Panther pitchers off to a promising start

In high school baseball, the arms often are the deciding factor. Winning teams tend to rely on a talented pitching corps.

Through the first half of this weather-plagued season, Euclid High baseball coach Brian Leroy was encouraged by his team’s performance, as the Panthers won six of their first seven games. Much of that success was due to the efforts of a quartet of Panther pitching aces, several of whom played for Euclid’s CABA World Series team last summer.

“We’ve been getting a strong performance from our starting pitchers,” Leroy said, not long after the Panthers had notched win number six — a 7-1 victory against Shaker Heights. Members of the Euclid mound crew include a pair of juniors, John Law and Vinnie Klun, who were credited with five of the team’s first six wins. Law, who tossed a complete game three-hitter against Shaker, owned a 3-0 record, while Klun was 2-0 and also had a save.

Also off to a solid start, although you might not guess it from his 0-2 won-loss record, was senior Josh Roberts, who sported a very respectable 2.00 earned run average. “Josh has kept us in every game that he’s pitched,” the coach says. “And we ask him to pitch in our biggest games.”

The fourth member of the Panther mound brigade is Connor Fuller, who was 1-0 with two saves. “Connor has been doing a great job for us in relief,” said Coach Leroy, now in his second year as head coach.

Like most high school teams in Northeast Ohio, the Panthers have had their problems with the weather, which has forced a number of postponements and created difficult game conditions. “With the weather we’ve had, it has been tough to develop any sort of consistency,” Leroy notes. “But so far, I’m very encouraged.

“We have a nice mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores,” the coach adds. “And I’ve been very pleased with the way the young guys are starting off. We’re hoping to compete for the league title.” 

In the early going this year, the four pitching aces also played key roles in the Panthers’ offense, with each of them batting .300 or better. Also wielding a big stick at the plate has been Randy Wente, a senior in his third year of varsity ball. Likewise batting in the vicinity of .300, he’s the Panthers’ leadoff hitter. “He sets the table for us,” the coach says.

Clearly, the cold spring conditions have put a damper on the long ball. As of the Observer deadline for this issue, only Sean Carney, a senior outfielder, had lashed a home run—in the game against Shaker.