Tyrone manager Tom Coleman stopped short of saying that the Tyrone baseball team’s 10-9-1 finish in 2006 was disappointing, but considering how well the Eagles came around offensively by the beginning of May, he knows their just-better-than-.500 ledger and first-round exit from the playoffs could easily have been flipped into three or four more wins.
In that way, it was a bit disappointing, and there’s every reason to believe the club will look stunningly similar in 2007.
And that’s a very good thing.
One of the major trouble spots for the Golden Eagles during an up-and-down season when they were as likely to score 10 runs as they were to surrender 10 runs was starting pitching. Even in the best of times, Tyrone’s staff often labored to get outs and finish innings, but much of that was due to the unit’s relative youth. Of the five different hurlers who made starting appearances, only Tyler Gillmen and Jamie Levinson had previous starting experience, and that amounted to only seven games.
Next spring, that will change, and there’s every reason to believe the Eagles’ starting rotation alone will be enough to make them a vastly different team than the one that took the field last season.
“We’ll bring back a lot of pitching experience next season, and in that way it looks very promising,” said Coleman. “We’ll have just about everybody back, and some of the younger kids will have an opportunity to step in. Pitching should definitely be a strong point.”
Of the starters returning in 2007, only one finished with a sub-.500 record last season. Junior Tyler Golden is the workhorse of the group, having logged 40 innings on the way to a 4-2 record with an 8.57 ERA. Classmate Jamie Levinson finished 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA, and sophomore Randy Hoover went 1-0 in two starts with a 3.81 ERA.
Only junior Tyler Gillmen had serious struggles, finishing 0-4 with an 11.10 ERA after beginning the season as Tyrone’s number one starter. But his final appearance of the season was a good one, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings of relief against Mount Union on May 5.
That group is certain to compose the core of the Eagles’ staff next season, joined by sophomore Donnie Hunter, who in three appearances in 2006 was a reliable reliever with a side-arm motion gave the Eagles a change of looks in the mid-to-late innings. The staff will also have the luxury of experience, after learning on the fly through the early part of 2006.
“Just being out there, they improved every game,” Coleman said. “They had to learn to make adjustments and I think they did that. With a few exceptions, the group was really limited from the year before because we had so many seniors.”
The only face missing will be senior Josh Clark, who in his first season as a starter compiled a 3-1 record and a staff-best 2.47 ERA in six appearances.
Tyrone’s loaded pitching staff may well be matched by what it returns in position players, where 10 players are back with starting experience. It’s highlighted in the infield, with Golden, Gillmen and Levinson back to solidify the middle infield. The trio in some combination split most of the second base and shortstop duties, depending on who took the mound.
Sophomore Brock Anders back behind the plate after starting every game, and Doug Morrow will return at first, where he split time as a junior.
After contributing to the Eagles’ alarmingly hefty total of 59 errors, the group can only improve. What Coleman would like to see is for the unit to mature to the point where an error here or there doesn’t erode what could have been otherwise competitive games. It’s a scenario that played out several times in 2006: six errors against Altoona were the deciding factor in a 10-1 loss; five errors led to an 18-3 humiliation against Philipsburg-Osceola; with five errors against Southern Huntingdon, the Eagles blew an 8-0 lead and were forced to settle for a tie after the game was called for darkness.
“You’re going to have physical errors,” said Coleman. “Now we need to begin to minimize those things and take away the big inning. A lot of it is timing, too. You can survive a couple of errors, but when you give up a bunch in one inning, it can be a real momentum killer.”
Minimizing the effect of an error or two will be much easier next season, considering the kind of pop the Eagles will return offensively. As a club, Tyrone hit .307 in 2006 – not bad considering the Eagles’ lineup was locked from day to day only in spots one through five – and produced 145 runs, an average of more than seven per game.
“Before the season began, I thought our offense was a big concern,” said Coleman. “Last year’s seniors had put up some good numbers, but what this group did really surprised me. I was pleased they could produce runs in the amount they did.”
Tyrone scored 10 or more runs eight times and six different players batted above .300, five of whom return for 2007, led by Gillmen.
The 5-foot-10 junior had the kind of season power hitters dream about. He led the team in eight different offensive categories and was among the top three in all others. His .409 batting average was the best on the team, as was his torrid .789 slugging percentage. He also led the club in runs (25), RBI (31), triples (3), home runs (4) and stolen bases (7). He was second on the team in hits with 25 and also walked 10 times.
Golden was close behind, hitting above .400 the entire season until 0-for-2 day in the District 6-AA playoffs against Richland dropped him to .397. He led Tyrone in hits (27) and at-bats (68), and was second in RBI (17) and slugging (.544).
Jamie Levinson hit .327, and his patience at the plate allowed him to lead the Eagles in walks with 13, while Justin Schopp, in his first year of high school baseball, hit .312 and led the team in doubles with five.
Hunter was a pinch-hitter most of the early part of the season who earned a shot as Tyrone’s designated hitter late in the year. He finished right at .300 and banged three doubles.
The most glaring absence in Tyrone’s lineup next season – brilliantly glaring, in fact – will be Brinton Mingle, the Eagles’ top outfielder for the last four seasons who regrouped from a slow start in his senior campaign to hit .365, drive in 14 runs, score 23 more and steal five bases. He’s been among Tyrone’s batting average leaders since his freshman season, and has ruled at the top of most other categories every year since.
Gone also will be Stotler, who despite a frustrating stretch through mid-April and into May where he went 0-for-15 over a six-game period, managed to hit .235 with four doubles. Clark, the Eagles’ savvy nine-hole hitter for the last two seasons, will take along with him a .255 average and 14 RBI.
Still, Coleman is confident the Eagles have plenty coming back in their lineup and plenty in reserve to make up for the losses of his three seniors.
“It’s nice to know we have the core of our offense back,” he said. “I expect our underclassmen to get another year of summer ball in and then we’ll add some younger players next season. I think we really have the chance to have an even better lineup, actually.”
