West Hempfield team makes return to summer baseball

The West Hempfield baseball players gathered for their first practice Wednesday.

The team doesn’t have to wait long for its season debut in the Westmoreland County American League.

“We’re just ready to put our cleats on and swing the bats,” said Mitch Miletics, one of more than a dozen players who will suit up to face Yough at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lint Field.

The game is the first of many in a compact season that will have competition almost every day until July 25.

“It’s so good to get out here and play,” Miletics said. “I can’t wait for Saturday. The sooner the better. You’re only going to get better by playing.”

Miletics is one of several recent high school graduates on the West Hempfield squad who will get a chance to play after their spring seasons were canceled.

“I didn’t think there was going to be baseball again,” Hempfield grad Austin Resnik said. “(Hempfield) got to play in one scrimmage, and that was it. Honestly, I just accepted it. But we’re here now, and it feels great.”

On April 13, the Pennsylvania American Legion cancelled the statewide season, but District 31 league coaches and managers, with the help of the Region 7 director, District 31 president and Latrobe coach Jason Bush, reorganized into the new local league.

All of the particulars were ironed out in meetings, and the season is set to start.

The league staying alive this summer also means the return of West Hempfield, which didn’t take part in the 2019 District 31 season as it was not able to bring enough players together.

West Hempfield manager Jason Resnik said he and the other coaches scrambled to construct a roster over the last week as the southwestern counties entered the green phase of coronavirus recovery.

“I am really glad we were able to get something together,” Resnik said. “My son being a senior this year and a handful of my players being seniors as well, with them not having their high school season, it gives them a little closure for their baseball careers.

“I was pretty confident we were going to have something, some type of season, with all of the teams from the league.”

After Saturday’s game against Yough, West Hempfield will not return to action until June 22 when it hosts Mt. Pleasant.

A group of players will be away on a senior trip, and Resnik said he didn’t want to have games scheduled next week.

“I did want to get one in early, though,” he said. “We will get a chance to see what some of the young kids can do.”

Miletics said there probably will be a lot of players moving around on the field throughout the season to find the right position combinations.

“We’re going to play whatever positions we need to help the team,” said Miletics, who is ready to catch, pitch or play third base. “We’re just out here together trying to have some fun and win some games.”

While the 16-player roster is made up mostly of players that have attended Hempfield High School, two players from Penn-Trafford also will join the team.

Cam DePalma, a senior, was a multi-year member of the Warriors varsity baseball team. Noah Allen didn’t play baseball for Penn-Trafford past his freshman season, but he was a key part of the football team and will play football in college at Washington & Jefferson.

“(Bushy Run) had a full roster, and I discussed with (manager) Scott (Peyman) about pulling a couple of kids from his area,” Resnik said. “He was fine with it. We agreed that it was a good thing to give as many kids as possible a chance to play.”

The league playoffs will extend into the early part of August. Beyond that, there is a plan being put in place, Resnik said, to have the best from the Westmoreland league face off with the best from a couple of other counties to determine an overall summer league champion.

Resnik said the team is a mix of veteran and younger Legion-age players, and it basically will come down to a wait-and-see outlook as to how successful the team will be.

“It’s hard to say until we get more time on the field together and play some games,” Resnik said. “There are some solid teams like Bushy Run, Latrobe and Hempfield East. I think we can be competitive. We have some good baseball players on this team. I wouldn’t be surprised if we challenge for a playoff spot.”