Usually, you have to win a championship or two before you acquire the proverbial “target on your back” from every opponent you face.
Fortunately for South Fayette and its players, the only thing bigger than the target on their backs this season is the size of the chips on each of their shoulders.
It might sound cliche, but these ferocious Lions (7-1, 1-1) are hungrier than ever for the taste of a WPIAL or PIAA championship trophy — or both. After all, they’ve put together back-to-back 15-win seasons while competing against the best teams the area has to offer in the Class 5A gauntlet, yet they only have one playoff win during that time and zero trips past the WPIAL quarterfinals to show for it.
So what’s with all the attention? Well, it starts with the trio of Power Five-bound seniors who take turns lighting up the scoreboard and dazzling the crowd on a daily basis. Right-handed flamethrower Tyler Pitzer is a South Carolina recruit whose fastball sits in the low-90s, Chase Krewson is a sweet-swinging Duke recruit who doubles as both an elite center fielder and a lights-out No. 2 pitcher, and shortstop Michael DiMartini is a Penn State recruit who has already tied the single-season school record for stolen bases with 11 in the team’s first eight games of the season.
“We realize we probably are one of the teams in [Class] 5A that has a target on their back,” South Fayette coach Ken Morgan said. “But we can be hunted and stay hunting teams as well.”
Pitzer is known more for his pitching prowess, but the Lions’ cleanup hitter is raking to the tune of a .421 average with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 7 RBIs, 9 runs scored and 4 stolen bases. He had perhaps the worst outing of his high school career in a 15-11 loss against returning WPIAL Class 5A finalist Peters Township on April 3, but Pitzer has performed like a top-level ace in every other appearance on the mound this season.
“We’ve been working so hard this offseason. It’s like we’re expected to win the WPIAL. From that, you’ve got to win states. It’s like you’ve got to win them all together,” Pitzer said. “We always thought sophomore year was our year, junior year was our year, and then senior year, with all that built up, it just has to be it.”
Krewson originally committed to Notre Dame, but he reopened his recruitment over the summer after the Fighting Irish coaching staff left for Florida State. Having settled on Duke as his future home, Krewson is batting .393 with a double, 2 triples, a home run, 9 RBIs and 10 runs scored. The left-hander also provides an added boost on the mound, with a fastball that touches 90 mph.
“I feel like our team chemistry is probably unlike any other in the WPIAL,” Krewson said. “We just spend so much time together, whether it’s at practice or just going over to somebody’s house or eating after practice or after a game. We spend so much time together, and it’s been a collective goal now for a couple years, to win that WPIAL championship. That’s what our eyes are on this year.”
As for DiMartini, the five-tool leadoff hitter always had speed as part of his game, but he has taken things to a new level this season. On top of his record-tying 11 stolen bases, DiMartini is batting .393 with 2 doubles, a triple, 5 RBIs and 14 runs scored. And perhaps most impressively, DiMartini and Krewson have each struck out only one time apiece through the team’s first eight games.
Of course, the Lions have more than just a terrific trio, with a supporting cast made up of several veterans with plenty of varsity experience. Right fielder Christian Brandi is the team’s unquestioned sparkplug, both on the field and in the dugout. Brandi is credited for starting the team’s “pepper grinder” celebration after a big extra-base hit, which South Fayette started using last season — well before the gesture gained popularity during Japan’s run to the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship last month.
Oh, and he’s also batting .500 with 3 doubles, a triple, a home run, 9 RBIs, 14 runs scored and 8 steals. Not bad for a so-called “glue guy.”
“[Brandi] is always coming up with stuff,” Krewson said with a laugh. “He’s our rowdy guy on the team.”
Morgan called second baseman Tyler Skeen “the epitome of what dedication to the process is,” and the process seems to be paying off for the junior. Skeen is batting .409 while playing “as smooth as butter” on defense, and he also launched a crucial three-run home run in South Fayette’s 7-4 win against Peters Township on April 4 to help salvage a series split.
Elsewhere, junior Luke Cooper is having a breakout season at third base, batting .500 with 4 RBIs, 6 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. Senior catcher Bayne Misner is hitting .429 while providing a rock-solid backstop behind the plate, and junior first baseman Gino Satira and sophomore left fielder Anthony Diodata round out the rest of the Lions’ loaded lineup.
“[Skeen] has worked so hard at his offensive approach. … I love what that kid brings,” Morgan said. “I’m trying to keep a level head with things, but I’m really enjoying the approach these kids are taking.”
After opening the season with a 16-1 win against Central Valley, South Fayette took a trip down south and brought home four one-sided victories against out-of-state opponents at the Baseball City Spring Training tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. They returned home to knock off Keystone Oaks, 15-0, before splitting a pair of games against Peters Township.
That brings us to the Lions’ upcoming two-game series against two-time defending PIAA Class 5A champion Bethel Park on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Black Hawks ended South Fayette’s season with a 3-2 win in last year’s WPIAL quarterfinals, and both teams are eager to prove they belong at the top of the food chain this spring. But no matter what happens this week, Morgan knows his players will only be satisfied if they finally find a way to raise a championship banner at the end of the season — or maybe even two.
“Bethel Park last year was a really disappointing end to our season, and we hoped to have done a lot more,” Morgan said. “Tuesday and Wednesday should be a great opportunity for our teams to go against each other and find out what these teams are about. … We were on the short end of the stick last year, but we know there’s going to be a lot of intensity and a lot of energy from both dugouts. It’s building up to be a pretty cool opportunity for both ballclubs.
“We always harp on seniors — what’s your legacy? What do you want to leave? Do you want them to leave a banner with your year on it? We harp on that every year.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
