Seneca Valley Baseball Enters 2011 With Blend of Youth, Experience

The success of the 2011 Seneca Valley baseball team will depend on a blend of “max” effort from seniors and sophomore versatility.

After winning the 3A West Region title in 2008, the Screaming Eagles have been one-and-done in the playoffs each of the last two seasons. This year, Seneca hopes to snap its streak of early postseason exits with a combination of youth and experience, led by seniors Max Nicholson and Max LaRiviere.

Nicholson is the ace of the team’s pitching staff and throws his fastball in the mid-80s. The right-hander’s repertoire includes a curveball, change up and splitter. When he’s not on the mound, Nicholson will play shortstop.

“The kids really look up to him [and his] leadership,” Seneca Valley head coach Terry Changuris said. “He’s a very polished, proven baseball player.”

Nicholson was the quarterback of the school’s football team in the fall.

Playing quarterback “translates [to baseball] in the fact that you still need to be a leader,” he said. “A quarterback, even if you’re not a captain, you are a still a big leader on the offense.”

LaRiviere, a right-hander, is Seneca’s No. 2 starting pitcher and one of the team’s top hitters. When he’s not on the mound, LaRiviere can play third base or catcher.

“I feel like if we all start clicking, we could win regionals [or] go even further,” LaRiviere said. “We have a very solid group of seniors returning and a good pitching staff.”

Thomas Giebel, Steven Ruiz and Jairo De Los Santos are Seneca’s other impact seniors. Giebel, a right-hander, is the team’s No. 3 starting pitcher. Ruiz is Seneca’s right fielder, who can hit for power from the left side, and De Los Santos is the team’s second baseman.

The rest of the lineup is filled with sophomores. Changuris called Chris Heckhaus the team’s “super utility” player, who could see time at second base, shortstop, third base or the outfield. Nick Fahs is a switch-hitting center fielder who will bat leadoff for the Eagles. Colin Thatcher will play left field for Seneca and Justin Singer will start at first base.

Seneca opens the regular season at 3:30 p.m. today at Blake. The Eagles’ first home game is at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday against Gaithersburg. Changuris said Seneca was competitive during the preseason, but needs to improve in order to be a winner.

“I would like to win 60 percent of our games,” the fifth-year Seneca Valley baseball coach said, “but unless we can beat some of these 4A good teams, it looks like we’re going to be about .500 again.”