Chartiers Valley looking for bats to come alive for playoff push

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Five days after Chartiers Valley stopped a three-game losing streak with an 11-5 win that saw the team’s bats come alive against Section 2-5A opponent Peters Township, the Colts dropped an important section game against Moon on April 14.

The manner in which they lost, a passed ball in the bottom of the sixth inning, was something coach Bill Priddy preached about before the contest.

“I want to see our pitchers eliminate the freebies,” Priddy said. “Cut down on the walks, the hit batsmen and the errors. When you’re playing the teams that we are, you can’t give up free bases.”

The loss sent Chartiers Valley to the basement of the section, but with plenty of games left, the majority of them section games, there’s still a chance for the Colts to climb back up to fourth place and the final playoff spot.

“We need to work harder and find ways to win,” said Priddy.

One way the Colts can accumulate more wins is ending up on the right side of one-run and two-run games. They have played in seven games decided by two runs or fewer and are 2-5 in those games. They are 1-4 in one-run games.

“We’ve played a competitive schedule,” said Priddy. “We’ve been one hit away in a few games that could have us at 9-3 or 8-4. We’ve been in every game so far. We just falter towards the end.”

The Colts have struggled with their bats. Priddy subscribes to the idea of manufacturing runs, and there’s a good reason for that.

“As a program, we’ve hit one home run in two years,” Priddy said. “The kids want to talk about launch angle and all that and they end up flying out. We have to learn how to put the ball in play.

“We’re not going to beat these teams by outscoring them by 10 runs. We need to take walks, steal bases and maybe play some small ball and move them over with bunts.”

Chartiers Valley’s bats appeared to have arrived in the 11-5 win over Peters Township, and the offense looked to carry over into the game against Moon, as it scored four first-inning runs.

The Colts (6-7, 3-5) recovered from their loss to Moon and went on to beat the Tigers, 8-6, the next evening.

“Whether they started loosening up better or there wasn’t as much stress, we played better and it felt good,” said Priddy. “I told them that this is what I expected.”

Leading the Chartiers Valley offense is senior shortstop Jake Federouch, who has 12 hits and is hitting .364. Fellow senior Mike Switala also has 12 hits and is batting .279.

“Those guys are my leaders,” said Priddy. “Mike is our catcher and is off to Cal U next year. Jake was one of my starters last year, but this year I didn’t want to lose his defense for pitching, so he’s mainly at short, but will come in as a reliever for us. He’s going to Penn State Behrend in the fall.”

Other key contributors on offense include sophomore third baseman Nathan Colberg, who is tied with Federouch with a .364 average and has eight total hits. Junior Mike Koza is third on the team in average (.278) and sophomore Jared Pryor is fourth (.268).

“Nathan has been a huge spark for us and has also shown signs of being able to pitch,” said Priddy. “Jared started as a freshman last year and became one of my top hitters. He’s strong, can run and can play almost anywhere. He’s an outfielder, but is also my backup catcher.”

A late surprise for the Colts has been sophomore right fielder Drake Steding, who didn’t play JV last year but made a big play in the win against Peters.

“He went after a ball in the right-center gap that I don’t think Willie Mays could have caught,” said Priddy. “He came out of nowhere. It was unbelievable.”

What’s been solid for Chartiers Valley is the pitching. It’s what’s kept the majority of their games close, despite some hiccups from the offense.

That should come as no surprise, as Priddy was an assistant coach for 34 years before coming to Chartiers Valley last year. He was a pitching coach for the majority of that time.

Leading the way for the Colts is junior Jules Prozzoly.

“He throws very hard,” said Priddy. “He’s getting looks from colleges, and I know Seton Hill is looking at him.”

Prozzoly, as the team’s No. 1, has been going up against the opposing team’s top guy and with the sputtering Colts bats, Prozzoly has come out on the short end in his outings, posting a record of 0-3.

“In those matchups, we know it’s going to be a very low scoring game when each team’s top guy is pitching,” said Priddy. “He pitches well. We can’t get that extra run or two to close it out.”

Koza (2-0) is the No. 2 pitcher and Federouch (1-1) has seen his fair share of time on the mound behind Koza and Prozzoly.

Priddy was hoping to have Brady Schaming in the picture as a pitcher, but the junior lefty was diagnosed with arm problems earlier in the season and won’t be back until the end of April.

“He’s been our DH and is a very coachable kid and is working hard with our hitting coach,” said Priddy. “You can tell he’s getting better because he’s putting the ball in play, is battling with opposing pitchers, getting their pitch counts up. I love everything about him.”

Priddy is proud of the way his team has played this year and knows all the Colts have to do is put together wins and find a way to that fourth spot and get into the playoffs.

“Right now, we’re a young, inexperienced team, but I know I can count on all my players,” said Priddy. “They’re all talented and athletic. We just need to find ways to get runs across the plate and get some wins. All you need is one good arm and you can do well in the playoffs, and I believe we have that.”

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