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SWOYERSVILLE – While the high school baseball season is winding down with its state playoffs, American Legion Baseball is getting into full swing.
The first big legion event was held Monday afternoon at Roosevelt Field with 37 players from the Wyoming Valley American Legion League participating in the WVAL Showcase.
Plains pitcher Ray Black stole the show by striking out four of the six batters he faced and only allowing one hit. The 6-foot-3 200-pound right-hander, who just finished his junior season at Coughlin, topped out at 89 mph on the radar gun and consistently threw between 86 and 88 mph.
“I was just trying to stay cool out there,” said Black, who was clocked at 91 mph during a WVC game earlier this year. “I was taking a little off my fastball at times to throw strikes. Location is a big thing. That’s the key.”
Black and eight other WVAL players advance to the Region 5 Showcase, which will be held June 18 at Connell Park in Scranton. The group joining the pitcher consists of four infielders, three outfielders and a catcher.
The infielders who advanced were Matt Ruch and Ryan Konopki from Back Mountain; A.J. Albee from Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre’s Frank Trinisewski.
Mountain Post’s Matt Lamore, Wilkes-Barre’s Dwight Smith and Chris Lenivy from Tunkhannock were the outfielders who were selected, while Nanticoke catcher Keenan McCann was also voted to move on.
Those who participated in Monday’s showcase but did not advance were: pitchers Tyler Austin, Tunkhannock; Dylan Seeley, Back Mountain; Sean Flecknoe, Wilkes-Barre; Dan Goode, Wilkes-Barre. Infielders: Josh Blaine, Nanticoke; Mike Burns, Wilkes-Barre; John Giampietro, Back Mountain; Adam Wayman, Wilkes-Barre; Chris Wychock, Mountain Post; Will Zaleppa, Tunkhannock. Outfielders: Chris Iorio, Plains; John Kaminski and Chris Kubaugh, Nanticoke; Sean Landis, Valley; Tom Perry and Scott Skammer, Back Mountain. First basemen: Steve Sulcoski, Nanticoke; Brian Hontz and Ron Coskey, Plains. Catchers: Greg Harris, Back Mountain and Brandon Owens, Wilkes-Barre.
Note: Players who were still playing with their high schools in the PIAA Championships and were selected to the showcase but were not in attendance were: Plymouth’s Casey Mulligan (pitcher, Wyoming Valley West) and Al Clocker (outfielder, Wyoming Valley West); Plains’ Carmen LoPresto and Nick Morreale (both Pittston Area infielders) and Back Mountain’s Mike Prater (infielder), Kevin Racemus (outfielder) and catcher Bill Holena. All three were playing for Lake-Lehman on Monday.