Strong-armed South Fayette baseball team poised to weather busy stretch run
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Friday, April 20, 2018 | 11:00 PM
It is a pitfall every WPIAL baseball team needs to prepare for — rescheduled games.
Thanks to the soggy Western Pennsylvania springs, the schedules in May can consist of four games in a week. This can be disastrous for teams battling for playoff contention as pitch counts can wreak havoc.
But for South Fayette coach Ken Morgan, a back-loaded schedule is something his pitching staff is built for.
“We are deep and versatile,” Morgan said. “We have kind of seen this season coming and hoped everyone would develop like they have. Some teams will say ‘What do we do? We have four games in four days.' We see that as a strength with how deep we are.”
The Lions (6-3, 4-1) have a core of four veteran pitchers they can turn to for success. Senior Tyler Bedillion is off to a strong start with a 3-0 record and 2.90 ERA. The right-handed pitcher has recorded 16 strikeouts through five appearances.
“He is stoic,” Morgan said. “Not a lot gets him charged up. He has some nice pitches that really compliment his fastball. He has matured into a really nice ballplayer.”
Junior Richie Dell (2-0) has struck out a team-high 18 batters in 12 innings while giving up only five hits and one run.
Senior left-hander Matt Primm is 1-1 with 10 strikeouts. Junior leftie Ryan Kokoski has eight strikeouts through eight innings of work with a 2.52 ERA.
“We have power guys, guys who are crafty, righties and lefties,” Morgan said. “We have so many pitchers on the staff that we haven't been able to get them on the field as much as we'd like. This is the deepest we have been since I have been coaching at South Fayette.”
The pitching staff is backed up by a solid defense. Morgan praised the effort of junior Mitch Dunay, the Lions second baseman and a team captain.
“He is everything you want in an infielder,” Morgan said. “He is a scrappy, blue-collar kind of player. He gives 100 percent effort.”
Eli Snider has also made an impact. The sophomore is in his first season of varsity play but has filed in at third base — he also had the ability to slide over to shortstop when needed and get mixed into the pitching rotation.
The solid defensive play has South Fayette near the top of the Section 2-4A standings with a 4-1 record. The lone setback was a 3-2 loss at undefeated Blackhawk on April 6.
With a rematch with the Cougars and a series with a solid Central Valley squad looming, the Lions are looking to make a run at their first section title since 2012.
“Any time you take the field in this section, it is a dogfight,” Morgan said. “From top to bottom, you need to expect everyone's best on the field. We want to focus on ourselves and control what we can control.”
Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.
Tags: South Fayette
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