The 2023 season was quite a good one for the Fox Chapel Area baseball team.
The Foxes amassed a 13-9 record, 8-6 in WPIAL Class 5A Section 2, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2011, knocking off Mars in the first round. The Foxes advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Shaler Area, the team that, in the end, won the state championship.
A lot of players from that team have returned, which head coach Jimmy Hastings feels bodes well for the 2024 squad.
“We made a big step forward last year,” coach Hastings said. “I’m optimistic. We have high expectations to go further than we did last year. If we do that, that’s a pretty good year. The kids are excited. They’ve been focused in all of the workouts. They seem like a determined group. I’m excited to get started and see how far we can go.”
Hastings, who is starting his seventh year as coach, said the team has balance. There are some quality arms on the pitching staff, plus a solid lineup.
“We bring back six starters from last year’s team,” coach Hastings said. “All of our pitching is back from last year’s team. We’ve even added some younger guys that have stepped up and will be on the team this year. We have a lot of depth in our pitching, more than we’ve ever had before. It’s not even close.”
Topping off that pitching staff is junior Jeremy Haigh, whom the coach referred to as the team’s ace in 2023. Jeremy sported an 8-2 record and had a sub 2.00 ERA last season.
“That’s big to bring him back,” Hastings said of Jeremy. “His ability to throw strikes is huge. He throws four different pitches for strikes, which at the high school level is hard to do. Everything kind of looks the same out his arm and that makes him tough to hit.”
Jeremy’s sister, Jillian, a freshman, is expected to be a pitcher on the Fox Chapel Area High School softball team.
Coach Hastings said as good of a pitcher as Jeremy is, he’s even a better hitter. As a sophomore, Jeremy hit third in the lineup and had a batting average in the .370-.380 range. He was one of four Foxes to be a first-team all-section selection last year and that selection came as an outfielder.
“That’s where he’s getting his looks from colleges,” coach Hastings said. “At the end of (last) year is when he started to really put it all together and drive the ball. I think we’re going to see his power really come about.”
Others pegged for the mound include senior Ryan Inglis, Christian Wilkinson, and Justin Ling; junior Franco Pistella; and sophomore Blake Krushinski.
“We literally have 10 or 11 guys that can throw and that can be very good,” coach Hastings said. “The fifth or sixth pitcher on this team probably could have been our best on past year’s teams.”
Those pitchers will be throwing to senior Mitchell Epstein, an all-section selection at catcher in 2023. Another all-section selection, senior Troy Susnak, returns to play third base and do some pitching. Senior Benny DeMotte, a three-year starter, also brings leadership to the lineup.
Franco will spend some time in the outfield when he isn’t pitching. Sophomore Joey Geller returns to the lineup after being honorable mention all-section as a freshman in 2023 as a left fielder.
Hastings expects the toughest competition in the section to come from the usual cast of characters such as Plum, Penn-Trafford, and Franklin Regional. Armstrong made the playoffs in 2023 and Gateway and Penn Hills also can present stiff challenges.
“There aren’t really any easy games in the section,” coach Hastings said. “Everyone has at least one good pitcher. You really have to come prepared and do the little things or you’ll lose. If we do the little things right, we’re going to be pretty successful.”
