Freeport hitters focused on quality at-bats

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | 5:36 PM

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One of the first things Ed Carr did when he took over the Freeport baseball program last year was hand out a pamphlet detailing the quality at-bat average, a ranking system that rewards positives such as moving a runner over or hitting a sacrifice fly and deducts negatives like striking out swinging.

The system turned out to be a big hit. Team captains held a draft and competed against each other all season to see who would get the most points, and in the process the team produced. The Yellowjackets scored 146 runs and hit .365 as a team with 40 doubles and seven homers, which helped lead to a WPIAL playoff berth.

Entering his second season, Carr lost four of his top hitters, including James Flemm, one of the top batters in the WPIAL a season ago. The areas that go beyond the box score detailed in quality of at-bat average will be a focal point again to try and offset the departures.

“I think (quality at-bat average) helps our hitters relax and it indirectly helps our batting average, because getting a hit is not all a player is worried about,” Carr said. “There's more ways to help the team. I told our guys we're not looking at it like we're trying to replace guys. We're starting with almost a brand new team like last year when I really didn't know what I had going in.

“Our mindset is always to find a way to get on base, be a low strikeout team and have a high quality at-bat average.”

Three of Freeport's top hitters — Flemm, Tyler Hettich and Austin Ziaczik — graduated, and Nevin DeCroo decided to run track this year instead of playing baseball.

Flemm had one of the best two-way seasons in the WPIAL last year, hitting .609 with 18 extra-base hits, and on the mound he had a 1.27 ERA in 11 appearances. Hettich hit .435 with seven doubles.

“When you lose guys like James, Tyler and Nevin you lose some power, but I think the quality at-bats lets us focus on something different,” Freeport catcher Alex Ehalt said. “We're trying to get base hits, and we're trying to move runners over into scoring position. It's not all about going up there and trying to hit the ball as far as you can.

“You have to do the little things, and hopefully that leads to good things happening.”

Ehalt, Brodey Cowan and Sean Furlong were voted by their teammates as captains and will soon make their selections for their quality at-bat teams for the spring.

Aside from being key cogs in the lineup with Ehalt, Cowan and Furlong figure to be the top two pitchers on the team after having solid seasons on the mound last year.

“Our goal is to throw first-pitch strikes and limit walks,” Furlong said. “We're not big strikeout guys, so we have to locate our pitches well and use our off-speed stuff in the right spots.”

Freeport plays in Section 1-4A with Knoch, Deer Lakes, Highlands, Greensburg Salem, Derry, Yough and Indiana. Everyone except Indiana, Yough and Highlands made the playoffs in a tight section, in which the Yellowjackets finished third.

“I thought our section was really good last year, and it had a lot of good pitching,” Carr said. “Every team in our section is capable of giving you a run for their money. We're looking forward to it. It should be very competitive.”

The Yellowjackets open the season against Armstrong on March 23 at Freeport Community Park.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Freeport