First Posted: 5/30/2013
The first Field of Dreams Game will include strong representation from Pittston Area and Wyoming Area.
Pittston Area’s Paul Zaffuto will coach the Wyoming Valley Conference team and will have one of his players, Jordan Houseman, on the roster. Wyoming Area is one of three teams that will have at least three players on the WVC team that will take on the Lackawanna League in the senior all-star baseball game at PNC Field in Moosic Sunday at 1 p.m.
Pitcher Jake Granteed, first baseman Bart Chupka and catcher Trent Grove are the Wyoming Area players in the game.
Houseman played both second baseman and catcher for the Patriots and led the team’s playoff comeback victory over Crestwood to reach the District 2 Class AAA semifinals.
“When our catcher went down with an ankle injury, we moved him there,” Zaffuto said. “He turned out to be the rock we needed when we put together our run in the last five or six games.
“He was struggling earlier in the year, but we also moved him up to be our three hitter and he did a good job for us.”
Houseman finished the season with a .288 batting average.
Granteed went 8-1 with a 1.65 earned run average and 45 strikeouts as Wyoming Area’s top pitcher while Chupka, a first baseman, led the team in hits and runs batted in.
A three-year starter, Granteed had pitched occasionally while playing third base and shortstop for the Warriors as an underclassman. He became the top pitcher this season and thrived, leading the Warriors to second place in Division 2 of the WVC and a spot in the district semifinals. He also contributed offensively with a .283 batting average.
“Every game since his sophomore year, he’s been a starter for us,” Wyoming Area coach Chick Andrewscavage said. “He keeps guys off-balance and he’s sneaky fast.”
Chupka was in his second season as a starter. He batted .344 with 21 hits and 16 RBI.
“We started him off in the three-hole and then we put him in the five-hole so we could get some more RBIs,” Andrewscavage said.
Grove was the Wyoming Area catcher and clean-up hitter for the last two years. He hit .269 this season.
“He’s a good catcher,” Andrewscavage said. “He kept teams in check with his strong arm.”
The Lackawanna League will be coached by Tony DiMattia of Old Forge.
As one of District 2’s four championship teams that will be continuing into Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament play Monday, Old Forge players cannot participate in the game. David Chromey and Mike Vieira had been selected to represent the Blue Devils in the game.
Players from district champions Wyoming Valley West, Abington Heights, Lakeland and Old Forge, who were selected for participation, will be recognized at Sunday’s game.