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Thursday, April 10, 2003

-- By Mike White

Nathan Nery

SCHOOL: Moon.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-4, 212-pound left-handed senior and rising star in WPIAL baseball.

LAST WEEK: Nery pitched a two-hitter and struck out 17 in a 12-0 victory Friday against Montour. He also had two hits, including a grand slam.

YESTERDAY: He struck out 13 and pitched a two-hitter in 7-0 victory against West Allegheny.

SEASON: Nery has been a force as a pitcher and hitter. He is 5-0 and leads the WPIAL in strikeouts with 63. He also is batting .515 (17 for 33) with two home runs, 14 RBIs and 7 runs scored. Nery plays first base when he doesn't pitch.

EYES ARE ON HIM: More major-league scouts are coming to Moon's games to watch Nery.

"They're all behind the backstop with their radar guns. It's hard not to notice them," he said. "But I like that pressure."

Nery said he doesn't know how fast he has thrown this year but believes it is in the upper 80s. What scouts like about him is his size and, most important, that he is left-handed. Nery has added 27 pounds since his junior year. He has become an avid weightlifter, bench-pressing 265 pounds.

Montour Coach Tom Hoffman said: "He's opening a lot of eyes. Now I'm getting phone calls from every team. It's getting to the point where we were last year with Brian Holliday."

Holliday, a left-handed pitcher, was drafted in the 12th round by the Pirates last year.

ALREADY SIGNED: Nery signed with Stetson (Fla.) in the NCAA early-signing period in November. But he said if he is drafted, he will consider signing with a major-league team. Nery is looking beyond Holliday's accomplishment.

"I want to get drafted higher than he did," Nery said. "Ever since I moved to Moon [from Crafton] five years ago, I've always been second to him and in his shadow. I don't want to sound arrogant, but part of what I want to do is step out of his shadow and make myself known."

Hoffman said: "He just has such a determined look on his face this year. It's like nothing is going to stop him. I think everyone else is picking up on that."

NATHAN, PLEASE: Most people call Nery "Nate," but he prefers to be called "Nathan."

"It's pretty much my mom who wants me to be called that. It's more formal. I don't really care," said Nery, who was born in Atlanta.

-- By Mike White

Chrystal Pershing

SCHOOL: Latrobe.

WHO IS SHE? A senior catcher and one of the top softball players in the WPIAL.

SEASON: Pershing is one of the top hitters in the WPIAL with a .600 average (12 for 20). She has two triples and has helped Latrobe to a 6-0 record.

CAREER: Pershing has been in Latrobe's starting lineup since her freshman year. She had a .552 average last year.

CATCHING ON: Softball is the only sport Pershing has played. And she has always been a catcher. She is 5 feet 3 and excellent defensively.

"I love catcher," she said. "I just love being in the middle of everything. It's a position where you get the ball all the time and you get to make big plays. I like being in that position."

WILDCAT STRIKE: This might end up being one of Latrobe's best teams in school history. The Wildcats are the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AAA team. Last year, Latrobe made it to the WPIAL semifinals before losing to Montour, 1-0.

"We think we can do better this year," Pershing said. "We have a lot of good pitchers, and our hitting has come a long way. We definitely have the will to win. We know what we can do, and it's in our goals to win the WPIAL and state."

TRASH TALK: Latrobe's players have a ritual before every game in which they spit in a trash can.

"I have no clue why we do it," Pershing said. "When I was in 10th grade, we all spit in the trash can before a game. Now it's something we do before we go out on the field before the start of a game or before we go to bat. Even the coaches."

THE FUTURE: Pershing will play at Westmoreland County Community College.

-- By Mike White