Belle Vernon baseball seeks consistency, playoff success

By: Mike Kovak
Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 5:56 PM

Loaded with starting upperclassmen and left-handed pitchers, the Belle Vernon baseball team was cruising through the early portion of its 2021 schedule.

The Leopards opened Section 3-4A play with a 5-1 record and a perch atop the standings.

Things were good. Then came a covid-19 pause.

Belle Vernon went two weeks without playing, and the team never found its early season magic upon return. The Leopards finished section play with a 6-6 record, good enough for third place and a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, but a first-round loss to Highlands wasn’t what Belle Vernon envisioned after such a promising beginning.

“Obviously, the year before, covid took away our season, but it felt like things were getting back to normal,” said senior Matt Bamford, a right-handed pitcher who is committed to Division III power Marietta. “We’re on top of the section, and I had three good starts in a row. Then we had the pause, and we had a tough time battling back from it.”

Belle Vernon hopes to use those late-season struggles as a learning experience for this season.

Bamford returns, and he is expected to anchor a pitching rotation that includes fellow senior Andrew Sokol, a lefty and a Potomac State recruit, along with sophomore lefty Colton Lee, who flashed potential and produced results as a freshman.

Mark Toth and Tanner Steeber add depth to group, which is one third-year coach Tony Watson, a former standout pitcher at Belle Vernon and Waynesburg University and a longtime pitching coach, likes.

“We’ve got a nice mix at the top with two lefties and a righty.” Watson said. “One of the things I like about (Bamford) is he’s really worked hard in the weight room since his sophomore year. I’ve seen steady improvement in his velocity, but it’s going to be a collaborative effort as a group. I can’t put too much on Matt and (Sokol).”

What Watson wants to see is improved offensive output.

Sokol, who plays first base when not pitching, batted .362 with seven RBIs last season. Aidan Ochs, a Thiel recruit who will move from second base to shortstop, batted .362 with 10 runs and four doubles as a junior. Zach Jackson, who batted .400 last season, returns at catcher, as does Jake Wessel.

Brady Hoffman, Jake Mima and Ryan Hamer, who tied for the team lead with nine RBIs in 2021, are returning outfielders.

“It’s going to come down to clutch hitting,” Watson said. “Our lineup top to bottom is more consistent. Our hitting should be better, and we’ll be able to play situational baseball, play with high baseball IQ and execute bunts. The tools are there.”

So is a winning mentality, brought along by a large number of multisport athletes who’ve enjoyed postseason success as football and basketball players. Jake Gedekoh, Adam LaCarte, Jack Bryer, Evan Morrow, Austin Hoffman, Tanner Steeber, Tanner Moody and Martin Marion all figure into Belle Vernon’s plans.

“These kids fit in with each other,” Watson said. “They get along. They pull for each other. It’s an unselfish group.”

Belle Vernon also hopes to be a postseason group. The Leopards have reached the playoffs in nine of the past 10 seasons but are searching for their first postseason win since 2012.

“We’re shooting for nothing less than a WPIAL championship,” Bamford said. “We have to start with our first game and go from there. But we want to win section, win the WPIAL and win states. Those are goals you always should have.”

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