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Thursday, May 30, 2002

By Mike White, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

SCHOOL: Carrick

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior pitcher-first baseman who led the Carrick baseball team to the City League championship.

	Chris Doerschner: 9-0 with a 1.33 ERA for Carrick. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)

THIS WEEK: Doerschner was the winning pitcher in Carrick's 3-2 victory against Allderdice in the championship game Sunday at PNC Park. He pitched a six-hitter, struck out four and also hit a double and triple.

SEASON: Doerschner has a 9-0 pitching record with a 1.33 ERA. He has 85 strikeouts in 63 innings.

CAREER: A member of the varsity since his freshman year, Doerschner has been close to unbeatable the past two seasons. He was 7-2 as a junior, which gives him a two-year record of 16-2.

HE HITS, TOO: A year ago, Doerschner batted only six times. This season, he leads Carrick in hitting with a .393 average, with 17 RBIs and eight doubles.

COACHING QUANDRY: The PIAA Class AAA playoffs start Monday and Carrick, the three-time City League champion, will play the No. 4 team from the WPIAL. Doerschner is unquestionably Carrick's No. 1 pitcher but might not start the game. Carrick Coach Dave Aromatorio is thinking about starting junior Bill Tomlinson or junior Steve Heinecke.

"The last two years we've been in the state playoffs and we've given the ball to the kid who didn't get to pitch in the City championship game," Aromatorio said. "Last year that happened to be Chris."

Doerschner pitched the first-round game a year ago and lost to Moon, 3-2.

"We're leaning toward starting one of the two juniors," Aromatorio said. "Maybe we can put them on a short leash and see what happens. What we should do, though, is start Chris."

Doerschner tried to be diplomatic about the situation.

"It's coach's choice. Whatever he decides. But I'd love to start the game. I think we'd have a better shot at winning if I start."

PITCHING FAMILY: Doerschner's sister is a former standout softball pitcher at Carrick and now plays at Robert Morris University.

THE FUTURE: Doerschner will play next season at St. Vincent College.

SCHOOL: Sto-Rox

WHO IS SHE? A senior and one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL.

THE PAST WEEK: Stone pitched a three-hitter and struck out nine in a 3-1 victory against Burgettstown in the WPIAL Class A semifinals Tuesday. She also had a triple in the game. Last Thursday, Stone was the winning pitcher in a 15-0 victory against Western Beaver. The game was stopped after three innings because of the 15-run rule.

SEASON: Stone has a 12-1 record with 139 strikeouts. Her only loss was to Walsh Jesuit (Ohio).

CAREER: Stone has been on the varsity since her freshman year and has a 32-3 record the past two seasons.

PLAYOFF TESTED: Stone has won 10 WPIAL playoff games in a row and is trying to lead the Vikings to the championship for the third year in a row. In those 10 games, she has eight shutouts and has allowed only three runs.

"It's do or die in the playoffs, and I like that," Stone said. "You always try to be intense in every game, but you always are a little bit more intense in the playoffs."

IMPOSING FIGURE: If 6-foot-10 Randy Johnson is the "Big Unit" in major-league baseball, couldn't Stone be the "Big Unit" of WPIAL softball? She is 6-2, which is quite tall for a high school softball pitcher. Her pitching opponent in the WPIAL quarterfinals, Burgettstown's Romney Waters, is 5-1.

"With my height, when you pitch and stride, you're pretty close to the batter," Stone said. "Maybe there is an intimidation factor from someone taller."

CHER-ING HER TALENT: Stone is in Sto-Rox's chorus. In a recent concert, she dressed up as Cher and sang "I Got You Babe" with a classmate who was dressed as Sonny. "Of course I was taller than him," Stone said.

THE FUTURE: Stone, who is the co-valedictorian of Sto-Rox's senior class, will play next season at Virginia Tech. She signed with the Hokies in November.