New coach energizes Penn Hills baseball program

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 24, 2018 | 1:39 AM

A new year, new coach and new attitude has sparked optimism for those involved in the Penn Hills baseball program.

The Indians, who finished with a 2-31 record under coach Brian Randolph the last two seasons, will be led by Jerry Cammuso. They are in search of their first playoff berth since 2011.

Cammuso has built his coaching resume in AAU baseball the past two decades, most recently for the Gators Baseball Club for PA Diamond Kings.

A signature of his teams has been pitching depth. In the early going, Cammuso knew he had three solid starters when he took over at Penn Hills.

However, it wasn't until mid-March when he found out he will have two more arms to throw at opponents this season.

The Indians pitching staff included seniors Anthony Tucci and Tim Hoolahan, as well as sophomore Cole Yeager. Sophomore Cameron Clark and freshman Anthony Sciulli also will be at Cammuso's disposal.

Clark, a Central Catholic transfer, was cleared by the WPIAL on March 19, while Sciulli was cleared a day earlier to return from a torn ACL.

“(Clark) is a stud pitcher, outfielder and power hitter. He's a game changer,” Cammuso said.

“It's been a long time coming. I know what I have. They know what they have. All we got to do is produce. We can't go out there and think you got it all. You got to prove you got it all.”

Yeager, who will man the middle of the infield with Tucci, wants to put the history in the past and turn the page with this new group.

“We try to move on from the stuff that happened last year. We're moving on since we have a new coach,” he said. “We don't try to think of what we have been doing that last couple of years. We just try to continue to look ahead.”

Another aspect Cammuso tries to instill into his baseball teams is the value of versatility.

With the abundance of catchers, Hoolahan will pitch and play third base.

Freshman Josh Zambito will split time at first base and catcher, while sophomore AJ Collins will play third and catch.

In the outfield, which has been labeled by Cammuso as the “no fly zone,” Clark will be joined by sophomore Ryan Kumanchik.

“I move them all around in practice. I tell them you may need to play here so you need to know how to play this position,” Cammuso said.

Finally, Cammuso doesn't only care how his baseball players do on the field but also off the field. Cammuso has put an emphasis on academics as he sees a parallel between the success in the classroom and the success on the diamond.

“I'm not only stressing athletics but also academics. I'm not here to just raise athletes,” Cammuso said. “I'm here to raise young, mature, growing men who are responsible for their actions. I think smart kids create smart baseball players.”

Even though Cammuso has familiarity with a handful of Indians through his AAU days, Cammuso believes a fast start will be key to giving the team get a taste of success early.

“We just need to get some wins under our belts right out of the gate. I know they're confident right now,” Cammuso said. “I need to get them on the winning track since they're not used to it. We have to rack up some wins before we get into some dogfights.”

Andrew John is a freelance writer.

Tags: Penn Hills