South Fayette embracing jump to Class 5A
Eleanor Bailey
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
South Fayette’s Mitch Dunay (23) is one of several top hitters returning for the Lions. Dunay hit .384 with 17 RBI and scored 18 runs last season.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Joey Alcorn (33) celebrates with Elijah Snider (20) in last year’s WPIAL Class 4A Championship game at Wild Things Park. South Fayette won its first district title in 19 years with a 4-1 win over Ringgold.
Change has been a constant at South Fayette for as long as Kenny Morgan has been there, as a player and the last five years as the baseball coach.
“In middle school, we were in Class A,” Morgan remembers. “We jumped up to 2A when I was in high school. Then, when I took over as the coach, we became 3A. I didn’t know anything about those teams. Two years later, we were in 4A.”
Now, the defending WPIAL Class 4A champions will take another leap in classification – to Class 5A – and into what might be one of the deepest sections in the district, regardless of school size.
South Fayette joins Hampton, Mars, Moon, North Hills and Shaler, which moved down from Class 6A, in a stacked Class 5A Section 2. North Hills defeated Mars for the WPIAL Class 5A championship last season. Moon was one of the top-ranked teams before being unexpectedly bounced in the postseason. Hampton also made the playoffs in 2018.
“By moving up, we have the perspective that we are still the underdog,” Morgan said. “Many of those schools might not be expecting us to do anything. We try to focus on everything we can control. I don’t sweat who we are playing.”
What Morgan is in control of is a deep, talented team that could make a long playoff run again. The Lions, who are already 4-0 after sweeping games in Tampa, Fla., return four of their top-five hitters.
Senior captain Ryan Kokoski, the team’s leading hitter last season (.472), is back in center field. Mitch Dunay, who batted .384 with a team-leading nine doubles and 17 RBI, returns as the second baseman. Juniors Joey Alcorn (.370) and Eli Snider (.375) are the other top hitters from last season.
Seven returning starters for South Fayette had double-digit RBI totals last season.
“We bring back a whole lot of experience,” Morgan said. “We are really happy with what we have coming back and we’ve been blessed with a lot of young talent. I love what we have lineup wise. I honestly think this is the best lineup we have produced in five years. From top to bottom, opponents can’t find easy outs. We have a terrific blend of being able to use all fields and have speed on the bases.”
On the mound, Morgan will rely on senior ace Richie Dell, a Kent State recruit, for another productive season. Dell went 6-2 with a 1.94 earned run average in 43.1 innings as a junior. He had 64 strikeouts and went at least four innings in seven games. In last year’s WPIAL title, Dell limited Ringgold to three hits, one run and struck out 10 in 6 innings.
“Richie just has fun,” Morgan said. “I think a lot of guys in high school who are above average players with intentions of playing in college, have a tendency of tightening up. It might get in their head. He plunked the first batter in last year’s WPIAL championship and then pitched great the rest of the game. It won’t get to him.”
The change from Class 4A to 5A also increased South Fayette’s resolve to achieve its goals, including playing longer in the PIAA tournament. The Lions lost in the first round to Meadville. The practice format and philosophies have remained the same, but Morgan said his staff has notched up the intensity.
“Coming into this year, we still have that hunger and desire,” Morgan said of falling in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. “We only accomplished one of our two goals and aren’t satisfied. Win or lose, we always want to make an emphasis to make an impression on people that watch us play. We want those people walking away saying, ‘Those guys play the game the right way.’ That’s all we want to do. We are coming with relentless intensity.”