The 2001 Season

VARSITY 2001

1st row: Steve Thompson, Peter Thomas, Alex Sudak, Jim Serafin, Aaron Bruno, Wes Brenner, and Chris Donnelly;  2^nd row: Tony Rogers, Eric Walters, Dave Hellam, Jasoon Ringquist, Dan McKenrick, and Joe Crobak; 3^rd row:  Coach McCollum, Caoch McAllister, Sean O’Keefe, Dave Adamchick, Steve Cline, Dave Bushey, Tim Kortze, Travis Brown, and Coach Shirley

SENIORS 2001

2001 JUNIOR VARSITY

March 27, 2001

Mechanicsburg pounded out 13 hits on its way to a 12-4 victory at Cumberland Valley. Wildcat leadoff hitter Sean O'Keefe went 3-for-3 on the day with two triples. Winning pitcher Steve Cline, first baseman Dan McKendrik, and right fielder Aaron Bruno each had two hits for Mechanicsburg.

Steve Stoner Jr. led CV with two hits.

March 29, 2001

Wildcats ground out win

By Bill Wolfe

Carlisle baseball coach Harry Mundorff got some of what he wanted from his players Wednesday in their game at Mechanicsburg. He just didn't get everything he was looking for, and the things that were missing prevented the Herd from claiming their first win of the season.

Wildcat pitcher Dave Hellam had something to do with that, too.

Hellam struck out five Herd batters over four innings, walked only one and surrendered only four hits. He also doubled and tripled at the plate to lead Mechanicsburg to a 6-2, 6-inning victory and a 3-0 start to the season.

"We didn't hit that well today," said Mechanicsburg head coach Don Shirley, whose team pounded Cumberland Valley Monday with 13 hits and 12 runs. "But it's a credit to our pitchers that they kept the ball down and kept the hits on the infield."

Hellam and relief pitcher Alex Sudak were able to get three inning-ending ground ball outs with Carlisle runners in scoring position, once with the bases loaded. That, Shirley said, was the difference in the ballgame.

"It was still a game when (Carlisle) was up (in the top of the sixth)," he said. "That last ball gets through and who knows ..."

That last ball came with Herd catcher Phil Rhoads on second and second baseman Nate Horick on first with two outs in the top of the sixth. Leadoff hitter Lee McClintock ripped a two-hopper up the middle that Mechanicsburg second baseman Dave Bushey snared with a dive to his right just inside the outfield grass. From his stomach, Bushey flipped the ball to shortstop Jim Serafin, who crossed the bag at second to force out Horick and end the game.

"Hellam did a nice job of keeping the ball down," Shirley said. "We haven't had too many balls hit to our infielders so far this year, so this was a little different today."

For the game, Mechanicsburg's outfield recorded just two outs. The infield did the rest of the work, although four Wildcat errors helped Carlisle put runners on base. But Hellam's five strikeouts, and a quick move to second base, kept the Herd off the scoreboard.

In the top of the second, Hellam gave up a one-out double to Carlisle center fielder Mike Vincett. With the count 1-1 to Rhoads, Hellam wheeled to second and picked off Vincett with a perfect throw to Serafin.

"We had the steal on on that play," Mundorff said. "(Vincett) was trying to get a big jump there."

Carlisle tried to get a big jump in the first, putting a run on the board after Chris Boehmann singled with one out. He moved to second when Bushey bobbled a ground ball from Matt Walters. Boehmann and Walters then tried a double steal, and when Mechanicsburg catcher Chris Donnelly's throw was mishandled wide of second base, Boehmann trotted home with the game's first run.

But the Wildcats came back in the first with two runs of their own. Leadoff hitter Sean O'Keefe, who had his second straight multi-hit game, singled up the middle. Three walks in the inning and an error on third baseman Ryan Sims led to two Wildcat runs.

Herd pitcher Travis Riley gave up a leadoff bunt single to Bushey in the second. Bushey then stole second, and a double by O'Keefe scored Bushey and made it 3-1 Wildcats. That brought out Mundorff, who relieved Riley with Brad Grenoble.

Grenoble struck out Serafin, but a sacrifice fly by Thomas scored O'Keefe, who had stolen third. The 4-1 hole proved to be too much for Carlisle to climb out of.

"In these non-division games you just try people out to see what you have," said Mundorff, who after Monday's game with Cedar Cliff said he wanted to see his club hit more.

The Herd got six hits Wednesday, but some other pieces of the puzzle were missing. One of the things Mundorff wants to see change is the attitude of his pitchers.

"They didn't have a strong presence on the mound today," he said. "We hung our heads too much when things went bad."

For all that went bad Wednesday, the Herd had their chances. Down 4-1 in the third, Carlisle got a leadoff single from first baseman Ryan Plemmons. Grenoble then hit a ball that Serafin flipped to Bushey at second, but Bushey dropped it, making Plemmons safe and putting two Herd runners on with nobody out.

"That was just early-season stuff," Shirley said. "We just haven't had that many balls to deal with on the infield."

Sims followed with a pop fly to Bushey. A wild pitch by Hellam allowed Plemmons and Grenoble to move up a base. With two runners in scoring position and a chance to tighten the game, Carlisle caught a bad break.

Vincett ripped a grounder to Serafin, who fielded the ball right in front of Grenoble. Breaking for third, Grenoble stopped and wheeled around to head back to second. He fell down, however, allowing Serafin to tag him for the second out. Plemmons scored to make it 4-2 and Vincett was safe at first, but there were now two outs and no runner in scoring position.

A walk to Rhoads and an infield single by Horick loaded the bases, giving Carlisle the tying runs in scoring position. That's when Hellam's ground ball magic kicked in again. He got McClintock to hit a weak dribbler to Bushey, whose throw to first beat McClintock by half a step and kept the score 4-2.

After the final rally fizzled in the sixth, Mundorff said his goal remains getting the team ready for Friday's division opener with West Perry.

