Greensburg Salem rising senior Dajauhn Hertzog is a three-sport athlete.
He plays football, wrestles and plays baseball.
Hertzog attended the District 31 American Legion baseball showcase Thursday at Latrobe’s Legion-Keener Field and was among the 40 players from the league to perform in front of eight college coaches.
The players were timed in the 60-yard dash, and were judged on the strength of their arms and bat speed. The players were put through different drills, and the coaches got to evaluate their performances.
American Legion baseball used to hold all-star workouts across the state. Players would advance to the All-West game and an All-West all-star team was selected to face a team from the east at Harrisburg.
All the all-star games were attended by college and professional scouts who judged the players and the best athletes would advance.
With the statewide showcase no longer around, players have taken advantage of the District 31 event.
Many of the players impressed the coaches.
“I like to go to games and watch and see how the players hustle on and off the field,” Saint Vincent coach Adam Dukate said. “If a player hustles, usually they are very coachable. When I judge players’ arms I look for velocity and accuracy.”
Hertzog ran the 60-yard dash in 7.44 seconds, and he threw from the infield position.
“I’ve never been at a baseball showcase, and I was eager to see how I did,” Hertzog said. “I was a little nervous at the start, but then I settled in.
“I’m going to another showcase at Slippery Rock in early August, and this gives me an idea how things go.”
The fastest player in the run test was Young Township outfielder Dylan Cindric, who ran a 7.06. Other good times were posted by Bushy Run outfielder Luke Fabac (7.2), Yough outfielder Dominic Koch (7.42), Hempfield East shortstop Matt Wicker (7.56), Bushy Run outfielder Tyler Chrise (7.6) and Bushy Run shortstop Mario Disso (7.6).
Fabac was one of the players to impress coaches with his arm.
District 31 president Jason Bush, who coaches Latrobe’s Legion team and is a Chatham assistant coach, said he judges players on their mechanics.
“If they do things properly, you can make up for other flaws,” Bush said. “I want to see one-hop throws and limited arc from the outfielders. Players who do that usually have good mechanics.”
Hertzog said he feels his future in college will be baseball. So he’s going to learn from his experience and prepare for the next showcase.
Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.
