Panther Pitchers Off to A Promising Start

OFF AND RUNNING—The Panthers’ Randy Wente (No. 4) sprints toward first base while the Lorain catcher chases after Wente’s grounder during an April home game at Memorial Park Diamond No. 1. Wente was out at first. Lorain won the game, 4-0. (Photo by John Sheridan)

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Panther Pitchers Off to A Promising Start

By John Sheridan

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 said. “And we ask him to pitch in our biggest games.”

            In mid-April, for example, Roberts started and pitched four shutout innings as the Panthers improved their record to 5-1 with a 7-4 victory over Cleveland Heights. After taking an early lead, Euclid fell behind, 4-3, as the Tigers scored four times in the sixth inning. But the Panthers came roaring back with four runs of their own in the top of the seventh to chalk up their fifth win of the season.

            The fourth member of the Panther mound brigade is junior 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 noted. “But so far, I’m very encouraged.

            “We have a nice mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores,” the coach added. “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 have been key factors in the Panthers’ offense, with each of them batting around .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 this writing, only Sean Carney, a senior outfielder, had lashed a home run—in the [first] game against Shaker.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Panthers’ hopes for an LEL title dimmed somewhat as they lost several games after this story was submitted, including a surprising 14-1 shellacking by Shaker Heights.                                                                                                                                          

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PHOTOS DROPPED OFF AT OFFICE, ALONG WITH CHIP.

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OFF AND RUNNING—The Panthers’ Randy Wente (No. 4) sprints toward first base while the Lorain catcher chases after Wente’s grounder during an April home game at Memorial Park Diamond No. 1. Wente was out at first. Lorain won the contest, 4-0.   (Photo by John Sheridan) 

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ALL BUNDLED UP – Euclid High baseball fans were dressed warmly and huddled beneath blankets while enduring chilly “football weather” conditions during the Panthers’ recent home baseball game against Lorain.