Evening star., 1941-04-04
Would Be Star Outfit
In His Home Town,
Ayers UsiIaner
Has Making Of Balanced
Lineup With Pitching
Particularly Strong
BY GEORGE HUBER.

| BY GEORGE HUBER.
II see by the papers that Central
is the baseball champion and must
be figured in the race again this
year; Eastern always has good
team and also is going to be hard
to beat this year, and that Western
has everybody returning from last
season except the batboy, so they'll
be good Well, think they'll have
to make room for Tech around the
top, too"
Dutch Usilaner speaking. He's
Techs new baseball coach and
thinks he has a crop of ball players
over there that will win more than
fair share of games this season.
"Of course, I can't tell yet until I
see some other high school teams
play. Where I came from Kane,
Pa this Tech team would be a
doggone good outfit, but maybe
they should play a bit better around
here where there's SO much interest
with big league team and so many
good sandlot teams and the Ameri-
can Legion Junior League"
A thumbnail sketch of Techs
prospects is that it will have better
than average pitching, excellent de-
fenSive and snappy infield play and
fair hatWork-not lot of slugging
but good hitting down the line.
Pitching Staff Measures Up.
The pitching staff is okay. There's
big Buddy Webb who's exceptionally
capable. He pitched for Union
Printers last year and helped them
to the Typo championship. Another
outstanding hurler is Charley
Green, who started out to be a
shortstop last year. Other first
stringers are Dan O'Connell, men,
ber of Sergt Jasper's American
Legion champions last season, and
Sam Webb, Buddys brother, who is
bigger and stronger than last year
when he filled relief roles.
Behind these boys are fair pros
poets in Chris Pappas, Richard
Thrift, Sol Becker and Joe Atchin-
son. All are third or fourth semes-
ter boys who will be back next
year. Only thing missing from the
big pitching staff is a lefthander.
The catching post isn't decided.
Charles Wilson, last years back
stop, had his tonsils removed re-
Gently and will not play. Main
prospects are John Harvil, a tall.
rangy lad from the Sergt. Jasper
team; Peter Paul, an outfielder last
year, and Joe Glorious.
Coach Usilaner is sold on his first
baseman, Howard Keithley, a boy
with big hands who already is an
all-high prospect. Steve Brown will
back him up. The second base Job
still is open with Bud Schmelz and
Hayward Hux the leading candi-
dates. Others are Larry Mater,
Phil Gentilcore and Ray Worley.
Green Entrenched at Short.
Shortstop already is locked up
by Martin (Reds) Green who, next
to Central's Benny Steiner, was the
best in the series last year. He's
not big, but is wiry, fast and a good
ball handler. He owns a baseball
noodle and holds Techs infield
together Last year he received
cup as the most valuable player
on the Maroon nine Joe Galeano
is a good sub.
Warren (Shrimp) Brewer at third
is another player who knows base
ball and can handle his job. He
makes a good combination with
Green in fielding the gap between
second and third. Bill Heinbaugh
is runner-up for the post.
Topping the list of outfielders are
Vernon Hollidge, the teams slug
ger Kelly Lewis, and Joe Bryan
Others are Richard Brown. Bill
Bradley, Moe Friedberg and Robert
Becker.
Tech has a lot of good boys on
the squad and Usilaner is facing
the problem of who to keep. He
wants to cut his squad to 20 play
ers, but doesn't see how he can get
it below 25 or 27 without looping
off some one who might prove valu-
able later. The pairing process will
come late next week after Tech
opens its season with three stiff
games in a row. Starting Monday
the Maroons play George Washing
ton High, Dewitt and Gonzaga, the
last two at home After that test
Usilaner will be better able to evalu-
ate Techs chances, but right now
he thinks they are extremely prom
ising.
incidentally there will be no ad-
mission charge for Techs non-in-
terhigh home games this season,
move designed to bring out more
students and increase baseball in
terest.