Driven by defeat, Dallastown baseball striving for a state title in 2018

York Daily Record

Dallastown's Alex Weakland delivers a pitch in the first inning of the PIAA Class 6A baseball title game Friday, June 16, 2017, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College. After a 3.5-hour rain delay and despite outhitting Pennsbury 7-4, Dallastown lost 1-0 in Pennsbury's walk-off win in the seventh inning.

Every time Dallastown baseball players pull on their team T-shirts, the reminder is there.

Stretched across the shirt is the simple phrase, "1-0." In one way, it's a message about winning each day and not getting ahead of yourself.

But it also holds another message. A message about the goal the Wildcats are shooting for.

And how close they came to achieving it.

Last June, Dallastown lost the Class 6A state title game, 1-0, to Pennsbury on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh. It ended a dream season — in which the Wildcats won 20 straight games before their final defeat — in heartbreak.

It wasn't the kind of loss that players get over in a day or even a month. It was the kind that fuels offseason workouts and throwing sessions.

The kind that players are determined to vindicate.

"A lot of times during winter workouts you think of that and it feeds the fire," Dallastown senior Nick Parker said. "Knowing how close you were and that you want to get back there."

Added junior Alex Weakland: "Waking up for 6 a.m. workouts when you don't want to go, you think of how it felt at (Penn State's) Medlar Field losing. Makes you want to go work out with your teammates and get better."

Also of interest, Dallastown baseball players volunteering for the community.

If the Wildcats are going to capture the program's first state title, they're going to have to do it with a different cast from last year. Dallastown graduated 10 seniors from a squad that went 23-5 and won a District 3 title, including stars Tye Golden, Bryant Holtzapple and Joe Capobianco. Golden (Old Dominion) and Holtzapple (George Washington) are both NCAA Division I players.

Even with only two seniors and three returning starters on the roster, Dallastown remains confident that a large group of juniors is ready to step in at the varsity level. Head coach Greg Kinneman named center fielder Chase Hoecke, catcher Julian Bailey, infielder Cameron Urey and infielder/pitcher Darren Sciortino as juniors that will have big roles this season. The Wildcats also bring back sophomore outfielder Peter Capobianco, who hit .344 as a freshman.

"Even though we only have two seniors we have great leadership from them in Nick Parker and Ben Writer," Kinneman said. "We have some underclassmen who during that playoff run grew up in a hurry.

"In a lot of ways the team is similar to last year in that its going to be built around pitching and defense. The difference is last year's team had more proven hitters going into the spring."

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Yes, this Dallastown team doesn't have as many established offensive players as the squad that scored eight or more runs 11 times last year. But when it comes to pitching, the Wildcats have the county's best tandem in Parker and Weakland.

After missing the first month of last season with an arm injury, Parker went 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA while hitting .370. The Coastal Carolina commit gave up one hit and one run in a state semifinal win over State College. For his part, Weakland went 8-0 with a 0.99 ERA, and he gave up just four hits in a masterful performance in the state title game.

Starting pitcher, Nick Parker unloads his first pitch. Dallastown defeated State College 6-1 in the PIAA Class 6A baseball semifinals Monday, June 12, 2017.

The two keep each other motivated on the field and in the weight room. Their friendly rivalry was on display when asked who's stronger at YAIAA spring sports media day.

"I am," Weakland said with a smile.

"Catch up to me on squats," Parker replied.

Despite being the team's top senior and a future Division I player, Parker is staying humble and focused entering his final high school season. It's a mindset the rest of his teammates are using as well.

And one they hope benefits them come June.

"You can always get better," Parker said. "Something I can get better on is always trying to be in command and throwing strikes. That's something Alex does better than me right now. This year will be the first year I have to carry a whole season on my shoulders. Last year was on Alex more so than me so hopefully we can share the time this season."