Leechburg baseball team loaded with pitching, bursting with enthusiasm

By: William Whalen
Saturday, March 19, 2022 | 4:13 PM

Hard work, positivity and optimism. Spend any length of time with first-year Leechburg baseball coach Heath Shimer and it’s obvious a new era of Blue Devils baseball about to begin.

“I got an awesome group of kids right now,” said Shimer. “I am surprised that I have them where I want them this early.

“This group, they are thick as thieves right now. They’re all for one and one for all. They’re the musketeers right now. I just hope that we’re gonna trend in the right direction all season.”

Leechburg (7-9, 6-4) finished last season tied for third place with Sewickley Academy in Section 3-1A. The Blue Devils earned a No. 11 seed in the WPIAL Class A bracket but lost to No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan, 7-1, in the first round.

“One of my captains, who is kind of like my ears an eyes to the squad, he said, ‘We didn’t show what we were capable of last year,’ “ Shimer said.

The Blue Devils hope to show it this year.

And by all accounts, it looks like a stacked deck that begins and ends with the pitching. For a small school, the Blue Devils have four solid pitchers.

Shimer makes it no secret, 6-foot-1 right-hander Owen McDermott will be his No. 1 pitcher. Shimer’s No. 2 will be junior righty Matt Curfman. Shimer calls junior lefty Logan Kline the “wild card” of the bunch.

“He’s the fastest kid on the team, and he’s bubbling with enthusiasm,” Shimer said.

Rounding out the rotation is freshman Chase Henry. Shimer said Henry has incredible upside.

“I have a pretty deep rotation,” Shimer said. “I have, I think, four legitimate starters and … that’s pretty good.”

The rest of the Blue Devils lineup is a blend of upper- and underclassmen.

“We have great young talent in our freshman and sophomores and fantastic upperclassmen,” senior Thomas Burke III said. “The team and I could not be more excited to get the season underway.”

Depending on who is pitching, Curfman and Burke will catch. There’s a bit of a log jam at first base with junior Eli Verner, senior Devin Salsgiver and sophomore Kaleb Kalpalka all competing for time.

Junior Braiden Turiak will get the nod at second base. The other half of the Blue Devils’ infield will be young but athletic. Henry will get the start at shortstop when McDermott isn’t pitching. Another freshman, Jake Cummings, will start at third base.

“I’m big on Chase Henry and Jake Cummings right now,” Shimer said. “I’m excited to see what (Henry’s) ceiling is.”

Tyler Burke will start in right field, with brother Thomas beside him in center. Kline will start in left field.

Shimer also is high on Kline.

“The one that is gonna surprise everybody is gonna be Kline this year, my left fielder,” Shimer said. “I think he’s got the five tools as a baseball player. I don’t want to take anything from Owen (McDermott), we know what he can do. Logan Kline has the tools. He’s got the speed, the bat, can hit for power and he told me that he really hasn’t played baseball since the 8th grade.”

Burke III said there is plenty of enthusiasm heading into the start of the regular season.

“We truly feel that this year could be a great year and a turning point for Leechburg baseball,” Burke III said. “So far, all of Leechburg’s sports teams have made the playoffs this year. We are looking to continue that trend.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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