"That's when you really want to be solid, when you get into the division games," he said. "We're starting to get a nucleus together. There are some things I see that I like, and some things I'm still not too crazy about."

For Shirley, the 3-0 record is nice, but he'd like to see a return of the hitting his team had in the first two games. The Wildcats managed only six hits against Carlisle.

"I don't know where our offense was today," he said. "We hit the ball real well Monday, but today we couldn't get it going."

The Wildcats will try to get it going Friday when they host Cedar Cliff at 4 p.m. The Herd travels to West Perry Friday, also for a 4 p.m. first pitch.

April 3, 2001

Mechanicsburg took advantage of five Red Land errors Monday in an 8-0 win. The Wildcats scored four unearned runs in the top of the fifth.

Steve Cline shut out the Patriots, striking out nine in a complete game, three-hit effort. Cline also went 2-for-4 at the plate, the only player in the game with more than one hit.

Red Land (1-4) hosts Hershey today.

April 5, 2001

At Harrisburg, the Cougars were no match for the visiting Wildcats from Mechanicsburg, who rang up 12 runs in four innings and took a 12-0 victory.

Ten Wildcats collected hits. Steve Cline and Tony Rogers had doubles. Sean O'Keefe and Dave Adamchick stroked triples. Jason Ringquist blasted a home run.

Travis Brown went the distance for Mechanicsburg, striking out six and giving up just one hit over the five innings.

Mechanicsburg (6-0) hosts Central Dauphin Friday.

April 8, 2001

Wildcats beat CD 9-1

By Bill Wolfe

A peek at almost any Mechanicsburg baseball box score will reveal just how much emphasis longtime Wildcat coach Don Shirley places on the team effort. There are 18 players on the Mechanicsburg roster, and most of those names show up in the box as often as Shirley can get them there.

It shouldn't be any surprise then that Shirley spread the credit around Saturday after his team beat Central Dauphin 9-1 to give Shirley his 400th career victory.

"There have been a lot of people involved in this," Shirley said. "You have to have great players and we've had those."

But Shirley knows great players are only a part of the story. Behind him, he said, have been some great supporters.

"My coaches now, Stan McCollum and Clay McCallister, do a wonderful job," he said. "And Doug Erney and Jeff Costello handle our JV kids so well.

"But before that there was Steve Sauve, my assistant for 18 years. And our athletic director, Andy Turo, and Jeff Teeter do a great job for us. It really is a team effort."

But the one constant in the Mechanicsburg team over the last 30 years is Shirley, who took some time Saturday to reflect on the changes in high school baseball over the last three decades.

"When I started in 1972 we played 10 games and went 4-6," he said. "The schedule has grown and the program has grown so much since then. You look at high school baseball now and the pitching is so much better. There's so much good pitching out there."

Some of that good pitching rests in Mechanicsburg. Steve Cline picked up his third win of the season Saturday, going six innings and getting eight strikeouts to help the Wildcats improve to 7-0 for the season, 4-0 in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division.

"To be 7-0 is unbelievable," Shirley said. "We play a tough schedule and we're young yet. To be 7-0 is a real credit to the way the kids have played."

At the plate, few have been better this season than Cline and Wildcat center fielder Sean O'Keefe. Both had two hits Saturday. O'Keefe is now batting .600 (12-for-20), Cline .550 (11-for-20).

But Cline and O'Keefe are far from the only two pistons that make the Mechanicsburg engine run. Six other starters bat at least .300, and four of those players bat at least .400. On the mound, Wildcat pitchers, besides being 7-0, have struck out 56 batters while issuing only 16 walks all season.

But such play isn't unusual for Shirley's teams. He has had players like Mike Edwards and Shawn and Ben Abner, each of whom were standouts in either college or professional baseball after their years at Mechanicsburg.

"We've had so many great players it would be hard to name them all," Shirley said. "I'm happy when I see them go off and do well at college ball and beyond. But the longer I'm in coaching I enjoy it when they come back and talk and catch up on things. That's special."

And there is one other thing Shirley's old ball players do: they send him their sons.

Current player Alex Sudak is a second generation Shirley pupil. It's when he sees names the second time around that Shirley realizes how long he's been in the game.

"I never think about it much," he laughs. "But when I start seeing the grandkids, then maybe it's time."

The Wildcats will try to give Shirley win No. 401 Monday at Hershey.

In the only other game that survived Saturday's weather, Cedar Cliff fell to Central Dauphin East 14-3. Colt pitcher Chris Hamilton took his first loss of the season, surrendering nine runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings.

Cedar Cliff (0-3, 2-4) hosts winless Harrisburg at 4 p.m. Monday.

April 10, 2001

Hershey's big fifth inning sent Mechanicsburg to its first loss of the season Monday in a Keystone Division baseball matchup.

The Trojans scored six runs in the fifth, knocking Wildcat starter Dan Serafin out of the game.

Peter Thomas and Aaron Bruno had doubles for the 7-1 Wildcats (4-1 Keystone), who play CD East Wednesday. ...

April 11, 2001

Mid-Penn Keystone Division

PANTHERS 9, WILDCATS 0

CD 000 072 0 - 9

Mechanicsburg 000 000 0 - 0

PANTHERS (9)

Chantiles, 2b, 5/1/2; Shepard, cf, 4/2/1; Fettrow, c, 3/1/0; Miller, 3b, 4/2/1; Nail, 1b, 4/1/1; Halblieb, ss, 2/0/0; Gilmartin, lf, 3/1/2; Kennedy, pg, 1/0/0; Deaven, rf, 4/1/1; Reinhe, dh, 2/0/0; Reese, ph, 1/0/1/ TOTALS 33/9/9.

