Baseball fans in Western Pa. haven’t had much to cheer about this season when it comes to the local professional ballclub, but one pitcher has been the talk of the town while racking up the Ks this spring.
A flame-throwing 6-foot-6 right-hander with impeccable command who intimidates foes with his towering frame and intense demeanor on the mound, Shaler senior Colby Weber is a certified ace with a pedigree few pitchers in the area can match. You might even call him the Paul Skenes of the WPIAL — all he’s missing is the ’stache.
“As of right now, I can’t really grow facial hair,” Weber said. “I can’t really compare myself to him yet. Because he’s up there throwing 103 with a 95-mph splitter. One day, I would love to be like him. It would be awesome. Just right now, it’s not the time. I’ve got to keep working and getting better.”
OK, it might be too soon to start throwing around comparisons to the best pitcher in the world, but Weber is certainly having a season and career worth celebrating.
As a sophomore, the East Carolina recruit enjoyed a breakout year as a hybrid starter-reliever, finishing with a record of 6-0 to go with an 0.97 ERA and 44 strikeouts while helping the Titans capture WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A titles in 2023. Weber then took over for former PUP Player of the Year Miguel Hugas as Shaler’s No. 1 starter last season, posting an identical 6-0 record during the regular season while ranking seventh in the WPIAL with 66 punchouts.
But after taking the first loss of his high school career in a 5-0 defeat against West Allegheny in last year’s WPIAL quarterfinals, Weber is taking things to another level as a senior while treating each start, inning and at-bat as if it could be his last.
“I take it one day at a time,” Weber said. “I don’t like to rush. I don’t like to think ahead. I just live in the moment and have fun with my teammates and cherish every moment I have with them.”
Weber is coming off a virtuoso performance in his last outing, a 10-3 win to sweep the season series against Section 3 rival West Allegheny on April 9. Two days after throwing 19 pitches in a 12-inning, 4-3 win against the Indians, Weber took the hill and fanned 11 batters while allowing one run on five hits and one walk in six masterful innings of work.
On the season, Weber is 3-0 with an 0.56 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and a whopping 43 strikeouts to just two walks in 25 innings pitched for the first-place Titans (7-3, 4-0).
“We’re very pleased with what we’re getting out of Colby,” said Shaler coach Brian Junker. “He was sitting 91-93 mph [with his fastball] last game. He doesn’t walk anybody. His off-speed pitches are much better than last year.
“You combine all of that, and you’ve got a really good high school arm.”
For Weber, giving up an occasional base hit isn’t the end of the world. After all, Class 5A is loaded with quality teams and hitters who can make pitchers pay for the smallest of mistakes. But what separates him from the pack is his refusal to give up free passes, making sure every batter who gets on base against him does so the hard way.
“I don’t like walking people,” Weber said. “I feel like when I walk people, that’s me giving up on myself right there. … If you’re going to get on base against me, you’re going to have to earn it.”
Although there are several pitchers in the area with a low-90s fastball and others with a lethal array of off-speed pitches, you won’t find many who can say they possess both — except Weber. Along with a four-seam fastball that tops out at 93 mph and a devastating two-seamer, Weber’s arsenal includes a splitter and a 12-6 curveball that drops off the table.
And as if that weren’t enough to give batters nightmares, Weber has added a wipeout slider that is proving to be one of his go-to strikeout pitches as a senior. Throw in his remarkable control along with his impressive poise under pressure, and you have the prototype for a pitcher that might as well have been built in a lab.
“When he’s spread out, he’s probably 53 feet away [from home plate],” Junker said. “He doesn’t seem to tire on us. He was up to 93 in the sixth inning against West A. … If you were building a pitcher, you would probably go with that frame, that height, and probably the same pitches.”
Navigating a loaded section that includes perennial powers like Mars, Pine-Richland and West Allegheny, the Titans have established themselves as the front-runners at the midway point of the season — but there isn’t much margin for error. With a massive two-game series looming against the Rams next week, the winner could emerge as a leading contender not only for the section title but also potentially a No. 1 seed for the WPIAL playoffs.
For Weber and the rest of Shaler’s seniors, this season represents a chance to go out on top as two-time WPIAL and state champions while graduating as arguably the most decorated class in school history. Of course, the Titans still have a long way to go before they can start thinking about championships — but with an ace in the hole like Weber, they have to like their chances in any win-or-go-home scenario they might encounter.
“Pitching wins championships, that’s for sure,” Junker said. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t rather have anyone else but him.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
