2014 Team Preview: Kirtland High School
March 8, 2014
As we prepare for our 2014 high school preseason coverage, we are going to take a quick glance at teams from across the state.
Team: Kirtland HS
Class: DIII
League: Chagrin Valley Conference
Head Coach: Luke Smrdel
2013 Overall Record: 15-12
2013 Conference Record: 9-1
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Pitchers: 4
TOP PLAYERS
Adam Hess, 3B, 2015, 5'11-210, R-R … .295 BA, 23 R, 7-2B, 11 SB, 9 RBI/ 2013 All Conference
Domenic Camino, C, 2015, 5'10"-185, R-R … .353 BA, 17 RBI, 13 R, 5 2B, 6 SB/ 2013 All Conference, Team Iron Man Award
Matthew Finkler, P/1B/DH, 2015, 6'3"-215, L-R, … .311 BA, 25 RBI, 23 R, 8-2B, 1 HR, 7 SB / Pitching- 3-3 with 1 save, 3.53 ERA with 29 K in 35.2 IP / 2013 all conference DH
Mitch Allen, 2014, 5'10"-190, L-L … 2-2 with 1.57 ERA and 21K in 22.1 IP in 2013
Ryan Loncar, 2014, 5'11"-185, R-R, 2013 … .368 BA, 19R, 20RBI, 3 2B, 15 SB/ 2013 Team MVP, All Conference, All Lake County
Anthony Veneri, 2014, 5'10"-180, L-R … Missed 2013 Season with ACL Injury, has been starting SS since freshman year.
YOUNG UP AND COMERS
Jacob Boyd, OF-SS, 2015, 6"0"-185, R-R, All Conference 2013
Anthony Fortuna, P, 2016, 6'0"-165, R-R
Michael Kmentt, P, 2016, 5'8"-160, R-R
Vincent Matticoli, C/OF/P, 2016, 5'7"-155, R-R
OUTLOOK:
Kirtland High School is coming off of a successful 2013 season. They posted a 15-12 record and were co-conference champions with a 9-1 record. They return a lot of experienced players and are looking to win the conference outright in 2014. The team returns four all-conference players and other key contributors from last year’s team. The team is also thrilled for the return of their starting shortstop Anthony Veneri, who missed the 2013 season due to an ACL injury. Players to watch include Adam Hess, Domenic Camino, Mathew Finkler, Mitch Allen, and Ryan Loncar. Camino, Finkler and Loncar are all coming off of a year in which they hit over .300 and all received all-conference honors. Hess will also be a key contributor on offense. Last year he hit .295 and was also an all-conference selection. Kirtland appears to be the favorite to win their conference in 2014. They are a team that has proven they will compete week in and week out and that will be the case again this year with this veteran group.
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COACHES PRE-SEASON QUESTIONNAIRE
We appreciate the strong response so far from high school coaches across the state assisting with our pre-season coverage. If you have not already done so you can fill out our coaches pre-season questionnaire online by clicking here.