Talent Lost; Talent Returns
by John Lipez
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP — There is no question the Central Mountain baseball program took some graduation hits from a year ago, all-state Von Walker continuing his athletic career in football at Penn State and standout Luke Wise playing Division I college baseball this spring at Radford.
But veteran Wildcat coach Mike Kramer has a 2014 roster far from barren, infused with some recent Keystone Little League talent now working its way into the program.
Kramer is low-keying his squad as the season starts, but said the talent is there to produce “the capability of playing real well this year.”
Central Mountain has been the District 6 Quad-A runner-up the last three seasons and won the Central Penn League a year ago and the Mountain League title for the four preceding years; Kramer said winning the baseball-strong CPL will be a goal again in 2014.
Kramer and staff are working with 34 players at the varsity and junior varsity level; he said there is so much depth it will be difficult as the team can only play nine players at a time, that “we have to make decisions on where to get guys playing time,” if not at the varsity level, then on the jayvee team.
Many of the eight returning letter-winners are around the infield where Cayden Stover, Dylan Kerstetter and Zach Skrtich all logged a lot of innings a year ago, plus first baseman Caleb Seyler.
Others pushing for time in the infield are Bryce Hanley and Clayton Butler at first base and Talon Falls and Darin Masorti at third.
Ryan Yost returns behind the plate and two former Keystone stars, sophomores Wyatt Koch and Isaac Porter, are behind him.
The outfield is being rebuilt but Kramer is comfortable with the candidates who include Toner Corl, Ken Heverly, Ethan McGill, Trapper Kunes, Trevor Packer, Evan Kinley and David Kohen.
While Walker and Wise are gone from the mound, senior Stover has picked up considerable pitching experience over the last two years; others vying for innings include Seyler, Butler, Heverly, Corl, Skrtich, Masorti, Hanley, Wes Smeal and Cameron Hancock.
Kramer termed defense and pitching a team strength and with a number of returning .300 hitters from a year ago said he is confident the Wildcats will be able to score runs.
If the weatherman cooperates the Wildcats will have a scrimmage with Bald Eagle Area at Mill Hall Community Park this Saturday and open the season at home next Tuesday with small-school power Loyalsock.
The Mill Hall field remains the home park for Central Mountain as little recent action has been taken to further construction of a new field at the high school complex. Jayvee games will be played in Beech Creek as the junior league park in Lock Haven was determined to be inadequate last season.
