Published: March 20, 2008 11:23 pm         

UPJ to make Point today

Pitt-Johnstown is accustomed to playing baseball in February and March.

But not here.

Typically, UPJ’s early season games are during trips to Florida. The Mountain Cats (8-9) play their home opener today at Point Stadium.

The Cats and Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The teams meet again for a Saturday doubleheader at 1 at the Point.

“If we weren’t playing here, we wouldn’t be playing at all,” UPJ coach Todd Williams said, referring to the Point’s artificial playing surface installed last summer. “That’s why I think the City of Johnstown building this field is tremendous for baseball in the region, especially for teams like us playing in March.”

UPJ will start pro prospect Chuck Boring, a United graduate and a former AAABA Tournament standout, in today’s first game.

Senior David Huey will pitch the second game.

Both are right-handers.

“It’s exciting. This might be the best stadium for Division II or pretty close to it,” said Boring, a junior expected to attract at least five major league scouts today after drawing as many as 40 scouts during the Florida trip.

“It won’t be a big crowd like the AAABA Tournament but it will be nice to get a day like this and play this early in the year,” Boring added.

Last summer, Boring pitched in the Great Lakes wooden bat league and upped his stock.

This season he is 1-2 with 16 strikeouts and six walks in 14 innings.

“My first start was really bad,” said Boring, who won against Bluefield (W.Va.) State last week. “I’m going to keep building and see what happens.”

Huey is 3-1 with a 3.20 earned run average, 13 strikeouts and two walks.

“It’s nice that we’re down here,” Huey said. “It’s a little warmer down here and a little less windy. It’s a nice park with a better atmosphere. We actually play better in the cold.”

Williams will start right-handers Ben Watkins (Conemaugh Township) and Kaleb Fleck during Saturday’s twin bill.

Through 17 games, senior outfielder Adam Plummer leads the team with a .425 batting average and 13 RBIs. Plummer is back after a knee injury suffered last summer and an earlier injury that halted his spring season.

“Coming off an injury from last year in the summer I was set back this year,” Plummer said. “I didn’t get to practice in the fall. I didn’t know what to expect or how my body was going to hold up. I surprised myself and I’m pretty sure I surprised the coaches so far.”

Plummer’s injury happened early enough in the 2007 season that he was a redshirt. In addition to being the team’s top hitter, Plummer is a left-handed pitcher.

Junior Matt Hanley provides another big bat.

The former AAABA League standout has a .294 average with six doubles, a homer and seven RBIs.

“We have really high expectations for this team,” Hanley said. “We’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of young guys that we’re hoping will do what we think they can do.”

UPJ competes in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). The conference tournament will be played at Point Stadium May 2-4.

“Playing in a conference means a lot,” Hanley said. “The non-division games don’t have as much bearing. You can get hot at the right time of the year and you can be looking at going to play at the World Series. We’re confident that we should be able to get in (the conference tournament) with the guys that we have here.”

     

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