Now in its second season, the Lower Burrell American Legion baseball team is ready to hit the ground running, kicking off the schedule last week.

Coach Steve Scheftic recognizes how much the team can grow and learn in its second go-round in the league.

“We believe we are a contender to be reckoned with this season and recognize that there are some other well-established and respected teams that will take our best effort to defeat on any given night,” Scheftic said.

Scheftic highlighted how fortunate the team is to have the support of Butch Rupert, commander at Post 868. Without Rupert, the Lower Burrell team would not have started.

Through the first three gamesthis season, Lower Burrell is 2-1, with its loss coming to one of the top teams in the league, Bushy Run.

A good mix of players make up the roster for Lower Burrell. They have three 19-year-olds, seven 18-year-olds, four 17 year-olds and four 16-year-olds. After going 4-15 in its inaugural season, the team is eyeing major improvement, including a spot in the district playoffs.

“Our team is setting the goal to qualify for the regional tournament and continue to grow from there,” Scheftic said. “We learned you have to play pretty clean to beat the top teams in the league, and they learned that we’re going to be tough to compete with this season.”

Building upon the inaugural campaign and getting a deeper level of respect from some of the more longer-tenured teams will be the battle for this season.

“We’re very much looking forward to providing an atmosphere in which we can achieve both team success and player development this summer,” Scheftic said.

Adam Scheftic, son of the manager, has been a player to watch this season, going 3 for 3 to start the season with three walks and two RBIs.

Four of the team’s main pitchers are from Kiski Area: Henry Krogh, Tylar Hanley, Johnny Walker and Dominick Hand.

Burrell has three pitchers on the team: Nolan Brouwer, Colton Whitlock and Adam Scheftic.

The Burrell high school team qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs this season but was no-hit by dominant Riverside pitcher Zach Hare in the quarterfinals.

Multiple graduating seniors will be playing collegiately next season.

Hanley is committed to Lycoming, Hand to Saint Vincent, Noah Matson and Brouwer to Westmoreland County Community College and Ryan Bates and Walker to Slippery Rock.

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