Yough has been spending a lot of time on the basepaths so far in the Westmoreland County American League.
And even more time clearing them.
Through eight games, Yough (6-2) had scored 66 times to take a substantial lead in runs over the other eight teams in the summer wooden bat league.
Granted, Yough has played more games. But the offense has been plentiful.
The next-closest team was first-place Latrobe (6-1), with 49 runs. Yough, one of the more experienced teams in the league, has eight players hitting .333 or better and carries a team average of .335.
It’s a matter of strength and training, the team’s manager said.
“We’re hitting the ball well for a lot of reasons,” Yough manager Craig Spisak said. “We have a good, athletic group. That makes life easier. But it starts in the weight room — legs, hips and back. That has allowed us to hit it harder and farther.”
Assistant coach Tyler Dillinger, a teacher at Yough and the school’s golf coach, has provided hitting instruction. Dillinger played baseball at Bethany.
The WCALB is a reboot of American Legion District 31 and essentially has the same teams. American Legion canceled its summer season due to covid-19 concerns, so leagues have formed independently with no American Legion affiliation.
Yough, made up of members of the Yough High School team that also is coached by Spisak, has scored eight or more runs four times and has reached double digits on three occasions. It defeated West Hempfield, 11-5, and Mt. Pleasant, 16-2.
The 16 runs are the most scored by a a team in the league all season.
Nate Wilkins leads Yough with a .500 average (9 for 18) and has two home runs and eight RBIs. Michael Bell is hitting .458 with 10 runs scored, Caden Kastronis has 10 RBIs and Ryan Lubovinsky has seven.
“And the thing is, we only lose three kids for next year,” Spisak said. “This gives us a good look at what we have coming back for the high school team and Legion.”
Both of Yough’s losses are by one run — 2-1 against Latrobe and 4-3 to Murrysville.
How they stack up
Through two-plus weeks of action in the WCALB, four teams had at least five wins. Latrobe (7-1) was leading Murrysville (5-1) by two games through Wednesday, with Yough (6-2) in third place followed by Hempfield East (4-2), Bushy Run (2-2), West Hempfield (2-4), Derry (2-6), Young Township (2-6) and Mt. Pleasant (0-6).
Big game hunting
Some key games to watch in the coming weeks include Murrysville at Bushy Run, 6 p.m. Monday at Sunrise Elementary Field in Irwin; Latrobe at Bushy Run, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Sunrise Elementary; Murrysville at Latrobe, 6 p.m. Thursday at Legion-Keener Park in Latrobe; Bushy Run at Yough, 6 p.m. Friday at Yough High School; and Hempfield East at Bushy Run, 1 p.m. Saturday, July 11 at Sunrise Elementary.
Region playoffs
It has been decided that three Legion-level leagues, including Westmoreland, will meet in the postseason for regional playoffs.
The other leagues are Cambria/Bedford and Central Penn. A regional tournament is scheduled for Aug. 7-9 at Hollidaysburg.
Normally, those teams compete in American Legion Region 7.
WPSBL season
The Western Pennsylvania Summer Baseball League, which consists of 53 high school-level teams from WPIAL territory, is planning a unique postseason.
The league, meant to give high school players who had their spring season canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, does not keep standings but will have playoffs, starting July 27.
Teams will either be placed into a hat and pulled to determine postseason matchups, or a cross-sectioning format will be used. Coaches are discussing which idea will work.
Organizers hope to have a championship game at Wild Things Park, the home of the Washington Wild Things Frontier League team and the home of the WPIAL finals in recent years.
