Uniontown’s DeMoss to take part in Keystone Games

There will be plenty of talented baseball players at McWilliams Field in York, Pa. today, including Uniontown senior-to-be Connor DeMoss.
DeMoss will be participating in the 36th annual 2017 Keystone State Games Festival of Sports, in the three-day baseball event as a pitcher.
Today DeMoss will take part in the “showcase” where each pitcher will get 45 seconds to warm up and then have 90 seconds of active pitching to put their talent on display. Each player also will be timed in a 60-yard dash.
The 17-year-old son of Rob and Michelle DeMoss of Uniontown, is a member of the West team and isn’t intimidated despite the stiff competition that will be there.
“I’m confident,” said DeMoss, who starred for Uniontown during the high school baseball season and Farmington during the Fayette American Legion baseball season. “It’ll be interesting seeing kids from across the state. But I hope to do well.”
DeMoss was chosen by the Herald-Standard as one of the Elite baseball players in Class AAAA this past season and his strong Legion season ended with three scoreless innings in a playoff game against Colonial 3 before rain delayed the finish until the following day, with DeMoss then ineligible to continue on the mound due to pitch-count rules.
DeMoss will compete in a minimum of four games for the West squad on Friday and Saturday at the Keystone Games.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-hander has a fastball that has been clocked at 87 mph and also throws a curveball, change-up and sinker.
“My fastball and my sinker are my best pitches,” DeMoss said. “I get a lot of ground balls from big hitters with the sinker.”
One of the reasons DeMoss should be confident heading into the Keystone games is past experience. He has participated in similar events at Duke University in North Carolina and at Penn State University at the main campus.
“I’m used to this type of event,” he said.
DeMoss is looking forward to his senior season with the Red Raiders under baseball coach Ken Musko. Uniontown barely missed the WPIAL playoffs this past season but DeMoss feels the 2018 team has a good chance break through and reach the postseason.
“I know we have 14 seniors coming back and a lot of our players did well in Legion play with different teams,” DeMoss said.
“I’m hoping for the playoffs and I think we can even win the section title next year.”