Mar 28, 2016 3 min read

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For the first time in a while, no one is talking about Peters Township baseball in the early days of a WPIAL baseball season.

Missing the WPIAL playoffs in three of the last four years can lead people to forget how strong the program is, but all people see is missing the postseason and draw their own conclusions. Remember that the program is only seven years removed from a WPIAl title.

Let’s remember that the Indians play in arguably the toughest section in the WPIAL and it’s not easy to deal with the lofty expectations. Well, Peters Township is an afterthought in 2016, but I’m assuming that head coach Joe Maize likes it that way.

These Indians will have depth and some power on offense, but inexperience is a question mark. They have seven pitchers who could be called upon to pitch this season, but only three have experience on varsity (junior Eric Riotto with seniors Ryan Frizzell and Jake Pisarcik).

That being said, PT also has four who were successful in junior varsity or ninth grade last spring. The transition to Section 5-AAAA won’t be easy. It will be a pitcher-by-committee early, but I fully expect Riotto to emerge as the staff ace.

The Indians will be strong defensively, but again, there isn’t much experience in the field. Entering last week’s trip to Myrtle Beach, they had seven positions open on a team that finished with a 11-9 overall record. That lists includes all but right field (junior Tor Sehnert).

Senior Alex Mundy, as well as juniors T.J. Dailey and Reagan Lawlor will compete for the shortstop and second base spots. Pisarcik and senior Matt Weigand are battling to play first base. Four players are competing for third base, including Riotto.

Sehnert, a Coastal Carolina recruit, will surely start in one of the outfield spots, but six others are competing for the two other spots.

The Indians have seven lettermen returning and Sehnert is the one to watch. The kid has serious power. There’s a reason why he’s going to one of the country’s up-and-coming college baseball programs.

He hit four home runs in helping Peters Township split two games at the Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Friday.

Sehnert went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs in a 10-9 loss to Williamsport. Conor Manning doubled for PT (1-2).

Peters Township has four days off before it hosts Fox Chapel in a non-section game Friday and will open section play next Monday against Baldwin. It will take a few weeks for us to get a good feel for what the Indians’ depth chart looks like, but this is certainly a talented roster.

I think the offense will develop in time and the defense should be strong, so if Peters Township can develop pitching, particularly an ace, it’s a playoff team. Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park are also inexperienced, so the window is open.