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Panthers poised to open baseball season
YC team to feature new faces
By Ken Kush
York NewsTimes Sports Editor
 It’s hard to imagine that baseball season is upon us, with the temperature in single digits and the ice and snow still a very prevalent sight in the York area.
Actually the York College Panther 2010 season was supposed to get underway last weekend with a trip to Shawnee, Oklahoma, but the weather canceled out those games and this weekends games in Bethany and Edmond Oklahoma are also in doubt due to the wet grounds.
This years Panther team features a little bit of the old, and a lot of the new, but still has the same man in charge since 2005 as Nick Harlan gets his team set for another year.
With only two returning starters and a cast of new faces, the York College team still expects to be a force in the Midland Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) this season.
“We were picked third in the conference and I feel that is very fair, Bellevue is once again picked to win the conference,” said Harlan. “We have a very balanced schedule and we play some tough teams and there also a few teams that won’t be too tough.”
The Panthers return MCAC Gold Glove winner Nick Caravelli who led the team with a .400 batting average in 2009, and Justin Lunday who was actually a part time starter, as a wrist injury sidelined him for part of the season. Also returning is relief pitcher Mike Becker who will help the Panthers bullpen.
While the Panthers don’t have a lot of overpowering arms on the roster, Harlan likes the make up of the pitching staff. “We don’t have a lot of hard throwers, but what we do have is guys who are consistently around the strike zone. We went out and recruited high school and junior college players who are aggressive and have low ERA’s,” explained Harlan. “They also have very good walk to strikeout ratio and they compete in the strike zone. These guys are going to give our opponents a lot of different looks, and we will utilize everybody. We only have two left handed pitchers, one of whom is ready to produce at the varsity level. So we will be a predominant right handed staff.”
Also back is Joel Fleck who sat last season and used his medical redshirt following shoulder surgery. He will not be ready to play until Conference schedule time.
The team also added speed and they feel they have some players who will also produce in the power categories.
Harlan said the team focuses on fundamentals, something he feels very strongly about. “It’s my responsibility to teach the fundamentals and that is one thing we have done well in,” Harlan stated. “We spend a lot of time on that aspect of the game.”
While baseball is important, Harlan stresses that the lessons learned in the game itself are even more important. “Our goal every season is to win a championship and that will never change. Being the best possible baseball team we can be and reaching our potential as a team is another goal,” said Harlan. “Everyday we focus on what it takes to be a better man and a better team. Our culture here is to develop a mental toughness.”
The weather does not concern Harlan as he feels his team has an advantage over most of the teams in the region. “We don’t worry about the weather and we don’t talk about the weather. The only time we say anything is when we have to let the guys know a game has been canceled. We have the Holthus Field House where we can simulate every part of the game with the exception of fly balls. Other schools don’t have this luxury and they are practicing in gyms.”
Harlan feels that this team has developed one of the key ingredients to a successful season. “I really feel we will be competitive and these guys have the desire to win,” stated Harlan. “We have a lot of different personalities and we have a lot of guys with different backgrounds, but they have come together and they have developed a chemistry, and sometimes that is something that is overlooked.”
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