Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Tommy Kegerreis and Autumn Shogan

By: Andrew John
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 | 9:22 PM

Tommy Kegerreis

School: Franklin Regional

Sport: Baseball

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Kegerreis went 2 for 5 with three RBIs to lead Franklin Regional (19-3) to a 13-4 win over District 10 champion Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA Class 5A first round at Neshannock on June 3. Kegerreis went 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI in a 7-2 loss to Lampster-Strasburg in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals at Greene Township Park on June 6 in Scotland.

“We were working hard to win and advance. I was trying to do my best to get the job done,” Kegerreis said.

What are your college plans for next year and why?

I’m going to Mesa Community College in Arizona. I’ll be able to play baseball year round. There’s a lot intense baseball out there, which will better me when I try to transfer.

What does it mean to you to be part of the team that reached the PIAA playoffs for the first time since 2001?

It was great feeling to know a lot of hard work paid off. We didn’t win a championship, but we did win the section title. It was overall a good season. We couldn’t have the type of season we had without the help from our coaching staff.

What was the key to the loss against Lampster-Strasburg in the PIAA quarterfinals?

They had a pretty good pitcher. A lot of things didn’t fall our way, and we didn’t play our best baseball.

What was your greatest memory of this season and why?

Winning section because it reflects the season as a whole and shows the hard work we put in paid off.

What’s your favorite sport aside from baseball and why?

Football. It’s an intense game. I played when I was younger. I love how the game is intense and the skill needed for the game.

Autumn Shogan

School: Mt. Pleasant

Sport: Softball

Class: Junior

Claim to fame: Shogan drove in four runs to lead Mt. Pleasant (19-2) to a 9-4 win over District 6 champion Bellefonte in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs on June 3. Shogan, who had four hits in the game, hit a double in the 4-2 win over James Buchanan in the PIAA quarterfinals June 6.

“I really wanted to help my team since we weren’t really doing good. I thought it was a good time to get us going. It was a great season because we all got a long together. We played well, and there was no drama,” Shogan said.

What was it like to face Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs?

It was really nerve wracking since it was the only team that has beat us this year. We knew we could beat them, but we had to mentally focus.

How tough was it to lose your first game in the WPIAL championship?

It was pretty hard for everyone. We weren’t ready to be done. It sent us down a road that we knew it was coming to an end.

What did the team learn from the losses?

It’s going to make us work harder, so we don’t have to go through this again.

What was your greatest memory of this season and why?

How we worked together and we weren’t trying to be better than everyone else. We were trying to be good to help us win as a team.

How would you describe your style of play and why?

I’m very focused and very into the game. I try to be positive for everybody, so they can feed off it. If someone was down, I hope to try to bring their spirits up.