Baseball: Fourth-Year Coach Excited About Panthers' Potential

Pikesville High School baseball coach Joseph Kramer’s enthusiasm was apparent.

Despite a disappointing end to last season, Kramer views this year’s Panthers as a team not only capable of bouncing back, but also of possibly achieving something that has only been done one other time in the 47-year history of the school.

“If this team plays up to its potential, I believe we are looking at a team capable of winning a regional championship,” Kramer said confidently.

Pikesville’s only other regional title came in 1986, the same year it posted the lone state championship in school history.

The for the Pikesville High School varsity baseball as it faces Hereford High School at 3:45 p.m. at Hereford. The junior varsity team, varsity softball and junior varsity softball also play Hereford at the same time.

Although the Panthers finished 7-12 last year  and fell to Sparrows Point in the first round of the Class 1A North playoffs, Kramer said he's optimistic this could be the season that Pikesville makes a push for that elusive second regional title.

The Panthers reached the regional quarterfinals in 2008 and the regional semifinals in 2009. Kramer said he knows if this year’s Panthers are going to advance even further and possibly contend for that regional championship, they will need significant contributions from a deep and experienced lineup led by junior Tete Obot as well as seniors Doug Lavin, Brad Garfield, Dan Shear and Kion Wright.

Obot, a shortstop, led the team with a .520 batting average last season while Lavin (.367 batting average) and Garfield (.364) also batted above .360. Garfield, who will play first and third bases, also recorded 10 stolen bases. Wright, a speedy outfielder, was an all-county selection in both football and wrestling.

“I don’t know if we’re necessarily going to be an offensive powerhouse,” Kramer said. “But I think we’re going to be able to play effective small ball and be able to dink and dunk our runs a little bit. We’re relatively small in size, but we’re a very fast team with a lot of guys that will get base hits and play smart baseball, move guys and steal bases when the opportunity presents itself.”

The team will rely on Lavin to anchor Pikesville’s pitching staff, and he will also spend time as an outfielder and a first baseman. Fellow pitchers Dane Epstein, a junior lefty who spent last year on junior varsity,and senior Tyler Kennedy, who Kramer described as a tall, lanky right-hander with a good fastball and a good split-finger fastball as well, will also be counted on to provide some quality innings for the Panthers. Obot and Garfield could also see some time on the mound.

Kramer did express one concern.

“Even though we have a lot of varsity experience—three three-year starters and four two-year starters—we’re still relatively young and inexperienced when it comes to baseball because a lot of these guys haven’t been playing their entire lives,” Kramer said. “I think that could be our one big weakness."

But through practice and repetition, his players will gain experience. "If we get hot at the right time ... we can make a run at a regional championship and Ripken Stadium [for the state semifinals].”

For more photos of the baseball teams' practice, visit .

The varsity and junior varsity teams meet Randallstown High School at 3:45 p.m. The varsity game is at Randallstown, and the junior varsity game is at Pikesville.

Also at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, the Pikesville varsity and junior varsity softball teams play Catonsville High School at Catonsville. 

At 3:45 p.m. Friday, the varsity baseball team plays Kenwood High School at Pikesville.