Behind formidable pitching staff, Fox Chapel baseball expects big season

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, March 15, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Fox Chapel baseball team has the starting pitching to once again be in the mix for a section title. The Foxes hope the bats will follow.

Fox Chapel’s rotation will be led by a one-two punch including West Virginia commit Blake Krushinski and Jeremy Haigh.

“I think we have four or five kids who could be a No. 1 for somebody,” Fox Chapel coach James Hastings said. “Blake has matured mentally and emotionally. He’s gotten physically bigger. He’s put on muscle and good weight. He’s developed a few new pitches.”

The Foxes finished in a four-way tie for the Section 3-5A crown with Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford and Plum last year. Fox Chapel finished the season with a 14-7 record before falling 2-0 to eventual WPIAL champion Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Hastings said the Foxes got a lot of valuable experience from last season.

“We were inexperienced,” Hastings said. “We had five kids who started for the first time. I think our lineup will be improved.”

The PIAA’s two-year realignment cycle put Fox Chapel in with a new group of teams this season. The Foxes will be in a section with Allderdice, Mars, New Castle, Pine-Richland, Shaler and West Allegheny.

Fox Chapel will be bringing back first baseman/pitcher Kristofer Bandurski, along with fellow infielders Antonio LeDonne, Everett Clanton and Tyler Golembiewski. Nick Seifried plays third base and can pitch.

Joey Geller can catch and play in the outfield as well. Franco Pistella also played in the outfield and can pitch.

“It’s hard not to say our pitching,” said Hastings when talking about Fox Chapel’s strength. “We have a lot of depth on the mound. The kids work hard, and they’ve been doing it for a while now. A majority of them are upperclassmen. I think we’ve been strong defensively too.”

The Foxes will want to get some more punch of their offense to support their pitching. Fox Chapel were fourth in its section by producing 5.6 runs per game. The Foxes’ were second in runs allowed, conceding 2.5 per contest.

Hastings stressed that he thinks Fox Chapel will be a better hitting team.

“It’s tough. It’s not like we didn’t hit last year,” Hastings said. “We hit OK. You can always hit better. When it comes to being in big spots, our lineup will be improved. A big reason for that is the guys we have coming back have another year of experience.”

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