Utica Post 92 gaining confidence through improved play
- Caine Whitney pitched into the ninth inning of a key win against Marysville.
- The Post 92 offense came to life in the regional tournament, piling up 23 runs in consecutive wins.
NEWARK – Caine Whitney has been waiting since the spring to pitch meaningful innings.
The right-hander certainly was not going to turn down an opportunity with the summer on the line for Utica Post 92. Whitney nearly pitched a complete game in helping Post 92 pick up a key victory against Marysville Post 92 during the Utica’s run to the state tournament.
Newark Catholic’s Whitney threw 81/3 innings in Utica’s Region 4 matchup with Marysville. Whitney allowed just two runs through the first seven innings before tiring. Granville’s Ryan Blessard then got the final two outs in a 9-8 victory.
“I told them I wanted the ball,” said Whitney, who also made a relief appearance during the regional tournament. “I always give it 100 percent.”
Post 92 plays Dover Post 205 in the first round of the state tournament at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Beavers Field in Lancaster. The eight-team double-elimination tournament continues the rest of the week.
Whitney threw just nine early-season innings with the NC varsity. He recorded 13 strikeouts in those opportunities, and he said this summer he has added confidence in his breaking ball to keep hitters from timing up his good velocity.
“I want them to be able to turn to me if they need someone to throw a good game,” Whitney said.
It has been a similar story for many of Whitney’s teammates. Blessard is Post 92’s only graduated player, making it one of the youngest teams in the tournament.
Camden Groves played in just a handful of games for Heath’s varsity this past spring, but he has found a home in left field for Post 92. He had a couple multi-hit games during the regional tournament.
“One of my coaches said one of the reasons you don’t play is because you can’t hit that well,” Groves said. “I took that very serious. I went to the cages and practiced my butt off, and I am doing alright.”
Inexperience and weather kept Post 92 from getting on a roll throughout the summer. At a time when players often start to run out of steam, the offense, however, came to life during the regional tournament.
“It’s our love for the game honestly,” Whitney said. “We all wake up and want to play baseball, and I think that is a big part of our positive mentality.”
Newark’s Tyler Osborne had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and Newark teammate Josh Gant and Utica’s Stephen Green each added a double against Marysville. Granville’s Zach Blumling and Utica’s Hunter Adams had three hits apiece in an early rout of Ashley Post 518.
“We have stayed overall confident and don’t let anybody intimidate us,” Green said. “Some kids out there are 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, and they stand up there on the mound and look kind of like Major League players. We don’t let it bother us. You have to go up to the plate with a lot of confidence and tell yourself, ‘I am going to put one in the gap, get on base and score a run.’”
The state tournament often is a war of attrition with pitching staffs tested by nine-inning games. Blessard and Whitney have turned into a strong 1-2 punch for Post 92, but Osborne and Utica’s Cole Maxwell could throw important innings as could Granville’s Alex Strouse and NC’s Caleb Claggett, a pair of call-ups from the Post 92 Juniors.
Perennial power Sandusky Post 83 might be waiting in the second round.
“We will definitely bring our ‘A’ game against anybody we play,” Groves said. “We always bring 100 percent. If it isn’t enough, you know what? It isn’t enough. But we will definitely give it a shot, that’s for sure.”
ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com
740-328-8556
Twitter: @newarkurt