two times. However, three or four teams have a good chance to win.”
When Popovich looks at his team, he points out the 2005 team that was third in the state and a regional champion.
“We have a few guys from that 2005 team that will really help out our cause,” Popovich said. “Jimmy Blosser, J.C. Myers, Corey Sawka, Joe Hoover and Nate Fike were on that team. They will be the players that we will count on with their leadership and experience.”
Looking at his team as a whole, Popovich points out Fike as a player that could make a big difference for his team come playoff time.
“Nate (Fike) is definitely a big asset to this team,” Popovich said. “He is a big left-hander that throws really hard and has pitched three quality starts for us. He beat Charleroi 12-0 two times and Connellsville 3-2 in three really big games for us. He also can hit the ball really well.”
The ironic thing about Uniontown’s legion team is that they are comprised of players from Laurel Highlands and Uniontown school districts, which are rivals in the high school baseball season, but it doesn’t seem to matter.
“They have been playing together since school was out and they get along well,” Popovich said. “There is not any animosity and they play together as a team.”