NTL BASEBALL: WYALUSING HAS HIGH HOPES FOR 2022 (2022-03-25)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportLast season Wyalusing got a taste of winning, but a youthful roster and Covid quarantines made for an inconsistent season. This year the Rams hope they can put those issues behind them as they compete for the NTL Division-I title.
“Just having the whole team here for every practice without guys being out for this reason or that reason is big,” said coach Nick Vanderpool. “We can work on some of the smaller things, which will be beneficial.”
He would like to see his team do a little better at the plate this season.
“The main thing is just getting more consistent with the bats,” Vanderpool remarked. “We had games where we would hit the snot out of the ball, and other games where we would struggle to score runs. We have to figure out how to get runs across the plate. I feel like if we can score five or six runs we’ll win most games with the pitching we have.”
That pitching begins with Wake Forest commit Blake Morningstar. The junior logged most of the innings last year, throwing in 37 2/3 to go 5-1. He struck out 74 batters, more than the rest of the team combined, to go with 21 walks, 35 hits, and 26 runs, 12 of which were earned, for a 2.23 ERA.
“It’s definitely good having a kid like Blake,” Vanderpool said. “He should keep you in any game as long as he’s on his game, which he normally is. He’s a very consistent pitcher, he throws the ball well.”
Morningstar boasts a fast ball in the low 90’s. And, after not having a freshman year due to Covid, he’s still just entering his prime high school time.
“Not having a freshman year was weird,” he said. “And then last year, it also felt kine of weird - it was kind of like my freshman year. I played a lot of ball over the summer with my travel team, and I’m ready to go.”
He said he’s already close to 100-percent, and is focusing on being as consistent as possible.
“I’ve sharpened up my location on my fastball,” he explained. “I usually throw my four-seam to the outer half of the plate. I’ve been working on my two-seam, and now I’ve got a good two seam on the inside of the plate. And then I’ve developed the change-up since the end of the summer until now, and that’s becoming a really good secondary pitch for me. I’ve sharpened up my slider, and that’s got a really good break.”
Knowing that he’s all set for college has given him some freedom for when it comes to this year.
“I’m not really worried about going out and impressing people and scouts,” Morningstar explained. “I’m just here to play ball, and win games.”
It’s not just him in the bullpen, though, as Vanderpool believes he has other arms he can use to eat up innings.
“We’ve got good compliments to him, too,” he said. “Trehnon Hugo, our number two, he throws the ball well, a couple good pitches.”
Hugo pitched 13 2/3-innings a year ago with 16 strikeouts, 12 walks, and an ERA of 3.585.
Offensively, part of the problem of last year’s inconsistency may have been due to the fact that the Rams had to change around their line-up so much. Vanderpool is determined to keep things simpler this year.
“We’re pretty solid top to bottom,” he said. “Last year we had to move things around because guys got quarantined, so it was kind of a mix and match season. Usually I’m not one to tweak too much, once we get a line-up down I usually like to stick with it as long as everybody’s performing the way they should.”
Hunter Moss (.400) is their top returnee at the plate, while Hugo hit .339 with eight doubles, two triples, and 15-RBI.
Some other returnees are Nick Vanderpool Jr. (.286), Kevin VanDeMark (.281), Morningstar (.250), and Jake Bruyn (.233). As a team they had 21 doubles, and 114 runs scored.
VanDeMark is one of those players whose looking to be more consistent at the plate.
“We’re really putting in the work in the cages,” he said. “We’re trying to hone in on those skills.”
They competed for the NTL Division-I title for most of the season, including getting a walk-off win over the eventual champions Wellsboro, but fell off after the mid-point of the year to NP-Mansfield, Troy, and Towanda.
“We’re going to go into every game treating the other team like they’re just as good, if not better, than us,” VanDeMark remarked. “We’re not going to underestimate the other teams, and everything.”
The two their eyeing are perennial powers Athens and Wellsboro.
“We play them back to back on the schedule both times, so we’ve got to get creative with pitching there,” said Vanderpool. “But I feel like, if we play our game, we’re pretty deep with pitching, and everybody’s going to have the same pitch count rules. I feel like we have to at least split with those guys, but if we can at least sneak a couple of them, then that increases your chances to win the league.”
The big thing for him is cutting down opponent’s base runners, and then not giving up ‘free 90’s’, as Vanderpool says.
Down the road, though, their dream is to do something Wyalusing’s never done in the history of their program: be the best team in the district.
“The ultimate goal is to hang a district title in the gym up there,” said VanDeMark.
ROSTER
Kevin VanDeMark
Hunter Moss
Jake Bruyn
Blake Morningstar
Robert English
Landen Fave
Aden Shaw
Trehnon Hugo
Nick Vanderpool, Jr.
CJ Carr
Casey God
Parker Petlock
Tylor Gardner
Nick Salsman
Kaeden Kusmierz
Jacob Marchion
Kenny Makes
Hunter House
Isaac Shaffer
Logan Norton
Lex Franklin
Jacob Bankes
Nolan Aeppli
Nick Wheeler
SCHEDULE
March 29 at Canton, 4:30 p.m.
March 31 vs Elk Lake, 4:30 p.m.
April 4 vs NPM, 4:30 p.m.
April 6 vs Towanda, 4:30 p.m.
April 8 at Troy, 4:30 p.m.
April 9 at Elk Lake, 11 a.m.
April 14 at Wellsboro, 4:30 p.m.
April 16 at Northwest, 1 p.m.
April 18 at Athens, 4:30 p.m.
April 19 at NEB, 4:30 p.m.
April 21 at CV, 4:30 p.m.
April 23 vs Sullivan County, 10 a.m.
April 25 vs Williamson, 4:30 p.m.
April 27 at NPM, 4:30 p.m.
April 29 at Towanda, 4:30 p.m.
May 3 vs Troy, 4:30 p.m.
May 5 vs Athens, 4:30 p.m.
May 7 vs Wallenpaupack, noon
May 9 vs Wellsboro, 4:30 p.m.
May 13 vs Sayre, 4:30 p.m.
