Construction, weather, youth can’t keep Leechburg baseball from solid start

By: George Guido
Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 7:12 PM

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Several weeks ago, the Leechburg High School baseball team was searching for a place to play its home games after the renovation timetable at the West Leechburg field slowed.

Now, the Blue Devils are just looking to get a game in anywhere.

Leechburg’s game with Riverview was postponed for the fourth straight day Thursday, and coach Heath Shimer is hoping the team doesn’t start having games stacked up soon.

The Blue Devils have five pitchers at his disposal, but the possibility of four games next week is tough on any Class A-sized school.

The team does have its home field problem solved with the use of a facility in the Braeburn Heights section of Lower Burrell.

“We do have home games at ABC Fields in Lower Burrell,” Shimer said. “Thanks to Kerry Harris of Lower Burrell’s Little League and PONY League, they’ve really bailed us out here. We can’t change anything right now, and I tell my boys that there are some things out of our control and this is one of them.”

Despite field and weather problems, Leechburg is holding its own. The Blue Devils are 2-2 in Section 3-A and 3-3 overall.

“I think we’re trending in the right direction,” Shimer said. “We’re a young team. We have three seniors. One’s a starter. Two are role players. We’re heavy with our junior class and we’re starting two freshmen. I guess for everything we’ve been through, I’m happy.”

The top four teams in the section make the WPIAL playoffs. Leechburg is tied with Riverview for third place.

The top pitchers for Leechburg so far this season have been juniors Owen McDermott and Matt Curfman. At the plate, Logan Kline has a 1.200 slugging percentage and freshman infielder Chase Henry has earned plaudits from his coach. He was the winning pitcher in his varsity debut against Derry.

Junior Braiden Turiak has solidified the infield at second base.

“I think we have a great set of weapons and athletes on the team,” said senior captain Thomas Burke III, the Valley News Dispatch 2021 offensive Player of the Year in football. “We need to start putting the pieces together. We have a great pitching staff, we hit the crap out of the ball, and we need to just play as a team.”

McDermott, being looked at by Bucknell among others, feels the team has settled into its home field situation.

“It’s fine. It feels all right. It’s a baseball field, just a different field,” McDermott said. “We go deep in pitching for a small school. That’s what you need to go far in the playoffs. I definitely think we can compete with anyone.”

Speed is also a factor for Leechburg. Shimer estimates the Blue Devils have about 30 stolen bases in their six games.

Said Shimer: “My philosophy is to run ‘til you get thrown out, then we’ll reset.”

The two section losses were by one and two runs, respectively, against Sewickley Academy. The only real rough outing was a 12-3 setback against The Kiski School in a non-WPIAL encounter.

But there’s still work to be done. Shimer is looking for someone to step up and take over a couple of positions that remain in flux.

“I’m not giving it. They’ve got to earn it,” Shimer insists.

This is Shimer’s first season as Leechburg’s head coach. He is assisted by former coach Ed Kriger, who retired as an educator several years ago, and Tyler Leech, who played for the Blue Devils in 2019.

Looming are two big games Monday and Tuesday against Eden Christian Academy, in first place in the section and ranked second in Class A this week by Trib HSSN.

The WPIAL section schedule must be completed by May 12.

Tags: Leechburg