Head coach:Kerry Shawley (2nd season)
Assistant coaches:Matt Smith, Jacob Homan, Bill Miller, Roger Bailey. Last season:2-14
Key losses:Taylor Wingard (C/P), Adam Brown (3B), Corey Neiderer (2B), Jacob Homan (SS).
Returning letterwinners: Kevin Montminy (So., P/OF), Jesse Kieffer (Sr., SS), Tibben Zerby (Jr., C), Collin Smith (So., P/CF), Kyle Palm (Sr., 1B), Bill Fegley (Jr., 3B), Corey Sweeley (Jr.) Tom Sweeley (Sr., P/OF), Clay Luse (Sr., P/OF).
Key newcomers:Sam Snyder (Fr., P/2B), Asher Heimbaugh (Jr., OF).
The skinny:Penns Valley had to navigate plenty of unknown territory last season.
Coach Kerry Shawley wasn’t hired until a week before the start of the season. And on top of that, he inherited a team that would be making its debut in the Mountain League.
This spring the Rams are more acquainted with their surroundings, but some things remain the same.
“We’re still going to be young,” Shawley said.
Understandably and expectedly, Penns Valley struggled last season, going 2-14. Nine letterwinners return from that team, but five of them are underclassmen.
Shawley is cautiously optimistic about this season.
“I really like this team,” he said. “I really do. It’s just really young. I don’t want to say that we’re a year away because I do think that we’re going to be better than we were last year. It’s just that this league is so difficult. You can be better, and who knows how many wins that’s going to translate into. But I do think we’ll be better.”
Just how young are the Rams?
Shawley’s top two pitchers are sophomore Kevin Montminy and freshman Sam Snyder. Both are also expected to be in the lineup when they aren’t pitching.
Montminy pitched a team-high 26 1/3 innings as a freshman, giving up 54 runs and 55 hits.
“Sam is a real talented kid, but he’s a lot like Kevin last year,” Shawley said. “He’s going to get thrown into the fire a little bit.
“Even though our pitching is very young, it’s good. That’s probably our strength.”
The Rams should also be better at the plate. Then again, they have no where else to go but up.
Penns Valley had just 51 hits — 14 for extra bases — as a team last season and hit .201. The team was also no-hit in each of its last two games.
Shawley is high on sophomore center fielder Collin Smith, who was brought up to the varsity late last season, and returning junior catcher Tibben Zerby, who batted .267 as a sophomore.
The Rams did lose all- Mountain League third baseman Adam Brown to graduation. Brown hit .390 as a senior.
“If we can find some guys to fill the six-through-nine spots in the lineup, we might be pretty decent offensively,” Shawley said. “I think we have more speed than last year.”
By Vinny Pezzimenti
In Print
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