WILDCATS (0)

Megan Alexander, c, 3/0/0; Kristin Koveleski, 1b, 2/0/0; Amanda Miller, 1b, 1/0/0; Jill Hull, 2b, 2/0/0; Caroline Wharton, p, 3/0/1; Katie Wiercinski, lf, 3/0/0; Katie Hessler, cf, 3/0/0; Brooke Pagel, rf, 3/0/0; Saree Swirderski, ss, 1/0/0, Seanene White, dh, 1/0/0. TOTALS 21/0/1.

Errors: M - 6, CD - 1. Doubles: CD - Deaven. Winning pitcher - Christine Ross 7 inn, 0 runs, 1 hit, 10SO, 6BB. Losing pitcher - Wharton 4 1/3 inn., 6 runs, 3 hits, 5SO, 2BB; Lindsay Eisenhart 3 2/3 inn., 3 runs, 6 hits, 1SO, 3BB.

April 13, 2001

High school spring sports glance

By  

Mid-Penn Conference Softball Standings (Through games played Thursday, April 12)

 KEYSTONE DIVISION

Team
CD East
C. Dauphin
Hershey
Mechanicsburg
Red Land
Cedar Cliff
L. Dauphin
Harrisburg Div.
4-1
3-1
3-1
3-3
1-3
2-2
2-2
0-3 Overall
7-1
5-2
5-2
4-5
1-5
4-3
3-4
0-5

Thursday's results CD East 1, Mechanicsburg 0

April 18, 2001

PANTHERS 5, WILDCATS 2

CD East 000 040 1 - 5

Mechanicsburg 001 100 0 - 2

PANTHERS (5)

Troy Smith, ss, 3/1/1; Brandon Zettlemoyer, cf, 4/0/1; Ryan Harner, 1b, 4/0/1; Dan Keane, c, 4/1/1; Steve Williams, p, 3/1/1; Mike Shoeman, 3b, 3/1/0; Jordan Golob, rf, 2/1/1; Jim DeSanto, lf, 3/0/0; Tyler George, 2b, 3/0/0. TOTALS 28/5/6.

WILDCATS (2)

Sean O'Keefe, cf, 4/0/1; Jim Serafin, ss, 3/0/0; Steve Cline, p, 1/0/0; Jason Ringquist, pr, 0/0/0; Peter Thomas, 3b, 3/1/1; David Hellam, dh, 3/0/0; Tony Rogers, rf, 0/0/0; Travis Brown, p, 0/0/0; Alex Sudak, lf, 2/0/0; Dan McKenrick, 1b, 3/0/1; Tim Kortze, 1b, 0/0/0; Chris Donnelly, c, 1/0/0; Wes Brenner, pr, 0/0/0; Dave Adamchick, ph, 1/0/0; Dave Bushey, 2b, 3/1/1. TOTALS 24/2/4.

Errors: CDE - 1; M - 3. Doubles: M - Peter Thomas. Winning pitcher - Williams, 7 inn., 2 runs, 4 hits, 7 SO, 4 BB; Losing pitcher - Cline, 6.2 inn., 5 runs, 6 hits, 7 SO, 2 BB; Brown 0.1 inn., 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 SO, 0 BB.

April 24, 2001

Wildcats rally for late win

By Bill Wolfe

Someone at Mechanicsburg must have found a lamp under all the infield dirt at Memorial Park Monday, and whoever rubbed it found a baseball genie in a giving mood.

Pinch hitter Tim Kortze wanted pressure. Granted.

Relief pitcher Steve Cline wanted the ball. Granted.

Head coach Don Shirley just wanted a win over long-time Mid-Penn rival Chambersburg. That wish was granted, too, but only after a remarkable six-run, sixth-inning comeback that erased a 7-2 Trojan lead and gave Mechanicsburg an 8-7 victory.

"We've had some good games with them over the years," Shirley said. "We haven't always played good baseball against them, but we have had some really good games."

Monday's game was a mixture of good and sometimes sloppy baseball by the Wildcats, but in the end the good was all that mattered, and the best part started with Kortze.

Kortze ignited the sixth-inning heroics with a clutch RBI single to right-center field off Trojan starter B.J. McGinn. Kortze was the last batter McGinn faced, but the 7-3 lead McGinn enjoyed when he departed soon evaporated on the arm of relief pitcher Bobby Kramer.

Kramer surrendered two hits and two walks and didn't record his first out until Mechanicsburg had taken an 8-7 lead. Ten Wildcats batted in the inning, but it was Kortze who lit the fire.

"Timmy's hit was huge," said Cline, who had his own huge performance Monday. "His hit got us started, and we knew after that there was more coming."

The game-saving rally started with Dave Hellam on first courtesy of a McGinn walk. Alex Sudak then struck out for the first out of the inning. Dan McKenrick followed with another walk, bringing up Kortze to pinch hit for relief pitcher Travis Brown.

Kortze immediately fell into an 0-2 hole, but he insisted after the game that the added pressure of the situation made it just that much more fun.

"When it was 0-2 I felt the pressure, but I like that. I want it that way," he said.

Kortze took a ball from McGinn before fouling off a pitch, then lined a fastball into right center to score Hellam.

"It was a high fastball, which is what I like," said Kortze, who had been badly fooled by two McGinn breaking pitches.

Kramer then came on in relief and immediately walked Dave Bushey to load the bases. Leadoff hitter Sean O'Keefe followed with a single that scored McKenrick. After another walk to Jim Serafin, Cline ripped his third hit of the day, a two-run single that gave the Wildcats the lead.

"They brought in that big left-hander, but I'm seeing the ball well," said Cline, 3-for-3 on the day with a single, double and triple. "I just hit it."

That hit knocked the air out of Chambersburg, but it wasn't Cline's last shot at the Trojans.

Shirley inserted courtesy runner Jason Ringquist, pulling Cline off first base so he could warm up to pitch the seventh inning. Serafin had already warmed up to relieve Travis Brown, but Cline went to Shirley with a different plan.

