The Chagrin Falls baseball team has a deep roster led by the return of not only two of the Tigers’ top two pitchers from last season, but their entire starting infield.
Last year the Tigers went 22-8 and advanced to a Division II district final before falling to Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin.
Leading the way on the mound for the Tigers will be twins Bryant and Tyler Kennedy, both juniors. Last year, Tyler Kennedy was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.78 ERA in 27 innings pitched while Bryant was 3-2 with four saves and a 1.67 ERA in 29 1/3 innings pitched. They will form the Tigers’ one-two punch on the mound.
Each made a start when the Tigers opened their season during their annual spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Tigers opened the season with a 2-1 loss to Hudson, who had a deep run in the Division I playoffs last year. The Tigers had the tying run on second base in the seventh inning, but couldn’t push that run across.
Tyler Kennedy took the loss as he pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up both runs with four strikeouts and two walks.
Chagrin Falls bounced back to defeat Deer Lakes, Pittsburgh 3-1 behind the pitching of Bryant Kennedy, who got the victory.
Chagrin Falls coach Michael Sweeney was happy with the trip down south.
“We got down there and dodged the rain a little bit,” Sweeney said. “But we had four great days of practice. We were out on the field every day.”
Sweeney will be in his 14th year leading the Tigers and has a record of 220-134 at Chagrin Falls.
Rounding out the Tigers’ rotation will be juniors Drew Baker and James Sferra. Baker pitched a lot of junior varsity ball last year and made one start at the varsity level. So neither of them are very experienced on the mound at the varsity level, but they do have talent.
“We feel good about James and Drew,” Sweeney said. “We feel all four can pitch and pound the strike zone.”
But their talents do not end there as all four can man positions in the field when not pitching. Tyler Kennedy will start at first base where he had 13 RBIs last year while Bryant Kennedy will take charge at third base where he had 14 RBIs.
But the two leaders of the infield are senior shortstop Brennan Morell and senior catcher Johnny Thombs. Thombs led the Tigers with a .405 average to go along with 15 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Thombs will play baseball for Mount Union.
“It’s nice, obviously, when you have a catcher coming back,” Sweeney said. “It makes your job a whole lot easier, especially when he’s so good offensively and defensively. He excels in all facets of the game. He’s so smart out there.”
Sweeney said Thombs is one of the best defensive catchers in the area.
Morell hit .386 with 18 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He’ll bad leadoff for the Tigers. Morell will play college ball at Washington University in St. Louis.
“He’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the area,” Sweeney said. “He has a great arm and a good glove. And he’s a very steady hitter.”
Morell could also serve as the Tigers’ top one or two inning reliever due to his good arm.
Rounding out the infield will be senior second baseman Joey Casarona, who hit .289 with 15 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
When either of the Kennedys are pitching, Sferra will play either first or third base. He’ll probably bat cleanup after hitting .345 with 16 RBIs last year.
The outfield is a little less settled as the Tigers lost all three starters from last year. In the first two games of the season, the Tigers started junior Cam Orzen in center field, senior Austin Penler in left field and sophomore Tyler Zaluski in right field. However, Baker and junior Max Maistros could also see time in the outfield.
“We feel fortunate we have a lot of guys that we can move and play a lot of positions,” Sweeney said.
In the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division, Aurora is the defending champ and maybe the odds on favorite to repeat with a lot of talent coming back. Sweeney also mentioned rival Kenston as a top CVC foe, but he’s also confident the Tigers can make a run at a division title.
“I think on any given day, anyone can win a game,” Sweeney said. “But I think we’ll be in the mix.”
Rival West Geauga, Perry and Orange also have the talent to compete, but Sweeney is confident the Tigers can improve on their 4-6 division mark from a year ago. The CVC will be very competitive as always, but the Tigers certainly have the ability to make a run at a title.
