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Kenston strikes it rich on pitching mound
(by Tony Lange - March 21, 2012)
Kenston strikes it rich on pitching mound
By TONY LANGE
The Kenston baseball team lost four All-Chagrin Valley Conference honorees from last year, including most valuable player Pat Porter, but more impressive is what the Bombers returned.
After finishing 20-5 last year with a 9-1 CVC title mark, the Bombers return seven All-CVC award winners, including three first-team players.
On the mound, Kenston returns seniors Michael Fearer and Kyle McKnight, both of whom earned first-team All-CVC recognition last season.
Fearer recorded an 8-3 record with a 1.46 ERA and 46 strikeouts. McKnight was 7-1 with a 3.59 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
The Bombers' starting rotation goes much further, however, head coach Bob Ford said.
"My pitching -- I am very deep. I probably have eight guys who will contribute on the varsity roster pitching wise," he said. "Some of them will also play on JV, but my first four or five I might throw against anybody."
After Fearer and McKnight, the starting rotation will include sophomore Peter Rozman, junior Sean O'Connor and sophomore Nathan Blake.
Rozman was a CVC honorable mention as a freshman. He also had eight hits in his 10 at-bats.
Kenston's third returning first-team All-CVC player is senior shortstop Michael Rengers, who had a .410 batting average with 19 RBIs last year in his 78 at-bats.
Second-team All-CVC returners include junior Jacob Carpenter at catcher, senior Nick Levine, who will play third base this year after playing second base last year, and senior Ethan Bush in left field.
Carpenter had a .365 batting average with 24 RBIs, two home runs and nine doubles in his 85 at-bats last year.
Bush batted .389 with 23 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in his 72 at-bats.
Levine batted .329 with 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in his 76 at-bats.
"I would expect my first five or six guys to all be capable of batting over .400," Ford said. "And from that part of the lineup on, if I could get the bottom three to bat .300 -- each one of them -- we would be in really, really good shape, because the bottom of my order we don't know what it will be yet. They have potential to be extremely good players."
Senior Greg Ginther is the Bombers' eighth returning letterman at second base and shortstop.
With so many players coming out for the team this season, Kenston has 17 on its varsity roster.
Two freshmen who made the varsity team are Adam Bush, who plays shortstop and second base, and Jacob Silbermann, who plays outfield and catcher.
It will be difficult to fill the shoes of Kenston's five 2011 graduates, who collectively earned 16 varsity letters and accounted for a .433 batting average, 171 hits, 146 runs, 147 RBIs and 14 homers in 26 games last year, but Ford said the Bombers are more than confident.
"We're looking to have a strong team again," he said. "Some of the kids I have are extremely impressive, and we have some freshmen who will be playing varsity this year. So that's going to be fun."
Kenston opens its season with a doubleheader March 24. The Bombers play at 2 p.m. at Garfield Heights and then again at 4 p.m. at Howland.
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