North Allegheny baseball wants faster start

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 23, 2018 | 11:00 PM

Being eliminated from the playoff chase was difficult for all the baseball teams in Section 1-6A last season. Other than eventual WPIAL champion Pine-Richland, which won the crown with a 9-1 mark in section, the next four teams finished within two games of each other.

North Allegheny, which finished 17-8 overall and placed second in the section with a 6-4 mark, would like to avoid the congestion by producing at a higher level on offense.

While the Tigers' offense found its footing in the WPIAL playoffs, producing 32 runs in four games to reach the WPIAL finals against the Rams, North Allegheny second-year coach Andrew Heck thinks they could be more efficient from the jump this season.

North Allegheny hit .266 as a team and produced 94 runs in 25 games. The Tigers were blanked in their first-round PIAA playoff game, falling to State College, 1-0.

“One of the biggest things I've been preaching and our guys have taken to heart is we want to swing the bats better earlier in the season,” Heck said. “That's been one of the goals of ours.”

Senior outfielder Luke Trueman will be one of the players to set the table for the Tigers. Trueman led the team by hitting .364 and drove in 10 runs. Senior infielder Colin Cain hit .270 and drove in seven runs, and Justin Hamm hit .262 and brought 11 runners in.

“I think we're hungry,” Heck said. “A lot of the guys who return from last year, swing the bat. We had a couple of seniors who pitched really well. If these guys play defense behind them, we have to do the same thing.”

North Allegheny's pitchers will be in the same position. The Tigers lost their two workhorses — Bobby Brown (51 ²⁄₃ innings pitched) and Danny Caropresi (46 ¹⁄₃) — and will look for new faces to emerge.

Anthony Hattrup collected a 4-1 record in seven appearances last season. Hattrup had 14 strikeouts and allowed three runs in 12 innings pitched.

North Allegheny, which opened the season in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last week, is ready to see who will step forward to try and make a march back to Wild Things Park for the WPIAL finals.

The Tigers would like to avoid sweating out qualifying for the playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing is our guys know what it took to get there,” Heck said. “They know how to go about their business a little bit better this year. What I hope they took from this year is the confidence. We have to respect our opponents, but at the same time we need to believe we are the best team out there.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: North Allegheny