Sparked by members of Knoch's PIAA title team, Saxonburg Legion squad continues success

Validation never was an issue, but the Saxonburg Legion baseball team admitted to feeling a tinge of pressure to win a championship after eight of its players did so during the spring season with Knoch.

Besides, raising trophies looked like so much fun.

The high school team charged through the postseason with a blare of trumpets, capturing WPIAL and PIAA championships — all while creating a buzz around Saxonburg and beyond.

The Legion team made sure not to disappoint, adding to the parade of champions with a Butler County Legion title. Four of the eight carryover players were starters for Saxonburg, which edged East Butler, 4-3, in eight innings, to take the title last weekend at Laura Doerr Park.

“I think a lot of people expected us to win because we had a fair amount of varsity players on the Legion team,” said standout pitcher Jeremy Frazier, who played for both teams. “It feels great to keep riding the wave and keep winning championships.

“It's been an unbelievable year.”

Saxonsburg's players knew they needed a delicate balance to carry over the winning.

“There was a little momentum there,” Saxonburg manager Mike Hickey said. “There was a lot of chatter out there. But you have to temper it.”

Saxonburg started the season slightly later than usual as it waited for the high school players to return.

After a 1-1 start, a nine-game winning streak followed that vaulted the team into first place. That's where it stayed for most of the way before going 6-1 in the double-elimination playoffs to finish 12-3-1 overall.

And it was quite the weekend for the champions, who won in walk-off fashion last Saturday and were honored as Knoch players Sunday at PNC Park. The Pirates' Josh Harrison offered congratulations.

Even with the ever-changing landscape of summer baseball — summer jobs and travel teams jockeying for commitments — Saxonburg maintained a steady 11-player group.

“We had a good core we could count on every game,” Hickey said. “And the good thing was they all got along.”

Frazier and Gavin Miller, a Butler Community College pitcher, fueled a solid pitching staff and the offense gave them run support.

Sounds like the high school team, which rallied around standout pitchers Cole Shinsky and Alex Stobert, solid defense and streaky bats.

“We knew we could have a really good team; it depended on our pitching. It always comes down to pitching and defense,” Hickey said. “We knew that if everybody showed up and did their part, we could be successful.”

After a stinging, 6-5 loss to East Butler (14-5-1) in a game Saxonburg led 5-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, the team clubbed the same opponent 19-2 before posting the title-clinching win.

Knoch coach George Bradley even pitched in to the Legion team's run, keeping the scorebook for five games. And Knoch assistant Steve Hall had the same role with the Legion team.

While Hickey moved to the area from Michigan about nine years ago, he said baseball is steeped in the community. Programs are chain-linked, and many players stick together through youth ball and into high school.

“They breed baseball players from the ground up here,” he said.

Hickey thinks Knoch and Saxonburg have the potential be good for several years to come.

“There are a lot of good boys coming up,” Hickey said. “You could see four or five years of really good ball players; a lot of good pitchers.”

Hickey said this season was extra special because two of his three sons, Logan and Jordan, got to play on the same team.

Bill Beckner Jr. is the local sports editor of the Valley News Dispatch. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com.