Focus on offense in practice, win over Pine-Richland boost Fox Chapel’s confidence
By:
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Shaler’s Luke Jarzynka breaks up a double play under Fox Chapel’s Tyler Golembiewski during their Section 3-5A game March 25.
Shaler’s Max Saban scores under Fox Chapel catcher Joey Geller during a Section 3-5A game on March 25.
Fox Chapel shortstop Antonio LeDonne knew after the team’s opening series with Shaler the Foxes needed to zero in on hitting.
They weren’t far behind where they wanted to be, but if Fox Chapel wanted to make noise in the Class 5A playoffs, the bats would have to be better.
“We’ve been doing a lot of situational stuff in practice,” LeDonne said. “It helps us knowing that we can do it. It gives us a calmer approach.”
Fox Chapel got a spark with a 3-2, 10-inning win over Pine-Richland on March 31 that turned into a three-game winning streak. The Foxes also swept a pair of games against another Section 3 foe, New Castle.
“We didn’t play badly against Shaler or Pine-Richland in the first game,” Foxes coach James Hastings said. “We didn’t come up with timely hitting. We’re hitting the ball well now. We’ve had a ton of hits during the last two games.”
The Foxes (6-3, 3-3) score an average of 6.4 runs per game. Jeremy Haigh leads the team with a .535 batting average.
Blake Krushinski, Tristan Blum, Kristofer Bandurski and Nick Seifried have all been hitting well to start the season.
“They are bigger and stronger,” Hastings said. “They put a ton of work in the offseason, and it really shows. The pitching we faced early was incredibly difficult. Pine-Richland has a pitcher who is going to Baylor and their No. 2 kid was throwing in the upper 80s.”
LeDonne hasn’t been happy with the way he has started the season at the plate. He is hoping to continue to get on base as the leadoff hitter to provide opportunity for batters behind him.
“My approach is to get on any way I can,” LeDonne said. “That hasn’t gone too well. I want to get on even if I walk or get hit by a pitch. I want to get on and steal a couple bases.”
The Foxes’ hot streak came right before Fox Chapel got a week off from section play. Fox Chapel had only a game scheduled against Valley before resuming section play at Mars on April 14.
Results of the games with Valley and Mars were unavailable for this edition.
“We want to stay loose and not overwork ourselves before we get back to section play,” LeDonne said.
Beating Pine-Richland and preventing a sweep was important for Fox Chapel’s confidence. The Foxes would have started 0-4 in the section with a loss.
“They are the second-ranked team in the state,” Hastings said. “For us to be 0-3 and getting that win was a big confidence builder. We know we can play with those guys. You can say that all you want, but you still have to go out and beat them.”
Tags: Fox Chapel
More Baseball
• What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 16, 2025: Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin to slug it out• Trib 10: New team takes top spot in softball power rankings
• High school roundup for April 15, 2025: Hunter Horne’s homer lifts West Mifflin past Ringgold
• Freshman pitcher keeps grip in soggy conditions, keys victory over Deer Lakes
• Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Postseason series format could be gaining steam
