How could a team possibly get better the year after graduating arguably the best player in the area who just led them to their first state championship in 43 years?
In Shaler’s case, it’s still too early to tell if the Titans are actually better than they were a year ago, with 2023 PUP Player of the Year Miguel Hugas leading the charge — but so far, there hasn’t been a more impressive team in the WPIAL this spring than the defending Class 5A champs.
Facing a gauntlet of non-section foes while preparing to navigate the murky waters of Class 5A Section 3, Shaler has stormed out to a 4-0 start while outscoring its foes by a combined score of 25-6. The Titans have yet to allow more than three runs in a contest while taking down perennial playoff contenders Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, Franklin Regional and Bethel Park in succession to start the season.
“We try to schedule the best,” said Shaler coach Brian Junker. “We play Mt. Lebanon every year. We’ve had Bethel the last few years. Franklin Regional was a very good team that I’m sure we’ll see again in the playoffs. Fox Chapel was much improved, and I think they’ll be a good playoff team. We like to schedule the tough teams and see what we’ve got.
“We’re happy with a 4-0 start. We’re just looking for more games so we can see what we have.”
So how are the Titans doing it without Hugas, the flame-throwing two-way star who hit two home runs to spearhead Shaler’s five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to an epic 9-8 extra-innings win over Strath Haven in last year’s PIAA Class 5A title game? Well, start with the fact that three of the Titans’ best players weren’t even available for last year’s playoff run due to various season-ending injuries. Now, shortstop Brady McGuire, third baseman Alex Venezia and left fielder Chase Beran are all back in the fold and already making up for lost time.
“Not playing the game you love every single day just kind of makes you sit back and realize how much great stuff you have in your life,” said McGuire, who tore his ACL just before the 2023 postseason. “We all know what we can do. No matter what else anyone thinks about us, we know we’re a great team. We know we can do it again.”
Along with the trio of now-healthy seniors leading the way, Shaler is also bolstered by the return of seven other starters from last year’s WPIAL and PIAA championship-winning ballclub.
Junior catcher Luke Jarzynka provides a steady, veteran presence behind the plate along with an elite bat, while sophomore Ben Yeckel is back at first base while bringing the lumber from the cleanup spot. Junior Colby McGuire is starting at second base, with his older brother Brady playing shortstop and Venezia manning third base, and Beran is joined in the outfield by juniors Brady Alexander and Landon Schiffauer. Junior Max Saban is also back at designated hitter while providing plenty of pop in the No. 3 hole.
“To be honest, people say, ‘Well, you lost a few players from last year’s team.’ But we actually gained three,” Junker said. “Although Hugas is hard to replace, I think we’re there, and I think we’re actually a better team than we were last year.”
Alexander is an Ohio recruit, while Venezia is committed to play at Saint Joseph’s and Brady McGuire is committed to Seton Hill. But the prized prospect for the Titans this year is junior right-hander Colby Weber, an East Carolina recruit who sits in the low-90s with his fastball. Now developing a reliable arsenal of off-speed pitches to boot, Weber has stepped in seamlessly as the team’s unquestioned ace following the graduation of Hugas and fellow standout hurler Derek Leas.
“He’s going to be a good one,” Junker said. “You hate to look too far ahead, but if he stays healthy and has the right demeanor on the mound, I could see him pitching in the big leagues someday.”
As a sophomore, Weber made six starts in 14 appearances, posting a record of 6-0 with three saves and an 0.97 ERA along with 44 strikeouts to 12 walks in 46 2/3 innings pitched. So far this year, though, Weber is taking things to a new level.
In his first three starts in 2024, the towering 6-6 flamethrower is 3-0 with an 0.40 ERA and 0.69 WHIP to go with 23 strikeouts and five walks in 17 1/3 innings. Weber twirled the finest gem of his career in a 6-0 win at Franklin Regional on March 21, allowing only one hit in six shutout innings of work against one of the premier programs in Class 5A.
“I’m going to attack hitters,” Weber said. “I feel like whenever I go on the mound, I’ve got to give it my best and make sure we’re not going to lose. If I get beat, they’re going to beat me with their bats and not me letting them get on base. … I feel like if we score at least four or five runs, I think we could win every game.”
Filling out the pitching staff behind Weber are junior right-hander Dante DeLeonibus and Beran, a 6-3 righty with a nasty curveball. DeLeonibus sits in the mid-80s with his fastball and throws a solid changeup, curveball and slider to go with it, and he has established his grip on the No. 2 spot in the rotation. Beran will spend most of his time in the outfield, but he also gives Shaler another reliable arm to call on if needed.
All in all, this is a team filled with tons of big-game experience and players with championship pedigrees, combined with a chip on their shoulders and a desire to prove they were much more than just a one-man show a year ago.
“I have ways to push buttons behind the scenes,” Junker said. “So, they’re hungry. They’re ready, and we just can’t wait to get out there and show everybody.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
