Chartiers Valley baseball in hunt for WPIAL playoff berth

By: Nathan Smith
Thursday, April 25, 2019 | 11:18 PM

Coach Curt Cairns knew the Chartiers Valley baseball team was in for an uphill battle this season.

The team entered the year with a lack of experience. With only four seniors, the coaching staff turned to inexperienced juniors and underclassmen for production.

Despite a 3-9 record, Chartiers Valley is winning the games it needs to. The Colts are 3-4 in Section 3-5A play and is still in the chase for a WPIAL playoff spot.

“We’re starting to get our feet under us,” Cairns said. “The entire year has been a leaning experience. All the guys are young and inexperienced. We went .500 in the first half of section play. We hope to do better in the second half.”

The team went 0-5 in nonsection play so far this season. But Cairns purposely set up the schedule to battle top competition — each of the teams Chartiers Valley played out of section has a winning record.

“We don’t like to play cupcakes,” Cairns said. “We want to play the best competition we can. The better competition our young guys faced, the better they will be this year and next.”

One of the biggest struggles for the team has been finding itself at the plate.

The Colts have scored 29 runs through 12 games — an average of just 2.4 runs per game. Only two teams in Class 5A have scored less runs during the time span — Albert Gallatin (24) and Woodland Hills (19). The team has only recorded eight extra-base hits.

“We struggled at the beginning of the year,” Cairns said. “We were overmatched by the arms we faced. We are sometimes starting three or four freshmen. We have been trying to get timely hits and get the ball into play.”

Leading the team at the plate has been Griffin Beattie. The junior has an average of .344 with three doubles, a triple and four RBIs. He leads the team with five runs scored. Junior Louie Kearney has an average of .333 with three RBIs.

The pitchers have performed well to help keep the team in several close games. Seniors Jason Orzechowski and Noah Hughes have led the staff. Orzechowski leads the team with 18 strikeouts and has an ERA of 3.26. Hughes has struck out 11 batters with an ERA of 1.57.

“Any time Jason pitches, we have a chance,” Cairns said. “He has been very good. Noah played JV last year and has been tremendous for us. He has a high strike percentage. He fills the zone up.”

The pitching staff has developed some depth. Aaron Lindow has looked good in limited innings on the mound. The junior has 14 strikeouts. Sophomore Ryan Sharp has made four appearances and has an ERA of 2.33. The team has also turned to a pair of freshmen in Zander Fasulkey and Frank Dervanik.

Chartiers Valley has played its way into clinching a ninth-straight WPIAL playoff appearance. But to get to the postseason, the team will not only need to progress physically but also improve mentally.

“They physical part of the game is easy,” Cairns said. “It is the psychological part of the game that can be tough. It is the little things like knowing what to do in certain situations. That is the toughest part to manage.

“From the first game to now, it is a completely different baseball team. Our record is (3-9), but they can be a special group over the next couple of seasons.”

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