Jun. 18—SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Every championship season has that “moment.”
The one game, practice or individual performance that brought everything together.
As Schuylkill Haven prepares to play in today’s PIAA Class AA baseball state championship game against District 7 champion Shenango at Penn State University’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, that “moment” is clear.
It came Wednesday, April 28.
Locked in a three-way tie for first place in Schuylkill League Division II, the Hurricanes traveled to Lansford to take on Division III-leading Panther Valley.
Led by senior right-hander Derek Pavlik, the Panthers led from start to finish in a 7-3 victory. The Hurricanes looked ugly and uninspired in every facet of the game, especially at the plate, striking out 14 times and collecting, to that point, a season-low six hits.
On the bus ride home, Schuylkill Haven’s five seniors — Jack Higgins, Jake Houtz, Dawson McAllister, Mason Ulsh and Owen Umbenhaur — realized something had to be done. A critical game at Division II rival Williams Valley was next on the schedule.
If the Hurricanes wanted to win their division, beating Williams Valley was a must. Haven’s season was at a turning point.
The Hurricanes’ “moment” became a “senior moment.”
“As soon as we got home from the Panther Valley game, the seniors came down (to the field) and met with (assistant) coach (Chad) Derck and talked about the team,” Higgins said. “We talked about the team’s attitude and how we have to set the tone early on. We just had to play better.”
Haven’s five seniors took that message to practice the next day, where they talked to the rest of their teammates.
The following day, the Hurricanes traveled to Tower City and dominated the Vikings in a 7-1 victory, with senior ace Mason Ulsh allowing just three hits and striking out 13. Senior first baseman Jake Houtz, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against Panther Valley, rebounded to deliver three clutch, two-out hits and drive in three runs. Higgins had an RBI double and scored two runs.
“We lost at Panther Valley … turn the page,” Schuylkill Haven coach Scott Buffington said. “We did not play well in any aspect of the game. OK, now you turn the page and we have to play the way we can play.
“Was that a turning point? Maybe it was. It helped us do the things that got us this far.”
Added Houtz: “After that Panther Valley game, the senior leadership really picked up. Through all five of our seniors, we made sure everyone as far as practice or games, everyone was giving it their all. We became better teammates and helped each other get through a tough loss.
“We haven’t lost since.”
The Hurricanes followed the win over Williams Valley — which served as the tiebreaker that gave Haven the Division II title — with a non-league rout of Kutztown (11-2), league victories over Nativity (10-3), Minersville (11-3), Tri-Valley (9-0) and Shenandoah Valley (12-2) and a 12-7 non-league victory over PIAA Class A state champion Halifax.
Schuylkill League playoff victories over North Schuylkill (11-4) and Blue Mountain (9-3) followed, giving the Hurricanes their first Schuylkill League title since 1985. In the state playoffs, Haven rolled past Masterman (15-0) and Camp Hill (10-2) before edging Riverside (8-7). District 7 champion Shenango awaits today.
“After that Panther Valley loss, when Coach Derck came down and talked with us, the practice before I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves,” Ulsh said. “We thought we were better than what we were.
“From that point on, since we talked to the players about goofing off during practice … we haven’t lost. From that discussion and just thinking about how good we can be, here we are playing for a state championship (today). I think that really helped us become a better team and better teammates overall.”
A key to Haven’s success has been an increased intensity both on the field and off it. The Hurricanes’ dugout is loud and rowdy from the start of the game to the end of it — “Did he get him? No! … Was it close? No!” — and that energy rubs off onto the players on the field.
It also serves to rattle the opposition. Over the past two games, Haven has drawn a whopping 24 walks. When the opposing pitcher can’t find the strike zone, and has the Haven bench all over him because of it, it’s a tough thing to overcome.
“We had to keep the intensity in the dugout and on the field,” Higgins said. “We had to have everyone on the team yelling, helping each other out, picking their teammates up and help us get a win.
“When a person gets a hit and the whole dugout goes crazy, we just like to build on that. It sets the tone for the whole game. It helps us in every way possible.”
Added Houtz: “I feel like when our team gets rowdy after a good play or something like that, it deflates the other team’s energy and it really takes the wind out of their sails. It gives us a momentum boost and the momentum to keep playing good, keep putting up runs and eventually win the games.”
The Hurricanes departed Thursday evening for State College, holding their final practice and having a team pasta dinner before participating in a community send-off at the high school.
Schuylkill Haven has never won a state baseball championship. The Hurricanes hope their “senior moment” was the thing that made it all possible.
“It’s really a surreal moment,” Ulsh said. “We have the whole town behind us, supporting us. You could see it when we won the district championship. Everyone was outside cheering for us. It’s just a great feeling. Friday we’re going to win the gold and give them what they want.”
Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter