Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Week: May 29, 2022

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 29, 2022 | 7:02 PM

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After a season opening loss to Archbishop Stepinac of New York, the Montour baseball team ripped off 15 consecutive wins to run away with the Section 2-4A title and firmly place itself as the team to beat in Class 4A.

Then, in a span of seven days, the Spartans lost four nonsection games.

“I think at that point we exhaled a bit,” Montour coach Bob Janeda said. “We had our senior night festivities against Chartiers Valley, played a very good Penn-Trafford team and ended the season against a talented South Fayette team and their ace. Each of those three 5A teams all won a playoff game. It would have been very easy to not schedule these tough games at the end of the season, but that never crossed our mind. In my opinion you prepare for the playoffs by playing playoff teams from schools bigger than you.”

After 12 days of waiting because of a first-round bye, Montour was pumped to finally begin its postseason this past week.

You could say the Spartans were a little psyched.

In the quarterfinals Monday, senior Mason Sike had two hits, including a home run and four RBIs as the Spartans beat section foe Quaker Valley, 7-1.

“Mason had a very good season,” Janeda said. “He ended the regular season with a .345 average and 26 RBIs. Mason is the type of player who elevates his game when it matters most. If you look at our postseason run last year, Mason was very good. Mason loves the playoffs and thrives in big games and situations.”

The hits and long balls kept coming the next day in a semifinals showdown against Laurel Highlands.

Sike broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run blast in the fifth inning at W&J’s Ross Memorial Field as the Spartans reached the finals for a second straight year with a 4-2 win over the Mustangs.

“The Laurel Highlands pitcher was throwing a nice game against us,” Janeda said. “Mason came up with a guy on and hit a shot over the left field fence. We knew we needed a big hit to take the lead and keep the momentum and Mason delivered. It was a senior who has started since his freshman year leading by example and coming up clutch in a big- time situation.”

Not only did Sike deliver in the clutch with the long ball, he also was the Spartans’ winning pitcher in the semifinals, going six innings, allowing only three hits and striking out eight.

“Again, very solid on the mound during the regular season,” Janeda said.

Sike was 3-0 with a save, a 2.10 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched.

In describing Sike, Janeda said he definitely speaks softly while carrying a powerful stick.

“Mason has always been a talented player and has been a huge part of the success of this program since his freshman year. He isn’t so much a rah-rah type of leader, just one who goes out and performs in big situations and lets his play speak for itself.

“Our seniors experienced the disappointment of losing in the WPIAL finals and state semis last year. We haven’t hidden from our goals and expectations for this season. Our veteran leadership has been evident since the winter, and this group truly leads by example. It also helps when your seniors perform at a high-level and set the bar for everyone else.”

Janeda expressed that Sike, a St. Bonaventure recruit, is the total package on the field.

“Mason has excellent power, both gap to gap but also is a home run threat. Along with that power he also is a good contact hitter who hits for a high average who only struck out five times this season. Mason is also an excellent defensive first baseman. This sometimes goes unnoticed due to his pitching and hitting, but he plays very sound defense.”

Montour settled for district silver last spring after losing to New Castle in the 4A finals. Now the Spartans’ focus is on West Mifflin and winning their first WPIAL baseball championship since 1972.

“Obviously, they are a talented team and are well coached,” Janeda said. “They won 17 ball games this year and won their section. We have seen them play a few times and understand a bit about them. With that said, at this point in the season as much as we need to prepare for them, it is just as important that our practices and preparation leading up to Tuesday are outstanding. We need to stay focused and let our talent take care of the rest. This team is more mature than last year’s team and as mentioned earlier with more senior leadership they are very focused on the prize.”

2022 Trib HSSN Baseball Players of the Week

Week 7 – J.C. Voss, Mohawk

Week 6 – Angelo DeLeonardis, Knoch

Week 5 – Dylan Grabowski, Penn-Trafford

Week 4 – Cam Marshalwitz, Hampton

Week 3 – Wes Parker, Peters Township

Week 2 – Gavin Homer, Indiana

Week 1 – Jake Kendro, Norwin

Tags: Montour