Burrell baseball team finds its feet in Class 4A

By: William Whalen
Saturday, March 12, 2022 | 6:30 PM

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Going into last season and bumping up from Class 3A to Class 4A, the Burrell baseball team had no idea what to expect. Now, coach Mark Spohn has his Bucs ready to compete in one of the toughest sections in Class 4A, Section 1.

“We moved up to 4A, and that kind of overwhelmed us a little bit to start out,” said Spohn, who is entering his 24th season as Bucs coach. “We had a pretty thin roster, and we weren’t really prepared for what we were getting into.”

Burrell (5-9, 3-7) finished fifth in the section last season. All the Bucs needed to do was win one of their final two games against Indiana, and they would have reached the postseason.

But last season was a series of streaks. The Bucs dropped seven of their first eight games before they were able to right the ship.

“Personally, I learned I had to keep the energy up in the dugout for the younger kids,” senior pitcher Philip Walsh said. “When we learned that, that’s when we won those games and went on a streak.”

Burrell snapped the seven-game skid with a 5-2 win over playoff-bound Highlands and rattled off four wins before being stonewalled by Indiana in the final two games of the season.

“We just had to beat Indiana to get into the playoffs,” Spohn said. “Indiana had a pretty good team.”

The new year always brings on a new set of challenges, but Spohn and his Bucs know what to expect from Class 4A.

“I just think that every team is a little bit different, a little bit deeper pitching staff and better athletes,” Spohn said. “It’s pretty good baseball, and (we’re) in a section with pretty good teams so you have to compete in every game.”

Spohn has 24 players this season, including 15 on varsity.

“We got good athletes coming in, and our ninth graders are pretty good,” Spohn said.

Two of those ninth graders are Brady Stone and Isaac Lacinski. Spohn said both are mature for their age and will push the upperclassmen for playing time as the season goes on.

Spohn will look to senior pitchers Joe Druga, Walsh and sophomore AJ McLafferty to take the hill this spring. Walsh finished last season with a 3-3 record.

Spohn said there’s a battle between three or four players at catcher. Walsh will play first base when he’s not on the hill.

The other infield spots are up in the air.

“I can’t tell you who my shortstop, third baseman and second baseman is going to be because these underclassmen are really pushing the older ones,” Spohn said. “This is good for the program, and this is exactly what you want to have happen.”

There’s a little more certainty in the outfield. Senior Tristan Kenzevich will play left field, and McLafferty will man center field when he’s not on the mound. Spohn still is waiting on someone to win the spot in right field.

“Hopefully, it all blends out well and we’re a little better than we were last year,” Spohn said.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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