"I told coach I wanted the ball," Cline said. "He said I was going in with the lead, and I said 'Good.'" I wanted to pitch."

After two Mechanicsburg outs ended the sixth inning, Cline got the ball and promptly struck out Chad Braniff to start the seventh. Chip Brown followed with a lazy fly ball into shallow right center that Bushey tracked down on the run for out No. 2.

Needing one more out to lock up the win, the Wildcats slipped back into sloppy mode. Serafin fielded Andy Stottlemyre's groundball cleanly, but his throw to first was low. McKenrick pulled his foot off the bag, scooped the ball out of the dirt, then stepped on first to end the game.

The last play had Shirley holding his breath, but that, he says, has been typical of the up-and-down Wildcats over the last two weeks.

"We get kids at the plate who are terrible one at-bat then great the next," he said. "Just like at the plate, we get kids in the field who are great one play but terrible the next. We've been living like this all season, and I don't know why we can't put it all together."

Monday the Wildcats were just good enough to overcome three errors in the field. In the third inning O'Keefe, on a dead sprint, caught a line drive deep in left center off the bat of John Carter. That play saved a run, because on the next play third baseman Peter Thomas threw wide of first base, allowing Lescalles Riley to reach third on a three-base error.

In the fourth, catcher Chris Donnelly made a crucial out by reaching back over his head while backpedaling to catch a foul pop fly. That out kept a runner off base just before a Sudak error in right field turned a single into a double and allowed a run to score.

McKenrick's error prevention at first on the final play was the last of the saving graces for the Wildcats.

"He doesn't get that ball and we're still playing," Shirley said after the game. He also offered some explanation for his team's midseason jitters.

"We're still young, and I don't think that right junior-senior mix has come yet."

But it's not for lack of trying on Shirley's part. He routinely plays most of his roster, trying to get his reserve players just enough experience for crucial situations. Kortze is a case in point.

A senior backup, Kortze had only eight official at-bats before Monday's game, but Shirley feels those at-bats helped Kortze relax at the plate.

"People think I play so many kids just to play'em, but I don't," Shirley said. "I get kids in so they'll be ready for games like this."

Kortze was ready, and so was Cline, a regular who has had his stick and his arm working all season.

"This was huge, especially after the way we've played lately," said Cline. "We needed to win this game, especially against them."

"Them" would be the Trojans, the 400-pound gorilla of Mid-Penn baseball. A down year in Chambersburg means a 15-5 record and a measly trip to the District 3 semifinals. This year's Chambersburg team came into Monday's game at a seemingly vulnerable 7-2, but without a loss to a Mid-Penn foe.

Mechanicsburg came in 9-3, but only 2-3 since a 7-0 start, and those three losses all came in a row. That skid ended last week with wins over Cedar Cliff and Big Spring, but the Colts and Bulldogs aren't the Trojans, and Monday's win can go a long way toward getting the Wildcats back into their early-season groove.

"We needed this win with the stretch we've got coming up," Shirley said. "We play Central Dauphin, Lower Dauphin, Hershey and C.D. East in the next week. That's a tough schedule."

But is it any tougher than the Wildcats, who proved Monday they can be as tough as any gorilla.

April 26, 2001

In Keystone Division play, Mechanicsburg pulled a game behind first-place Central Dauphin with a 5-2 win over Lower Dauphin.

Winning pitcher Steve Cline went the distance but had a rocky seventh inning. After allowing the first two batters to reach base he struck out the next two. A walk then loaded the bases, but Cline notched his ninth strikeout to close out the Falcons.

The Wildcats (6-3, 11-3) can move into a tie for first with a win at Central Dauphin (7-2, 10-3) Friday.

April 28, 2001

Mechanicsburg moved into a tie for first place in the Keystone Division with a 5-2 victory at Central Dauphin.

The Wildcats opened a 4-0 lead after five innings and added another run in the top of the seventh. The Rams closed to 4-2 with a pair of runs in the fifth.

Aaron Bruno was 2-for-2 at the plate for Mechanicsburg. Sean O'Keefe and Dave Hellam doubled for the Wildcats.

Jim Serafin picked up the win on the mound by going seven innings and scattering six hits. Serafin struck out six and walked three in the win.

Mechanicsburg (7-3, 12-3) hosts Hershey Monday.

May 1, 2001

High school baseball glance

Mid-Penn Conference Baseball Standings (updated through April 30)

Div.
8-3
7-3
6-4
6-4
5-4
5-6
4-7
0-10
Overall
13-3
10-4
9-7
9-7
5-7
7-10
8-8
0-15

Monday's results

Mechanicsburg 3, Hershey 1
Lower Dauphin 5, Red Land 1
Cedar Cliff 14, Harrisburg 4
Central Dauphin at C.D. East, no report

In the Keystone Division, Mechanicsburg held onto first place with a 3-1 defeat of visiting Hershey.

Sean O'Keefe homered for the Wildcats. Winning pitcher Steve Cline struck out 10.

Mechanicsburg (8-3, 13-3) plays at Lower Dauphin Wednesday.

WILDCATS 3, TROJANS 1

Hershey   000 100 0 - 1
Mechanicsburg   200 010 x - 3
TROJANS (1)
Rob Swanger, cf, 3/0/1; Kellen Kulbacki, lf, 3/0/0; Andrew Scola, 3b, 3/0/0; Jon Connor, ss, 2/1/1; Tyler Billingsley, c, 3/0/1; Keith Hoover, rf, 2/0/1; Brett Fugate, 1b, 3/0/0; Justin Backus, p, 0/0/0; Brett Olexovitch, dh, 3/0/0; Zack Ford, 2b, 2/0/0. TOTALS 23/1/4.
WILDCATS (3)
Sean O'Keefe, cf, 3/1/1; Jim Serafin, ss, 3/1/1; Steve Cline, p, 3/0/0; Jason Ringquist, pr, 0/0/0; Dave Adamchick, dh, 3/0/2; Chris Donnelly, c, 0/0/0; Steve Thompson, pr, 0/0/0; David Hellam, 3b, 3/0/0; Alex Sudak, lf, 2/0/1; Wes Brenner, pr, 0/1/0; Dan McKenrick, 1b, 1/0/0; Aaron Bruno, rf, 2/0/1; Dave Bushey, 2b, 2/0/0. TOTALS 22/3/6.
Errors: H - 2; M - 1. Doubles: H - Connor. Home runs: M - O'Keefe. Winning pitcher n 7 inn., 1 run, 4 hits, 10SO, 2BB. Losing pitcher n Backus, 6 inn., 3 runs, 5 hits, 4SO, 0BB.

