Westmoreland athletes of the week: Hempfield’s Isaiah DiAndreth, Monessen’s Dana Vatakis

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, April 18, 2018 | 8:21 PM

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Isaiah DiAndreth

School: Hempfield

Sport: Baseball

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: DiAndreth, who is batting .440 with five doubles, five RBIs and eight runs scored this season, went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a triple to lead Hempfield (6-2, 3-0) to a 10-6 win over Plum on Friday. DiAndreth went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, in a 7-3 win over Penn-Trafford on April 11.

“I thought I did average to be honest, and I think I could do a lot better,” DiAndreth said. “As a team, I felt we haven't really clicked yet, but that's a good thing because we know what we are able to do.”

What are your college plans?

I'm going to Seton Hill to play baseball. I love everything about the campus, the team and the coach. The baseball program is great there.

How would you describe your game?

I just try to contribute to the team to the best of my abilities. I go hard in practices and games. I give it 110 percent and leave it all on the field.

What does the team need to do to make a deeper playoff run this year?

We've got to stick to our basics and fundamentals. We all have to contribute as a team and be ready for whatever is coming towards us. We have to take it game by game.

What is your favorite sport, football or baseball?

Baseball. Baseball is more of an individual sport. You're competing for the position and hitting to get in the lineup.

What is it like to have a twin brother?

I don't really think of (Nick) as my twin brother. We just go out there as teammates and not just brothers.

Dana Vatakis

School: Monessen

Sport: Softball

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Vatakis, who is 6-1 with 1.91 ERA, 92 strikeouts and five walks in 43 innings this season, threw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts as No. 2 Monessen (5-1, 4-1) defeated California, 13-0, in five innings Friday. Vatakis, who is batting .682 with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs this season, also went 2 for 3 with three RBIs. She also threw a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts and went 2 for 4 with a double in a 7-2 win over Carmichaels on April 10.

“I thought we did really well as a team,” she said. “We had four games in a row, and I pitched in all four. I felt like everything was going well.”

What are your college plans?

I will be attending Robert Morris and play softball. I want to help the team as a freshman. I hope to help with my bat, too. It was my first offer, and the school stood out to me. It's a smaller school and coming from Monessen, I thought it would be the best fit.

What goes through your mind while you're pitching?

I take it pitch by pitch. I try to keep my pitches low. I try to get the batter to swing and miss or hit a ground ball. I also look for easy popups and nothing solid. You can't help it if the batter hits it solid because there are good hitters out there.

What is it like to pitch four games in a row?

It wasn't bad. We were use to it since we had one week last year where we played five games in a row. It was a lot of fun because we were on the road and we got to bond together as a team.

What did the team learn from the loss to West Greene in the WPIAL Class A final?

I think we were nervous since it was our first time to make it to a championship game. We learned what it felt like to get there. We have to try to limit errors and hit as best as we can.

When you graduate, what do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as someone people can look up to.

— Andrew John