Hampton baseball hopes up-and-down season ends with playoff success

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, May 6, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Hampton hoped to wrap up a WPIAL playoff berth in the final days of high school baseball regular season.

The Talbots were stymied by inclement weather May 1-2, postponing a two-game series with Knoch to maintain a two-game edge over the Knights in Section 4-4A.

“We just need to win one of the remaining two games against Knoch to qualify for the playoffs,” Hampton coach Kellen Wheeler said. “That’s the goal. Once you make the tournament, nothing else matters and anything can happen — especially when you have one of the best pitchers in 4A.”

The Talbots’ fifth-year field boss was referring to senior ace hurler Ryan Apaliski, a James Madison recruit who had a 3-1 record and led Class 4A with 59 strikeouts (as of May 1). The left-handed Apaliski had allowed only eight earned runs in 32 innings of work.

Hampton entered the final week of the regular season trailing Kiski Area, North Catholic and Indiana in the section.

The Talbots split decisions with Kiski and North Catholic this spring and lost twice to Indiana.

“We’ve had an up-and-down season,” Wheeler said. “We’ve battled through some injuries and haven’t been happy with our consistency. Some days we’ve shown up and done what we’re capable of doing, and other days we’ve made some mistakes and cost ourselves games.

“We’re hoping as we enter our push for the playoffs we can finally find some more consistency.”

Hampton’s starting lineup consists of sophomore Justin Dubee or junior Brady Long at catcher, seniors Braxton Eastly (1B) and Anthony Bucci (2B), sophomore Dylan Eichis (SS), seniors Eric Weeks (3B) and Zach Carr (CF), and juniors Matt Erka (LF) and Sean Sullivan (RF).

“We started the season with a little bit of a slow start,” Bucci said, “but have started to pick things up recently and put together a little win streak. I expect us to continue with this momentum and finish the season off strong.”

So does Carr, who has specialized in making spectacular diving catches in the outfield.

“As a team, we need to work together and find our way into the playoffs. We can’t risk making easy mistakes that may cost us games,” Carr said. “I believe we could have won more games than we have this year, but all we can do is learn from our mistakes and move forward.

“Now that my high school career is coming to an end, every game I play, I make sure to enjoy every moment on that field.”

Dubee, who is listed as a catcher/pitcher/outfielder, led the team in hitting through the end of April with a .381 batting average.

Apaliski and junior Caleb Custer pace the pitching staff while senior Matt Moser is a top relief pitcher.

“Matt Moser has come back from a third torn ACL,” Wheeler said. “He showed tons of guts and heart to come back and help our pitching staff.

“And aside from the seniors, we’ve gotten great contributions from our younger guys like Erka, Long, Dubee and Eichis.”

Weeks, who bats third and is one of the team leaders offensively, is a three-sport standout. He was a first-team all-conference football player as a wide receiver/defensive back and earned all-section honors as a guard on the Talbots’ 24-4 basketball team.

The right-handed hitting shortstop signed a national letter of intent with Division I Canisius in November. Weeks (5-11, 185) picked the defending MAAC champion, located in Buffalo, over a few PSAC schools.

In section action in late April, Hampton swept its two-game series with Highlands, winning by scores of 14-5 and 10-3.

Eastly punched out four hits in the first game. Weeks and Long added two hits apiece with Long collecting four RBIs.

Bucci and Long sparked the Talbots’ offense in the second game. Custer fanned four in six innings, and Moser shut down the Rams in the final frame.

“Our goal is to get into the playoffs and make a deep run,” Bucci said. “I’m just trying to do what I can to help us win games.”

Hampton also defeated 3A Deer Lakes, 6-4, in a nonsection contest. Sullivan, Long, Carr and Dubee led the Talbots offensively. Sullivan and junior 1B/P Parker Brockway drove in two runs apiece.

Hampton was scheduled to play nonsection games at home against 5A Mars (May 8), 4A Chartiers Valley (May 9) and 6A Pine-Richland (May 11).

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