May 3, 2001

Lower Dauphin scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings for a come-from behind win over Mechanicsburg Wednesday. The Wildcats took a 7-4 lead with three runs in the top of the fifth, but let it slip away. Steve Cline and Dave Adamchik each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Mechanicsburg, and one of Adamchik's hits was a double.

Mechanicsburg (13-4, 8-4) plays at CD East Friday.

May 8, 2001

In the Keystone Division, Mechanicsburg locked up the division title with a 6-0 win over Harrisburg.

Steve Cline threw a one-hitter and struck out 16, including the first nine Cougars he faced.

Mechanicsburg wins tie breakers with Lower Dauphin and Central Dauphin if either school ends in a tie for the Keystone lead. That means the Wildcats will play at Commonwealth Division champion Chambersburg next Monday for the Mid-Penn's top seed in the District 3-AAA tournament.

The Keystone title is the Wildcats' second in three years.

High school sports results

Mid-Penn Conference baseball standings (updated through May 7)

Div.
10-4
10-4
9-4
8-6
7-6
7-7
4-10
0-14
Overall
14-4
13-7
12-5
8-9
10-9
9-10
8-11
0-19

Monday's results

Mechanicsburg 6, Harrisburg 0
Lower Dauphin 8, Cedar Cliff 1
C.D. East 6, Red Land 1
Central Dauphin at Hershey, no report

WILDCATS 6, COUGARS 0

Harrisburg   000 000 0 — 0
Mechanicsburg   400 101 x — 6
COUGARS (0)
Auggie Glass, p, lf, 3/0/0; Steve Baltimore, 2b, 3/0/1; Demarkus Reeds, c, 3/0/0; Johnny Santos, ss, 2/0/0; Tony Powell, cf, 3/0/0; Richard Gutshall, 1b, 2/0/0; Rico Torro, lf, p, 2/0/0; Zeke Ramos, rf, 2/0/0; Brian Wilson, 3b, 2/0/0. TOTALS 22/0/1.
WILDCATS (6)
Sean O'Keefe, cf, 2/1/1; Joe Crobak, ph, 1/0/0; Wes Brenner, cf, 0/0/0; Jim Serafin, ss, 3/1/2; Travis Brown, ph, 1/0/1; Steve Cline, p, 2/1/1; Dave Adamchick, dh, 2/1/0; Chris Donnelly, c, 1/0/0; David Hellam, 3b, 3/0/1; Bucky Kosyk, ss, 1/0/0; Alex Sudak, lf, 2/0/0; Peter Thomas, ph, 0/0/0; Steve Thompson, lf, 0/0/0; Dan McKenrick, 1b, 2/0/0; Tim Kortze, 1b, 1/0/0; Aaron Bruno, rf, 2/0/0; Tony Rogers, rf, 1/0/0; Dave Bushey, 2b, 1/1/0; Jason Ringquist, 2b, 1/1/1. TOTALS 26/6/7.
Errors: H - 2; M - 0. Doubles: M - Cline. Triples: M - Serafin. Winning pitcher — Cline, 7 inn., 0 runs, 1 hit, 16SO, 1BB. Losing pitcher — Glass, 4.1 inn., 5 runs, 5 hits, 1SO, 3BB; Toro, 1.2 inn., 1 run 2 hits, 4SO, 1BB.

May 9, 2001

High school spring sports glance

Mid-Penn Conference baseball standings (updated through May 8)                 

KEYSTONE DIVISION

Team
Mechanicsburg
Central Dauphin
Lower Dauphin
CD East
Hershey
Red Land
Cedar Cliff
Harrisburg
Div.
10-4
10-4
10-4
8-6
7-7
7-7
4-10
0-14
Overall
14-4
13-5
13-7
8-10
10-10
9-10
8-11
0-19

May 10, 2001

High school baseball glance

Mid-Penn Conference baseball standings (updated through May 9)                 

x - division champion
y - clinched Mid-Penn playoff berth
z - clinched District 3 playoff berth

KEYSTONE DIVISION

Team
xyz Mechanicsburg
y Central Dauphin
y Lower Dauphin
CD East
Hershey
Red Land
Cedar Cliff
Harrisburg
Div.10-4
10-4
10-4
8-6
7-7
7-7
4-10
0-14
Overall
15-4
13-5
13-7
8-9
10-10
9-10
8-11
0-19

May 15, 2001

In AAA action, Mechanicsburg clinched the Mid-Penn's top seed in districts with a 4-1 win at Chambersburg.

Steve Cline limited the Trojans to six hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked three.

The Wildcats managed only five hits themselves, but three Chambersburg errors led to three unearned runs.

Mechanicsburg (16-5) will host an at-large team in Monday's District 3 AAA opening round.

