Quaker Valley Legion team returns strong, winning core
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Expectations are “relatively high” for Quaker Valley’s American Legion baseball team — and for good reason.
The team is led by veteran pitchers Jake Commens and Isaiah Piatt — recent graduates — and has a core of juniors and sophomores that has won more than a dozen tournaments in Western Pennsylvania over the last seven years.
“There is some really good competition in this league, so we’re not assuming we’ll do well,” Quaker Valley manager John Vorberger said. “We know that we do have a good group of ballplayers, and there’s an expectation among them to play a certain level of baseball. They’re competitive and want to continue to win.”
Quaker Valley has a 4-2 record in the first third of the season. Vorberger felt the team would be at least 3-3 out of the gate, and he might know the players better than anyone after having coached most of them for several years.
“There are important things I take away from the opportunity to be around them,” Vorberger said. “I think I can speak for the other coaches, too. To watch them grow up as ballplayers and now they’re young men, it’s great to be around. It certainly is rewarding.”
The team’s veteran pitching will be key to a winning season.
“We’re deep enough in pitching that when the season gets deeper, we’ll have multiple games in a short span of time,” Vorberger said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll always have pitching that keeps us competitive. I expected the strong pitching and defense, and that’s how we’re winning.”
Junior Nick Merriman and sophomores Zach Vorberger and Connor Emery also will be called on to pitch.
“We’ll use the older guys against really solid lineups, but that’s not to say our sophomores couldn’t,” John Vorberger said. “They’re capable. They’ll give us good innings. They’re just not quite as big and strong yet, and they’ll grow and develop this summer.”
Quaker Valley’s bats were relatively quiet until Wednesday in a 10-1 win against Center Monaca. Vorberger said the lineup should settle into a better rhythm as batters become more comfortable against high-quality pitching.
“We have dedicated players, and hitting is contagious,” John Vorberger said. “It’s about the fundamentals and the mindset of not over-swing, keeping your head on the ball and competing on every pitch.”
Shortstop Yeudy Almanzar might have a few opportunities to pitch, but he is the team’s defensive and offensive leader.
“He’s a solid ballplayer, and you could argue he’s our best all-around player,” John Vorberger said. “He’s a really good contact hitter, and we typically lead off with him. He also has some power and almost put one out (Wednesday).”
Piatt, Emery, Tommy Rozman and Conner Bukoskey also should be key hitters.
Catcher Zeke Hendricks will provide a solid bat when he returns from injury.
“If the bats come along, I think we can compete against a lot of teams in this league,” John Vorberger said. “It was good to see them make solid contact in our last game, and we’ll see what the rest of the season brings. There are really good opponents left for us to play, so the proof is in the pudding.”