Surreal season continues for Knoch baseball team

Knoch's memorable baseball spring and summer keeps getting more surreal.

Players from a school that had precious little baseball history before the 2015 season played a Freeport International Baseball Invitational exhibition Wednesday night against Puerto Rico, which is steeped in baseball tradition.

“Growing up, I never got the opportunity to do this,” senior Asa Adams said. “You see guys in the Little League World Series playing teams like Chinese Taipei and teams like that. I've always dreamed of playing in games like that. I really wish I got to do this earlier. It's definitely an honor and it's fun to do.”

It was an unlikely pairing, but by now, Knoch is used to that. The Knights, who had just one playoff win in school history before this spring, won WPIAL and PIAA championships and are still riding high.

“I never really imagined this,” outfielder Addis Crouch said. “It's all coming at once. It's crazy. It's overwhelming, but it's fun.”

Most of the members of the title-winning team played in Wednesday night's exhibition at James E. Swartz Memorial Field. Pitchers Cole Shinsky and Alex Stobert, infielder Jake Herrit and coach George Bradley were absent.

The Knights also couldn't use the school name, instead playing as Saxonburg.

Despite the different name and a few missing faces, the spirit of Knoch's championship was still there. FIBI president Chuck Sarver recognized the team before the game.

Players cracked jokes on the bench throughout the game, which Saxonburg won 9-2.

More important than the game, the players said, was the chance to spend some more time together and to meet players from Puerto Rico.

“I think it's really cool that a local place puts this on and we get to meet all these great kids from different countries,” senior Garrett Traggiai said. “It's a great experience to learn some of their culture while they're here and play ball with them.”

Law drove in four runs and pitched three innings, senior Nick Guercio pitched three innings and Adams — typically the team's catcher — closed out the game on the mound.

“It's just really cool,” Law said. “It's not really a competitive atmosphere. When I got to second base, I'm talking to him and asking him how many times he's been to America. It's really for the love of the game.”

Wednesday's game was put together after Knoch won the state championship. Knoch athletic trainer John Geist coaches another team in the FIBI, and he talked to Sarver about recognizing the Knights during the invitational.

With Puerto Rico competing in the FIBI for the first time in 10 years, Sarver put the teams together in an exhibition.

Several Knoch players also play for other teams in the FIBI, but Wednesday's game represented the likely last chance for the bulk of the championship team to play together.

“It's going to be sad, but it's also going to be a lot of fun,” Law said.

Since Knoch beat Abington Heights, 7-5, in the PIAA Class AAA championship game June 12, the team's victory tour made stops in a parade in Saxonburg and at a Butler Blue Sox game.

“I figured it'd be almost like any other summer where everybody goes their different ways and plays travel ball or plays Legion,” senior Jordan Kowalski said. “But we see each other a lot, and we're all getting recognized. It's been a great time.”

Thursday, the team will lead the parade at the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company Fireman's Carnival. Sunday, the team will go to PNC Park and meet with Pittsburgh Pirates players before their game against the Washington Nationals.

“It's starting to feel real,” Kowalski said. “At first, it didn't feel real; I couldn't believe it happened. Now that everybody's inviting us to go places and recognizing us, it's just an amazing experience. It's just nice to see how much people care about our season.”

Crouch said he gets congratulated by people when he wears his Knoch baseball cap or T-shirts in Saxonburg.

Law experienced something similar when a coach he didn't know congratulated him at a summer baseball tournament in Virginia Beach, Va.

“I just think it's really cool,” Law said. “I can't believe we did it, but we did. I'm very thankful for everybody coming up and saying congratulations. It's very humbling.”

Freelance writer William Whalen contributed to this story. Doug Gulasy is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.