Franklin Regional baseball expecting deeper playoff run this season

By: William Whalen
Friday, May 10, 2019 | 8:10 PM

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The road to Wild Things Park has been a short one for the Franklin Regional baseball team over the past few years. It’s not like the Panthers know some kind of special short cut. It’s all highway.

The problem for the Panthers has been they have been making only half the trip and have gotten off at the same exit ramp the past three seasons: the quarterfinals.

Bring up Franklin Regional’s four consecutive quick ousters, and it’s like they never happened. It has become an unrecognizable speck in the rearview mirror.

“We’re not comparing ourselves to past years,” senior pitcher Palmer Jackson said. “We’re gonna go out and do what this year’s team is going to do, and I think it’s going to turn out well for us in the end.”

No. 2 in the latest Trib HSSN WPIAL Class 5A baseball rankings, Franklin Regional (15-1, 12-0) is as complete a team as any out there. The Panthers were awarded the No. 2 seed for the playoffs and a first-round bye. They will play the winner of South Fayette and Montour in the quarterfinals.

“Right now, we’re playing very good baseball,” said coach Bob Saddler, who was named Section 1-5A coach of the year. “The kids, they’ve worked hard in the offseason to prepare themselves.”

Opposing coaches will be hard-pressed to find a weakness in the Panthers.

For starters, Franklin Regional’s pitching staff has quality and quantity.

The Panthers have three starters who could be considered No. 1s. In addition to Jackson, who has a 5-0 record, Franklin Regional also has senior Michael Klingensmith (4-0) and sophomore Andrew Muraco (5-0).

“The one thing that I’m confident in is our pitching,” said Klingensmith who committed to play at Wooster next season. “I think that everybody on this team carries their weight. Everybody gets after it day-in and day-out.”

Klingensmith holds a 1.65 ERA as a starter — and it isn’t even the best one on the team. Jackson and his “dirty knuckleball” are tops with a 1.09 ERA followed by Muraco’s 1.19. Franklin Regional’s team ERA is a slim 1.92.

“Our pitching staff knows that they don’t have to go up there and try to do everything,” Saddler said. “Our pitchers are very honest. If their arm is not 100 percent, we’ll just go to the next guy.”

A pitcher’s best friend is a good offense, and Franklin Regional has that as well. Pitching with a lead takes away a ton of the pressure. The Panthers have a team batting average of .379.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: There’s not a weak spot in the lineup,” Klingensmith said. “We’ve had a lot of kids tearing it up this year, and, hopefully, we keep it going.”

Tommy Kegerreis leads the Panthers with an eye-popping .585 batting average. The senior outfielder also has two triples, two homers and 16 RBIs. Klingensmith ranks second in batting average (.469) and leads the team in runs with 28. Sophomore Louie Kegerreis (.418), senior Jake Williams (.411) and junior Bryce Harper (.410) have added consistency and pop to the lineup.

“At the plate, our players have been an extremely unselfish approach,” Saddler said. “I think that our guys have had a great cerebral mindset, and that starts in the in on-deck circle. They sit there and understand the situation.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional