Moments after qualifying for the Division III College World Series, the Washington & Jefferson baseball team jubilantly gathered for a team photograph.
Forty-eight players and coaches, wide smiles and index fingers held high, basked in a 6-3 victory against SUNY Cortland in the final of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Monday at Ross Memorial Park in Washington, Pa.
The win continued a magical run that has seen the Presidents (38-11) establish a school record for victories as they make their first appearance in the CWS.
“The planets aligned here and I am just really happy for what these guys are about to experience,” veteran coach Jeff Mountain said.
No. 5 seed W&J, which features 32 WPIAL alums, opens the CWS against No. 4 Concordia-Chicago (33-11) at 11 a.m. Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis.
The Presidents, who are among 56 teams vying for the national title, believe this could be their year.
“It’s going to be a big stage for us, but there is no doubt in our minds that we can win it all,” said star senior right fielder Nick Vento of Franklin Regional, who was named the Mideast Regional Most Outstanding Player after hitting .560 with 7 runs, 4 doubles, a homer and 11 RBIs in five games. “We’re not going in as underdogs and saying to each other, ‘We made it, let’s have fun.’ We believe we can beat anybody you put in front of us.
“If you look at our region, it was, by far, the best in the country. La Roche was there and they have a great program. And Cortland had gone to the College World Series four years in a row. So to make it through that region, it gave us a whole lot of confidence.”
Featuring one of the top offenses in the nation, W&J can never be counted out. That was evident in the regional final Monday, when it scored six unanswered runs in a comeback win against SUNY Cortland.
In five Mideast Regional games, W&J amassed 47 runs, continuing a season-long offensive assault. The Presidents rank second in Division III in both batting average (.351) and slugging percentage (.534), fourth in runs per game (9.2 per game) and 11th in homers (49).
“Our offense has been absolutely explosive,” said senior second baseman Adam LaRue of West Allegheny, who was named to the Mideast Regional all-tournament team after hitting .500. “It starts with each guy having a good approach at the plate and knowing his role. For me, it’s to get on base and to let the power hitters do their thing. Our situational hitting and two-out hitting has been a big part of our success.”
A host of WPIAL alums can be credited for this offensive surge. Seven of the Presidents’ top 10 hitters played in the area, including Vento (.433), senior Kevin Begley of Deer Lakes (.414), junior Mark Merlino of Penn-Trafford (.392), LaRue (.355), junior Ryan Sciullo of Kiski Area (.337), senior Frank Fortunato of Canon-McMillan (.323) and junior Dan Trettel of North Allegheny (.263).
Vento, who will go down as one of the great hitters in W&J history, has 249 career hits, two shy of the school record. The four-time first-team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference selection has 8 homers, 57 RBIs and a .663 slugging percentage this spring. He was also recently named ABCA first-team All-Region.
“I want the bat in my hands at the most crucial time of a game,” Vento said. “I want the guys to know that I’m dependable.”
Dependable. That is an apt way to describe a W&J pitching staff that features area products such as junior Bryce Schnatterly of Seneca Valley, who is 8-0, sophomore Santino Platt of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, who is 3-0, and junior Matt Heslin of Fort Cherry, who is 4-0.
“It’s pretty cool that so many of us are from the WPIAL,” Vento said. “We’re a really close group and we all want to see each other succeed. What I hope for is that 20 years from now, we all get together again and we can say we won a national championship together.”
First Published: May 26, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