May 16, 2001

Mid-Penn Baseball playoffs glance

Mid-Penn baseball playoffs
Firts round games
Monday, May 14
Class AAA

Gettysburg, bye
Lower Dauphin, bye

At Chambersburg High School

Mechanicsburg 4, Chambersburg 1
(Mechanicsburg wins Mid-Penn's No. 1 seed for D3 tournament)

May 21, 2001

District 3 Baseball Glance

District 3 Baseball Tournament

CLASS AAA
First Round
Monday, May 21

Mechanicsburg (16-5, MP 1) vs. Cedar Crest (at-large) at Creekview, 7:30
Hempfield (LL 3) vs. Wilson (Berks 2) at George Field, 7:30
South Western (Y 1) vs. Cumberland Valley (MP 5) at Red Lion HS, 5
Manheim Township (LL 2) vs. Lower Dauphin (MP 4) at Ephrata, 5
Elizabethtown (LL 1) vs. Central Dauphin (at-large) at Ephrata, 7:30
Gettysburg (MP 3) vs. Dallastown (Y 2) at Shippensburg, 5
Boyertown (B 1) vs. Susquehannock (Y 3) at Owls Field, 5
Chambersburg (MP 2) vs. Manheim Central (LL 4) at Shippensburg, 7:30

Second Round
Thursday, May 24

TBA

Semifinals
Tuesday, May 29

TBA

Third-place game
Thursday, May 31

TBA

Finals
Thursday, May 31

TBA at Riverside Stadium, 7:30

May 23, 2001

Mechanicsburg, the Mid-Penn's top seed in the Class AAA tournament, saw its game with at-large bid Cedar Crest moved from nearby Creekview Park to Northern Lebanon in Fredericksburg for a 6:30 p.m. start.

May 24, 2001

District 3 baseball glance

Wednesday's results

District 3-AAA Baseball Playoffs
First-round game at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg

FALCONS 2, WILDCATS 1
Mechanicsburg   001 000 0 — 1
Cedar Crest   020 000 x — 2
WILDCATS (1)
Sean O'Keefe, cf, 4/0/1; Jim Serafin, ss, 3/0/1; Steve Cline, p, 3/0/2; Peter Thomas, cr, 0/0/0; Dave Adamchick, dh, 3/0/0; Chris Donnelly, c, 0/0/0; Dave Hellam, 3b, 3/0/0; Alex Sudak, lf, 3/0/1; Dan McKendrick, 1b, 2/0/0; Wes Brenner, pr, 0/0/0; Aaron Bruno, rf, 3/0/1; Dave Bushey, 2b, 2/1/0; Tim Kortz, ph, 1/0/0. TOTALS 27/1/5.
FALCONS (2)
Greg Radas, 3b, 2/0/0; Tim Long, 2b, 3/0/1; Brandon Kirsch, p, 3/0/1; Jared Boger, dh, 3/0/0; Ryan White, ss, 0/0/0; Ryan Bucher, cf, 0/1/0; Nate Shuey, c, 3/0/0; A.J. Shook, lf, 3/1/1; Jon Kelly, 1b, 2/0/1; Nick Hostetter, cf, 2/0/0. TOTALS 21/2/4.
Errors: M - 0; CC - 2. Doubles: CC - Kelly. Winning pitcher — Kirsch 7 inn., 1 run, 5 hits, 7SO, 1BB. Losing pitcher — Cline 6 inn., 2 runs, 4 hits, 2SO, 4BB.

District 3 Baseball Tournament

CLASS AAA

First Round
Tuesday, May 22

Cumberland Valley 3, South Western 1
Manheim Township 4, Lower Dauphin 0

Wednesday, May 23

Cedar Crest 2, Mechanicsburg 1
Hempfield 4, Wilson 3
Central Dauphin 4, Elizabethtown 1
Dallastown 5, Gettysburg 4
Chambersburg 7, Manheim Central 1
Boyertown 2, Susquehannock 1

May 24, 2001

Mechanicsburg falls on road

By Toni Fitzgerald

FREDERICKSBURG — The defense was there. All game long, Mechanicsburg kept the spectacular field plays coming, from center fielder Sean O'Keefe's sprinting flyout catch deep in the outfield and fluid no-hop throw to first for the inning-ending double play to third baseman Dave Hellam's diving stop of a sharp Cedar Crest grounder to save a run in the sixth inning.

The pitching was there, too. Steve Cline kept the Falcon lineup guessing in Wednesday's District 3 Class AAA first-round matchup by using a nice curveball and forcing eight flyouts, allowing just four hits.

But the offense — well, the Wildcats just never quite found their rhythm. Their lone run, scored by Dave Bushey to pull Mechanicsburg within one in the top of the third inning, came off a Cedar Crest error. Though Falcon pitcher Brandon Kirsch didn't have his best stuff Wednesday (four pitches flew into the backstop), it was enough.

Cedar Crest, an at-large district selection, knocked off Mid-Penn No. 1 seed Mechanicsburg 2-1 at Fredericksburg's Wenger Field to advance to today's second round. While Wildcats coach Don Shirley couldn't have been prouder of his squad's outstanding defensive effort, and its stellar division-winning season as a whole, he had a few choice words for the District 3 schedulers.

"We're a No. 1 seed, and why we're playing at their (Cedar Crest's) Legion field, someone from District 3 needs to explain that to me," Shirley said. "The umpires had seen them before. They were calling them 'Crest.' Our team doesn't need to hear that, we don't need to listen to that."

Shirley wasn't making excuses.

"That's not why we lost," he continued. "But we would have done better if we'd been playing in our own back yard."

The Wildcats (16-6) still had a sizable fan turnout — larger than Cedar Crest's — and those fans got their money's worth. The Falcons (14-6) jumped on the board in the second inning, with Ryan Bucher scoring on an A.J. Shook single after Cline walked him. Jon Kelly then hit a double to plate Nick Hostetter, but O'Keefe ended the inning with one of his two running fly out catches on the night.

Mechanicsburg quickly answered back in the top of the third, Cedar Crest's only sloppy defensive inning. Bushey hustled on base on an error when Falcon first baseman Kelly mishandled a routine catch. He advanced to second on what looked to be a Jim Serafin hit before Kelly made up for the earlier error by diving for the ball and tagging Serafin out.

