Freshmen Ben Aftanas, Colin Solinski having huge seasons for upstart UPG baseball team

Like all coaches, Pitt-Greensburg baseball manager Scott Adams was optimistic about his latest incoming crop of freshmen. But Adams had a sense this season’s group of newbies could be special.

At the midway point of the season, he has seen nothing to change that impression.

Through early April, the Bobcats were 15-6 overall and 3-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. With a month’s worth of games to go, UPG already had surpassed its win total from the previous two seasons combined.

Freshmen have been at the heart of the turnaround.

James Domer hit .483 through the first 21 games, driving in a team-high 39 runs and scoring 30. Frankie Sebastiano had driven in eight runs in spot duty. Pitcher Nathan Mankoski was lights-out, going 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 31 innings.

And adding to the impact of the freshman class are a pair of A-K Valley alumni: Plum’s Colin Solinski and Valley’s Ben Aftanas.

Solinski, a first baseman and designated hitter, led the team lead with a .508 average to go with 22 RBIs through the first 21 games. Aftanas was hitting .422 with 17 RBIs and a team-leading 34 runs. He also was 2-1 in six appearances (21 innings) on the mound.

“We have an awesome class,” said Aftanas, who plays primarily at second base. “We have a lot of contributors in this class, and we’re a real close-knit type group. Not only did (the coaches) recruit good baseball players, they recruited character guys.”

Added Adams: “Not only their performance on the field, it’s been the competitiveness they’ve brought that’s really helped push our older guys. And our older guys have done a good job of mentoring them through the process.”

Though they said they had seen each other’s names in the newspaper, Solinski and Aftanas didn’t know each other before coming to Pitt-Greensburg. Each has been impressed by the other’s talents, and they were at their best April 2 in a sweep of AMCC foe Hilbert.

Aftanas went 5 for 10 with five runs and three RBIs in the doubleheader, and Solinski was 3 for 9 with a run and four RBIs.

“He’s one of those guys who will leave it all on the field for the team,” Solinski said about Aftanas. “That’s the type of teammate you want to have. He’s our leadoff hitter, and he’ll put the ball in play almost every time. I haven’t seen anything like it.” 

Aftanas was equally complimentary of Solinski.

“Colin can do it all,” he said. “He comes up with guys on base, and he just does the job. He hits the ball hard and puts it in play.”

Solinski has compiled a high batting average despite his self-proclaimed free-swinging approach. He said when he goes to the plate, he hunts fastballs and isn’t keen on sitting back and waiting for a walk.

Adams said he has been impressed by Solinski’s ability to make contact. The numbers back up Adams’ assessment, as Solinski has struck out only eight times in 65 at-bats.

As the left-handed hitting Solinski becomes more adjusted to college pitching, Adams said, he should be able to take advantage of the short right-field fence at UPG’s home park and hit more home runs.

“But he’s not just a guy who’s trying to yank the ball over the fence, either,” Adams added. “He’s trying to hit for a high average, hit the ball hard, and if it happens to go, it goes.”

Aftanas, meanwhile, said it has taken him time to adjust to college pitching — though it is hard to tell by looking at his offensive numbers. Nonetheless, he is pleased with his hitting.

On the flip side, he is hoping to improve on the mound. His ERA is 6.43, a number he would like to bring down.

“Coach Adams recruited me as a two-way player, and that’s why I really wanted to come here,” Aftanas said. “Not everyone gave me that opportunity to do that.

“I’ve had my ups and downs. I’ve had some good games, and I’ve had some games where I’ve gotten hit around. But those games that you get hit around, you learn a lot about yourself, and you really become a better player by failing.”

With first-year players, it’s difficult to tell how they will perform until the lights come on. But Aftanas and Solinski — along with other members of their class — have aced the test. That has them thinking big.

Coming off two sub-par seasons, the Bobcats weren’t expected to do much in 2023. In fact, they were picked to finish seventh in the eight-team AMCC in the preseason poll.

Given their performance, which included a 3-1 start in the AMCC, the Bobcats now figure they can have a say in who wins the conference title. There’s a long way to go and many tough opponents ahead, but this plucky group of freshmen doesn’t seem to be intimidated by the stakes.

“I think coming into the season, we were thinking, let’s fight for a playoff spot and see from there,” Solinski said. “I think now the focus has changed to winning our conference and being the top team in the conference, which is a big jump, definitely.

“We’re in a good head space right now. We’re one of those teams that has the grit, and … I feel like we can compete with any team.”