South Side aims to complete historic run with PIAA baseball title

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, June 14, 2018 | 4:54 PM

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The 40-mile drive home to South Side's campus from Washington & Jefferson following the Rams' lopsided loss to rival Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinal game was one of the quietest bus rides coach Chip Hunter has ever experienced.

Yes, players were upset over the loss, but the trip back to Hookstown served more as a planning session than a pity party.

“Years of trying to take a step forward in our program and when losses didn't mean that much, you could really just see how important it was,” said Hunter, who has been the Rams' skipper for the past 13 years. “(The loss) was a business-like approach and a big wake-up call for them.”

When South Side trots onto Penn State's Medlar Field Friday at 1 p.m. Friday to face District 3 champ Lancaster Catholic (17-5) for the PIAA Class 3A crown, the Rams will not only be living history, but it marks the first time since 2000 that South Side appeared in a PIAA bracket. The Rams have never advanced past the first round.

“I have never been around a group that has jelled so much,” Hunter said. “They wanted to do this for everybody else but themselves. That's the thing that really stood out; (they) don't want to do this for (themselves), (they) want to do this for the school, the community and the team next year.”

The Rams used every bit of the seven days between the semifinal loss and the WPIAL third-place game to recalibrate their focus on putting together a run at a PIAA title. Hunter said he put the burden of getting over the Avonworth loss on the players and just got back to basics to prepare for the consolation game.

And with a thrilling, 7-5 win over Riverside, the Rams were off to the PIAA bracket as the WPIAL third-place finisher and one of the most unlikely dark horses to navigate the state Class 3A tournament in recent years.

“They know that the expectations before the season, from the outside people looking in, is they weren't supposed to be there,” Hunter said.

The win not only sparked a historic run but also put the Rams in one of the most difficult slots in the bracket. South Side had to knock off three district champions to reach Happy Valley. The 17-3 win over District 10 champ Greenville in five innings had the Rams brimming with confidence. Ace pitcher Casey Jones was lights out, throwing only 59 pitches in the mercy-rule win.

“We've all been playing together since we were 8 years old, and we have good chemistry,” Jones said.

Jones, a Saint Vincent commit, is South Side's work horse on the hill. He finished the regular season with a 5-3 record as a starter. Hunter said Jones' “stuff” is unique in that he delivers from many different arm angles, and at times, the right-hander incorporates a side-armed delivery.

“(Jones is) the gutsiest player I've ever been around,” Hunter said. “He goes up and battles on every pitch. He's a great leader as a vocal leader, and he is such a great role model.”

Jones drove the train in a 5-1 win over District 6 champ Huntingdon and came back four days later to deliver a 7-5 win over WPIAL champ Brownsville. Jones, whose fastball rests in the low-to-mid 80's, worked to the max-pitch count of 100 in both wins.

“If you looked at him, you'd think he wouldn't know what a weight room looks like,” Hunter said. “He worked his tail off in the offseason, and he flies under the radar.”

Jones finished the regular season with 62 strikeouts and averaged just over nine per game going into the postseason.

“I'm just excited to play baseball one last time,” Jones said. “It's my last game in high school, and so you just go out there and enjoy it. I'm definitely never going to forget this memory.”

Jones will have his work cut out for him. Lancaster Catholic will trot out one of the best pitchers in the state in Kentucky commit Dillon Marsh. Marsh holds an 8-1 record in 12 appearances and a stingy 0.68 ERA.

“They have the best pitcher in the state, and he's going to Kentucky,” Hunter said. “He threw a no-hitter and a shutout. He's a phenomenal player.”

The Crusaders started their PIAA journey a few years ago. They didn't make it out of the first round two years ago and got bounced out by Loyalsock Township, 6-4, in the quarterfinals last year.

But none of Lancaster Catholic's star players and Division I commits means anything to a team that as a whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Besides Jones, no other senior on the South Side roster will be playing baseball at the next level, which speaks volumes as to how well the Rams play together as a team.

“This team is not the most talented team,” Hunter said. “We don't have that so-called superstar. They don't care who gets the press.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: South Side