By Scott Huff
Neshaminy is knotted at the top of the Suburban One League National Conference standings with Council Rock North.And a huge reason that the Redskins are battling for the top spot is the marvelous play of senior catcher John Burns.
“John has really blossomed this year,” said Neshaminy head coach Dennis Cox. “I knew coming into the season that he could hit for power, but this year he has also hit well for average.
“He is hitting the ball to all fields, and he still is able to hit those monster shots,” added Cox. “Sometimes when you try to pull everything you end up trading hits for outs. John does not get himself out.”
Burns has torched the opposition for a .600 batting average thus far this season. And the power surge is also there as he has collected numerous extra base hits and blasted some mammoth home runs.
“I feel that I am seeing the ball much deeper in the zone,” said Burns. “I want to be aggressive at the plate, but I don’t want to swing at bad pitches.
“I really can’t tell when I have hit one of those long balls,” added Burns. “I just take off running when I make contact.”
Burns not only hits cleanup in the Skins’ proficient offense, but also handles the Neshaminy pitching staff.
“I love being able to catch this season,” said Burns – who was a first baseman last season. “I am very comfortable behind the plate, I get to call the infield defenses, and I love being involved in every pitch.
“We have some very good pitchers to handle,” added Burns. “Some – like Ray Hyjurick – are very intense and call their own pitches. And some of the other pitchers have pitches called for them.”
Neshaminy has completed the first half of the conference schedule – well almost. The Redksins have yet to play Rock North.
“Council Rock always has a senior trip, so we rescheduled the game,” said Cox. “We play them twice in nine days, but we can’t look at those games yet.
“We have Abington and Council Rock South in our next two league games,” added Cox. “Jake Ruch (Abington) and Greg Welsh (Rock South) are two of the best pitchers in the area.”
“We need to stay focused on the games right in front of us,” said Burns. “We are excited to play North, but we have to keep winning games to make those games important.”
Neshaminy might have Ruch and Welsh to deal with – but Ruch and Welsh will have Burns to deal with as well.
Suburban One American Conference
Upper Merion (6-1 conference) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-2) in a huge American Conference game.
“Plymouth Whitemarsh is extremely well coached, and (Colonial head coach) Bob Slagle has made adjustments with that team since the beginning of the season,” said Upper Merion head coach Jason Darnell. “PW is hot right now and has put some wins together.”
“We play a tough non-league schedule, and it gets us ready for the league schedule,” said Slagle. “This league is up for anyone to take, and the games that are left in the league should be exciting.”
Both the Vikings and the Colonials played thrilling games prior to Tuesday’s confrontation.
Upper Merion trailed Upper Dublin 11-7 going into the last of the seventh inning. The Vikings rallied behind back-to-back homeruns by Greg McCuch (three-run homer) and Ben Dworecki (solo blast) to knot the score at 11-11. UM won the game on an unearned run in the eighth inning – 12-11.
“That was a game that is going to stay in your mind for a long time,” said Darnell. “Ben is really starting to get into a groove, and Greg is always clutch.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh trailed Springfield 6-2 going into the bottom of the sixth. Mitch Weikert keyed a three-run rally with a triple in the sixth inning to close the gap to 6-5, and Eric Ellinger and Brett Haislup drove home the tying and winning runs in the last of the seventh inning, earning a 7-6 PW win.
“We came up with the big hits when we needed them,” said Slagle. “This was a huge win for us.”
This is the second meeting of the season between Upper Merion and Plymouth Whitemarsh. The Vikings sailed to a 10-4 win at PW and led 9-0 after four innings. McCuch notched the win for UM.
“Greg had some success the first time we played them,” said Darnell. “I don’t expect it to be as easy as it was the first time we played them.”
Suburban One Continental Conference
Central Bucks South claimed a pair of important conference wins last week when the Titans knocked off both CB East and North Penn.
The victories were a nice way for ‘new’ South head coach Mike Schaefer to conclude the first half of the SOL conference standings. Schaefer – a former head coach at CB West – is in his first season coaching the Titans.
“At first, I was worried a little bit about the time and commitment it takes to run a high school baseball program,” said Schaefer. “The stage I am in now – with a family and all, caused me a little concern. But I have gotten great support from family, the kids, right down to the booster club. It has been a great experience.”
South – with a conference mark of 4-3 – is in the thick of the title race. And Schaefer believes his club will be in that hunt for the remainder of the season.
“Pennridge has to be considered the team to beat with only one loss,” said Schaefer. “And Hatboro-Horsham has some excellent pitchers and can’t be counted out.
“We beat East, East beat West, and West beat us,” added Schaefer. “That says something about the competition in our conference. Really any team can beat any other team.
“It will all go down to which teams is the hottest at the end of the season,” continued Schaefer. “It’s great to be back- the rest of the year should be exciting.”
SOL Baseball – On Deck – Tuesday
Suburban One American Conference
Plymouth-Whitemarsh @ Upper Merion
Norristown @ Upper Moreland
Cheltenham @ Upper Dublin
Springfield @ Wissahickon
Suburban One Continental Conference
Central Bucks South @ Quakertown
Central Bucks West @ Pennridge
Central Bucks East @ North Penn
Hatboro-Horsham @ Souderton
Suburban One National Conference
Council Rock North @ Pennsbury
Council Rock South @ Truman
Abington @ Neshaminy
Bensalem @ William Tennent
Suburban One Sports.com Super Seven
1. Council Rock North Indians
2. Neshaminy Redskins
3. Pennridge Rams
4. Upper Merion Vikings
5. North Penn Knights
6. Truman Tigers
7. Central Bucks South Titans
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