Westmoreland County pitchers take the spotlight early in season

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 | 6:48 PM

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“This one's for you, dad.”

Belle Vernon junior righthander Cole Naylor said he uttered those words to himself seconds before he took the mound Saturday at Evans Field in South Park.

His father, Scott, died just over a year ago and would have been proud of his son's momentous game.

“Before I knew it I had a no-hitter going,” Naylor said. “It was a complete surprise and the most memorable moment of my baseball career.”

Naylor finished off his gem — a 2-0 Section 3-4A victory over South Park — and pinned up the first no-hitter by a Belle Vernon baseball pitcher since 1991.

“I had no idea I had a no-hitter (going),” Naylor said. “As soon as I stepped on the mound in the fifth I was throwing at least 5 mph harder than previous innings.”

Naylor has helped make pitchers the story early in the season in both baseball and softball in Westmoreland County.

A slow-building start, interrupted by weather-related stops and starts — OK, starts and fits — has not seemed to hinder the continuity of area pitchers.

The county has seen a call to arms.

There have been a number of stellar performances.

• Yough junior softball pitcher Kierra Waywood no-hit Belle Vernon and senior ace Bailey Parshall, 4-0, and also threw a one-hitter.

• Lefty Parshall has been sensational, striking out a WPIAL-best 103 batters, including a school-record 23 against Waynesburg, and 20 more against Steel Valley.

• Mt. Pleasant junior Carolyn Alincic, senior Meadow Uncapher and freshman Mary Smithnosky combined for a no-hitter against Highlands. Alincic added a three-hit shutout vs. Indiana. And Uncapher had eight strikeouts in a two-hitter against Derry.

• Jeannette senior baseball pitcher Tre Cunningham is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 18 innings. He has 22 strikeouts.

• Greensburg Central Catholic baseball has three mercy-ruled one-hitters, by Antonio Cavallo, Bruce Leonard and Joel LoNigro.

• Jane Garver, a Ligonier Valley softball pitcher, struck out eight in a three-inning no-hitter and fanned 16 in three-hit shutout.

• Latrobe's Kiley Myers and Becca Tatone combined for a three-inning no-hitter, and Tatone also tossed a one-hitter, as did teammate Jordan Tallman.

Rest is never a bad thing for overworked arms — baseball has rules to police it — but maybe it has worked in the favor of some local players who have gained extra time between starts because of postponements.

It's debatable what players misplace more during down time: hitting or pitching.

Pitchers have not had many issues, if any.

“I think it's easier for pitchers to get into a rhythm because they are throwing the ball over and over, but with hitters you are only up to bat about three times and pitchers throw around 80 pitches,” Cunningham said. “I think I've been effective early because of my muscle memory. Since I came right from basketball I didn't have much time to get on the mound, so I have to focus on my mechanics from past seasons.”

Naylor, who struck out eight and threw 62 of his 97 pitches for strikes against South Park, believes completely flattening the tires of an opposing lineup takes more than one player.

The no-no's aren't always dominated by strikeouts. And Waywood fanned just nine against Belle Vernon but her defense played an error-free game behind her.

Naylor gave props to his defense and his team's pitching coordinator, Tony Watson.

“From the fifth inning on I didn't throw any off-speed pitches,” Naylor said. “Our shortstop, Josh Hoffman, had a challenging play up the middle in the sixth and made the play. He looked at me and said ‘I got you.' And there were a pair of nice plays at third base by Nolan Labuda. This shows a lot about the team and how we all have each other's back.”

A Penn State recruit, Parshall said she is trying to get more hitters to chase pitches up in the strike zone.

“For me, I think it's been easier for me as a pitcher because pitchers throw all year round and batters don't get to see live pitching all year,” Parshall said. “I think I'm in a good rhythm right now, all my pitches are complementing each other nicely, and that's what I was looking for this season.”

For defending PIAA Class 4A softball champion Mt. Pleasant, Alincic's ERA is 0.47 and Uncapher's 0.78. The pair have combined for 37 strikeouts in 26 innings.

“It is difficult for athletes to get comfortable on dirt after weeks of being indoors, but it doesn't take long to get the feeling back,” said Mt. Pleasant softball coach Lauren (Shaheen) Armanious, a former standout pitcher at Hempfield. “We are working pitchers a lot in the offseason and during the cold, rainy days of early spring. We had batters stand in, worked corners and location daily, and really pushed them to be more accountable during their pitching sessions. I think the extra time and preparation helped to get them ready.

“I think our team did a good job dealing with a tough spring.”

GCC baseball coach Dennis Reist said simulating real-time fielding has been his team's biggest issue.

“It's a little easier for pitchers to get game-situation reps inside than hitters,” he said. “Hitters need to adjust to hitting outside in cold and wet weather compared to hitting inside in a control climate. Plus, pitchers have to hit the same target. Hitters also have to adjust to different speeds, arm angles, etc.”

Belle Vernon baseball coach Daryl Hixenbaugh claims hitters have a more challenging predicament with down time but, “Pitchers have not been able to throw bullpens … they don't know when they will be pitching. Also they cannot long toss, a major component of building up arm strength. It has been trying for both pitchers and coaches.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Yough