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Webb emerges as leader for Loyalsock baseball

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Hunter Webb reached the 2015 PIAA semifinals with his older brother Jimmy.

As his older brother Jimmy played at the Brandon Little League field, Hunter Webb paid the baseball game little notice.

The younger Webb was riding his skateboard nearby. Baseball just did not interest him that much. And 12 years later, it appears football, not baseball is Webb’s future. The Loyalsock junior linebacker earned all-state honors last fall and has received Division I offers from Army, Albany and Massachusetts.

But make no mistake, Webb has grown to love baseball. And he has become quite a player.

Playing loose and free, Webb has put together his best season and has especially flourished in the playoffs. The center fielder went 3 for 3 with a home run, triple, double, two RBIs and three runs Monday as Loyalsock blanked Lakeland, 5-0 in the opening round of the Class AAA state tournament. Up next is a quarterfinal showdown Thurs­day at Pottsville against District 3 champion Lancaster Catholic.

“My freshman year I didn’t even play football because I thought baseball was the way to go for me,” Webb said. “It (knowing football will likely be his college sport) makes it a lot easier. I can just come out and have fun with my boys and hopefully keep going and keep winning. It’s definitely a weight off my shoulders.”

Webb enjoyed a fantastic freshman season, immediately starting and helping Loyalsock reach the Class AA state semifinals. He was still solid last year, but his numbers dipped some and he seemed to press more. Now, the three-sport athlete has found his comfort zone. He is having fun and he is hitting his stride.

He’s hitting the baseball all over the field, too. Webb helped set the tone in each of Loyalsock’s last two playoff wins, hitting RBI triples to deep center field in the district final against Central Columbia and Monday against Lakeland. Webb has three playoff multi-hit games and finished just a single shy of hitting for the cycle against Lakeland.

His mind is clear and Webb is the one giving opponents something to think about.

“He’s definitely taking a slower role. He’s starting to see what he can be if he just plays his game and doesn’t worry about all the things that could go wrong,” Loyalsock coach Zac Martin said. “It’s such a mental game and if you are still living off the last play and are upset about it it’s going to eat you up for the next ones. Football and basketball you can be upset and use that to your advantage with your adrenaline, but baseball is a different game.”

It is a game that runs through the family’s collective blood. Webb’s grandfather and father both were standout players and Jimmy was a three-time all-state selection who is Loyalsock’s all-time hits leader. He also helped the Lancers capture two state championships in 2013-14.

Webb is a five-tool player who is among Loyalsock’s leaders in average, runs and RBIs. He entered high school thinking he would follow Jimmy and play college baseball some day but two consecutive super football seasons changed everything. Webb has topped 100 tackles in consecutive seasons and has drawn significant college attention while helping Loyalsock win 16 games.

But Webb still puts everything he can into baseball the same way he did last winter in basketball when he earned all-defensive honors for the Heartland Conference champions. The problem Webb sometimes had in the past was trying too hard. Slowing down his mind has been as critical as speeding up his swing.

“He’s seeing the ball real well and he just feels good. That’s the big thing with him,” Martin said. “He’s such a feel player. When he’s got confidence in himself and he’s not worrying about what could go wrong or what did go wrong, he’s tough to beat.”

Webb also is learning from experience. As talented as he is, adjusting to high school baseball can be a process. The more Webb has played the more he has learned. That is making him especially dangerous now.

Webb is looking for the perfect pitch to drive and if that means being as patient as possible than so be it. In his first three at-bats Monday, which included an abbreviated at-bat cut short by a pick-off, Webb saw 20 pitches. Webb hit his RBI triple and a third-inning double that sparked another rally after working full counts. Webb hit his home run on a 2-1 pitch.

“I think that comes with playing the game more,” Webb said. “You learn what you like and what you don’t like at the plate. I don’t want to say I’m picky, but I know what I like at the plate.”

That was evident in fifth inning when Webb launched his long home run over the left-field fence and gave Loyalsock a 4-0 lead. Three years ago Jimmy also hit a crucial home run in the state quarterfinals that helped Loyalsock defeat Notre Dame-Green Pond, 4-0. Now it is the younger Webb showing he can deliver in the big games just as well.

“I was just looking for my perfect pitch and it came. It was a nice feeling,” Webb said. “Now he (Jimmy) can’t hold that over me now. I get a little bit of bragging rights on him now.”

He could have had even more if Lakeland did not intentionally walk Webb in his final at-bat. Webb needed only a single for the cycle but Lakeland denied him that opportunity. Not that Webb was upset about it. Loyalsock won the game and that was all that mattered.

“I was disappointed because of what it meant and he could have went for the cycle. It’s a lot of respect and he earns that. That’s what we want moving forward,” Martin said. “I didn’t see him get frustrated when they walked him and that’s him understanding what that walk means for the rest of the team. That’s a big moment for him and his growth.”

Looks like the former skateboarder continues growing into being an excellent baseball player.

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