Cline helped his cause with an RBI single, then Dave Adamchick reached base on another error, this time a wild toss from the Cedar Crest third baseman. But with two outs already, the Wildcats couldn't get the tying run across the plate.

"Two runs should never be an effort for us," Hellam said. "Usually we can put in the runs, we're always coming back from behind. Today we fell short."

The great team defense kept Cedar Crest from getting an insurance run. The Wildcats turned their second double play of the game in the fourth inning. Shook attempted a bunt to move Bucher to second and the ball popped into the air to the left of the pitcher's mound. Cline lost his footing, but Hellam scooted over to catch the ball for the second out, then fired to first base, where Bucher, too, had slipped and was called out.

"I think we hit (Kirsch) OK," Shirley said. "I think we even outhit them. We just couldn't get the hits at the right time."

The seventh inning meant crunch time. Much to Shirley's dismay, the higher-seeded Wildcats played in the visitor slot, meaning they had to get a run in the top of the seventh or the game was over.

Leadoff hitter Aaron Bruno came 10 feet from tying things up, his long fly ball falling into a Falcon glove just short of the left field fence. Kirsch recorded his seventh strikeout of the game on pinch hitter Tim Kortz, and O'Keefe grounded out to end the game.

"He (Kirsch) pitched a good game, but we could have opened up on him, I thought," Hellam said. "I don't know if it affected the game (being closer to Cedar Crest), but it affected our mentality coming in. To be the No. 1 seed, playing on their Legion field as the visiting team ... It was hard."

Shirley said the team will miss this group of seniors, which "took part in a lot of wins for us." Though the Wildcats' season ended on a down note, Shirley wasn't down on his team.

"They played a great game defensively and Steve Cline pitched a great game," he said. "They really had a great season."

June 23, 2001

Sentinel Baseball Player of the Year

By Bill Wolfe

Steve Cline can sum up his competitive attitude in one sentence.

"I hate to lose," he says.

Simple enough. Cline carried that attitude onto the field this season for the Mechanicsburg Wildcats baseball team. More often than not, when Cline walked off the field the Wildcats were winners. And if Cline happened to be on the mound, he usually walked off a winner, too.

For all the success Cline brought to the Wildcats this season, and for all the success his take-no-prisoners attitude brought to him on the field, he is The Sentinel's 2001 Baseball Player of the Year.

Only a junior, Cline compiled a 7-2 record on the mound for head coach Don Shirley's Keystone Division champions. He allowed only eight earned runs in his nine starts, and his 77 strikeouts in 55.2 innings rank him among Mechanicsburg's all-time single-season strikeout leaders.

When he wasn't on the mound Cline was just as impressive at the plate, maybe even moreso. He hit .460 for the season, driving in 22 runs to go with a home run, two triples and four doubles.

All told, Cline's arm and his bat helped Mechanicsburg to a 16-6 record and a Mid-Penn Keystone Division title amidst a division of talented teams. The team and the individual success he experienced this season weren't all that unexpected, according to Cline.

"I thought we'd be good," Cline says of his team's chances heading into the 2001 season. "I wanted to win the division title. And I expected to be better than I was as a sophomore."

Cline had a losing record on the mound in 2000, but memories of that season faded quickly after he won his first three games of 2001. And they weren't just wins against has-beens. Cline beat a good Cumberland Valley club for his first win and a very tough Central Dauphin team to reach 3-0 early in the year.

Shirley isn't surprised that Cline found success early.

"He is so competitive and has so much heart. And he just hates to lose," Shirley says. "You can't measure Steve's heart or how hard he works."

Cline worked hardest when the Wildcats needed him to the most. In games against Central Dauphin and Lower Dauphin, the two teams the Wildcats tied at the top of the Keystone standings, Cline was virtually unhittable. And when the Wildcats played eventual District 3 Class AAA champion Chambersburg, Cline came away with a save and a win.

"I had some big wins against some good teams," Cline says.

The master of the understatement, Cline lets his performances in those games do their own talking.

Against Central Dauphin on April 7, Cline allowed two hits and one run over six innings. He also struck out eight and walked none.

Against Chambersburg two weeks later he watched from left field as his teammates clawed back from a 7-2 hole to pull ahead 8-7 in the sixth inning. Cline hit a two-run double that inning to tie the game, then asserted some control from the mound in relief.

"I wasn't scheduled to pitch that game, so my mind wasn't on pitching at all," he recalls. "But when we got ahead I told (pitching) coach (Clay) McAllister I was ready if they needed me."

Cline pitched one perfect inning for his only save of the season, but he saved more than just a game for the Wildcats. The win was big because it came against the Trojans, but even bigger because it helped right a listing Wildcat ship. Had Mechanicsburg lost that game, it would have fallen into a funk of four losses in five games. Instead, the win was the team's second straight, and it propelled the Wildcats on to greater success.

After Cline's save against Chambersburg, he took the mound against hot-hitting Lower Dauphin. Cline went the distance, limiting the Falcons to four hits and two runs. Mechanicsburg was back atop the Keystone standings.

"We were at a point where we just could not lose. We had to perform," Shirley says. "We knew we had a chance to win if we had Steve in there."

The Wildcats went on after the win over Lower Dauphin and beat Central Dauphin again, this time 4-1 at CD. Cline says the momentum the team picked up in the Chambersburg win kept them going through a tough week.

"I think the momentum carried us," he says. "That was a big week, our biggest week, I think. We went 3-0 against some very good teams."

That stretch proved crucial at the end of the season when the Wildcats were fighting for the division title. After losing to Lower Dauphin May 2, the team needed wins over C.D. East and Harrisburg to force a tie at the top. The Wildcats got those wins, and by virtue of their wins over CD and their 1-1 record Lower Dauphin, they won the right to play Commonwealth Division champion Chambersburg for the Mid-Penn's top seed in the district tournament.

