If they were going to give coach Kevin Sheridan the key to the city, he’d make sure one of the keys opened the pitching store.

Tuesday, March 28, 2000

If they were going to give coach Kevin Sheridan the key to the city, he’d make sure one of the keys opened the pitching store.

Sheridan, the St. Joe Flyers head baseball coach, begins his second season with a solid nucleus of position players, but it’s that all important pitching staff that is causing him concern.

"Pitching is the key," said Sheridan. "We have eight position players back, but the key is still pitching.

"If our pitchers can keep the ball around the plate and just make the batters hit the ball, we’ve got a pretty good defense and our offensive lineup is pretty good."

The Flyers will look toward junior Rusty Yaniko, his brother senior Charley Yaniko, and seniors Bub Waginger, Matt Frazer, and Eric Waginger to handle the bulk of the pitching.

"Rusty is throwing the ball the best, and our defense is solid when he’s pitching," said Sheridan.

The defense is led by Bub Waginger at shortstop, Frazer in center field, and Eric Waginger in left field or at first base.

All three have strong arms and excellent speed.

"Frazer is a key for us. He has to play a big role offensively and defensively, and he’s probably our number two pitcher," said Sheridan.

"Bub can hit well and for power. He hit .500 last year and he can fly. Eric has great speed and if we can get him on base it’ll be an asset to our offense."

Another key returning player is junior Pat Malone, a starter since his freshman year who hits in the .300 to .400 neighborhood.

"He has a good arm, he can cover a lot of ground, and he has a good stick. He makes contact and he can run," said Sheridan.

Rusty Yaniko will add some power to the lineup while Charley Yaniko has abandoned his free-swinging stroke from the right side to bat lefthanded this season.

"Charley switched to the left side and he has a much more compact swing and makes better contact," said Sheridan.

Senior Andy Stack will be at second base except when Bub Waginger is pitching, and then he will move to shortstop.

Sheridan likes Stack’s versatility and hard-nosed style of play.

"Andy plays hard, and he moves well and puts the ball in play," said Sheridan.

The other two starters are youngsters, sophomore catcher Pat McGinnis and freshman second baseman and outfielder Danny Stack.

"McGinnis is much improved. His throwing is better and he has some pop in his bat," said Sheridan. "Where Danny Stack plays will depend on who’s pitching. He’s been a nice surprise."

Freshman Chris Laber will play some outfield and possibly pitch. Sheridan said "he can swing the bat a little."

The Flyers coach said youngsters Andy Heighton, Chris Carte, Kyle Johnson, and Stephen Moore have some talent and will use this year to learn and mature.

"They’ll learn this year and then step in and play major roles next year. They’re a good group," said Sheridan.