Mechanicsburg won that game 4-1 with Cline on the mound. The team fell out of the postseason with a 2-1 loss to Cedar Crest in the first round of the district tournament. In that game Cline surrendered only four hits to the Falcons and went 2-for-3 at the plate, but the rest of the Wildcats went 3-for-24.

"They didn't hit for him," Shirley said of Cline's teammates. "Steve threw a great game and we just stopped hitting for him."

Despite the early exit, Cline says things remain bright for the Wildcats in 2002. They lose only four seniors off this season's team, and he'll have his left arm and his bat back in the lineup next season, looking for bigger and better results.

"I think we should be OK next season," Cline says, "and I definitely expect to improve. I want to throw harder. I'm working now with weights to get stronger."

If Cline takes his attitude about losing into the weight room, then the weights are in real trouble. And next season the Wildcats should be a lot more than just OK.

June 23, 2001

Shirley still going strong for Wildcats

By Bill Wolfe

When you've been in the coaching game as long as Don Shirley has, good things are bound to happen.

For the past 30 years Shirley has coached the Mechanicsburg Wildcats baseball team. Over that time he's coached such standouts as Jeff Teeter; the Abner brothers, Shawn, Ben and Chris; and Mike Edwards. And along the way Shirley has racked up the wins. Lots of wins.

On April 7 this year Shirley notched win No. 400 as coach of the Wildcats. That game was a 9-1 victory over Mid-Penn Keystone Division rival Central Dauphin. Besides being win No. 400 for Shirley, the victory was a harbinger of things to come for the Wildcats.

In eight regular season games against teams that qualified for the postseason, Mechanicsburg went 7-1. A team with only four senior regulars and a lack of pitching depth early in the season put together a late-season run that not only allowed it to claim the Keystone title, but also led to a No. 1 seed in the District 3 playoffs.

"This team really handled big games well," Shirley said. "And that's a credit to the players, not the coaches."

Shirley can deflect all the credit he wants to his players, but for his ability to prepare his team for all those big games, he is The Sentinel's 2001 Baseball Coach of the Year.

Early in the season, Shirley wasn't sure where his pitching was going to come from. He knew junior left-hander Steve Cline was primed and ready, but he struggled to come up with reliable No. 2 and No. 3 starters.

He decided on senior Dave Hellam and junior Jim Serafin, and after their first combined nine decisions, the pair was 7-2. When he needed a quick fix to stop the bleeding of a three-game mid-season losing streak, Shirley brought up JV pitcher Bucky Kosyk. All the sophomore hurler did was throw a complete-game victory against offensive-minded Cedar Cliff.

"We had stopped hitting as a team," Cline says of the team's three-game losing streak the week before the comeback win over Chambersburg. "Then Coach Shirley put Bucky Kosyk on the mound against Cedar Cliff, and it turned out to be a great move."

Kosyk had been a JV pitcher until that point, and when Cline heard of the move he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I found out in school that Bucky was going to pitch, and Cedar Cliff can really hit the ball," Cline says. "I didn't want to shake up Bucky's confidence, but I went over to him at lunch and asked him if he knew he was pitching. He did. I wasn't sure it was the right move."

Kosyk scattered eight hits over seven innings and held Cedar Cliff to two runs. That win broke the 0-3 skid and Mechanicsburg was off and running.

Three buttons pushed, three successes.

"It's hard to have three top-notch pitchers in high school," Shirley says. "We really struggled to find that third starter. But we hit a stretch where we had to perform, and we did. Then Bucky comes up and throws an outstanding game."

When Shirley wasn't coaxing prime time performances from his back-up pitchers, he was getting his charges to believe they were never out of a game, even when the hole was deep and the opponent imposing.

The Wildcats fell behind Chambersburg 7-2 late in a game at Mechanicsburg April 23. But from his third base coach's box Shirley got his hitters to relax and put the ball in play. They entered the sixth inning trailing 7-2. They left the inning ahead 8-7.

"Through the years I've been proud of our players playing until the game's over," Shirley says. "These kids don't want to lose. That's typical of our attitude over the years."

Over those years, as some things have changed in high school baseball, others have remained the same. Mechanicsburg is a much smaller school now than it was when Shirley started coaching in 1972, and as the school has gotten smaller some of its opponents have gotten much, much larger.

"We used to have 80-some kids come out for baseball, now we get maybe 50, " Shirley says. "At Chambersburg they get 125 kids out, and they're three times bigger than us now."

But Shirley's teams keep winning, even against the Chambersburgs of the world. He attributes that to a steady caliber of quality players, a great coaching staff, and a behind-the-scenes presence that's been supporting him all these years.

"I don't think the talent of our kids has dropped off, interestingly enough," Shirley said. "Mechanicsburg is still a baseball town, and the kids really want to play well. They love baseball."

"And I've had coaches who have been with the program for years," he says. "From Steve Sauve to Stan McCollum to Clay McAllister. And my JV coaches, Doug Erney and Jeff Costello, played for me. They know the program."

And that behind-the-scenes presence?

"My wife has been so supportive over the years," Shirley says. "She knows our teams very well, even though she doesn't get out to all the games. She's raised three kids through all this."

There was one time, however, when Joyce Shirley put baseball on the back burner.

"She put her foot down when I was still playing baseball at 37," Shirley laughs. "I had to give that up."

But Shirley never gave up his coaching duties. In fact, he says he doesn't want to give them up now, not even for this season.

"I'm ready right now," he says. "That has something to do with us going out so early. I thought we'd go further."

The Wildcats ended their season at 16-6, falling out of the district playoffs with a 2-1, first-round loss to Cedar Crest. That loss still haunts Shirley, but he says next season will find him ready to get back at it all over again.

"I ask myself at the end of every season if I'm sorry it's over, and I always have been," he says. "When that stops, it'll be time to think about getting out."

Until then, look for Shirley to push more of the right buttons, and for the Wildcats to keep playing until it's over.