Heart, grind and hustle are just some of the words that define LHS baseball. The time to win is now as Coach Keiling’s arrival marks a new era in LHS baseball.  He has lit the fire of determination to keep on winning. First-year head coach David Keiling has led the Lancers to a 15-1 start, clinching the one-seed in the playoffs. Highlights include wins coming against previously unbeaten Middletown and rival Urbana (twice).

“It’s been a great ride so far, but we got a long way to go. We’re starting to get better every day. We have a lot to accomplish, and this team can do it if they stay hungry, focused and not get too big-headed,” says Coach Keiling.

Winning only seven games all of last year, the Lancers have more than doubled that mark and are hunting for their first state championship in school history. LHS is currently ranked 13th in the state and are led by seniors Chris Stephey, Garrett Wiles, Stephen Hunsberger and Josh Gontarek, who has a knack for coming up in the clutch whether it’s football or baseball.

“Honestly, everyone has stepped up. It doesn’t matter who it is. When it’s their time, they show up to play,” said Keiling.

With seniors counting for ten of their eighteen players, Linganore is driven by experience. Three-year varsity aces Chris Stephey and Garrett Wiles headline one of the best pitching staffs in the state.

“Chris Stephey has come in and picked us up a lot. There are games where we couldn’t have won or shouldn’t have been in, and he’s come in and shut them down,” Coach Keiling said.

Adding to the pitching depth, one player catches the eye: Chris Stephey. Stephey carries a 1-0 record with a 0.58 WHIP (walks and hits combined per inning pitched) and has allowed no earned runs thus far this season. Future hall of famer and former reliever for the New York Yankees, Mariano Rivera sported a 1.00 career WHIP, and Stephey’s 0.58 mark just shows how dominant he has been this season.

“He gets in there, throws heat, shuts them down and gets outs for us,” said Keiling.

“This has been one of the most fun teams I have ever been on, and our goal for the rest of the season is to keep winning,” says Stephey.

Stephey will be on the mound for senior night on Wednesday, April 30th at 4:30pm against Frederick High School. Alongside Stephey is Frostburg commit southpaw Garrett Wiles who has dominated the mound for the Lancers this season.

“I give it 100% every day. Coach keeps us in line. We got to do our thing. Do our own routines and coach will be there and pack us up when we need him,” says Wiles.

Wiles who leads the team in strikeouts, holds a 4-1 record and carries a commanding ERA (earned runs allowed per 9/innings pitched) of just over one, will definitely be a vital player in Linganore’s road to Aberdeen in quest for that first state championship.

Other pitchers worth noting are seniors Daniel Rauch, Josh Slaughter and junior Grant Waxter who all have done anything but disappointing this season. Rauch no-hit previously unbeaten Middletown back on April 4th and shut down rival Urbana back on April 26th.

“Throwing a no-hitter against a team like Middletown was extremely exciting. We have the ingredients to keep winning, go all the way to Aberdeen and bring home a championship,” says Rauch.

Rauch, like Stephey and Wiles; has been a work horse on the mound for the Lancers. Leading the team in innings pitched with 23.1 and carrying a 0.90 ERA and a respectable 0.94 WHIP, Rauch will be another key ingredient towards Linganore’s success.

Junior Grant Waxter can get it done on both sides of the playing field whether it’s on the mound or digging into the batter’s box. One of the top offensive threats on Linganore baseball, Waxter is batting .395 and has picked up seven RBI’s (runs batted in). Waxter’s presence is also felt on the mound as he has a 0.78 ERA, carries a 4-0 record, is second on the team in strikeouts with seventeen and has one save on the season. Grant also provides the team snack in which they call “Gorp” and is considered to be a special routine for the players to eat before and after every game.

“Gorp is like a trail mix and it’s pretty special to our team. If we need a good inning, we all yell ‘1-2-3 Gorp stage’,” says Waxter.

And as crazy as it might sound, they did just that. In the top of the seventh inning against Mount Hebron in the Easter weekend tournament; LHS was down by three runs. Coach Keiling was urging his players that they need to start hitting the ball. The Linganore players unleashed the chant “1-2-3 Gorp stage” and went on to score four runs in that inning to put them up 11-10. JV pitcher Charlie Ronan then came in and shut them down in the last inning and the Lancers prevailed 11-10.

“That win was a huge confidence booster for us,” said senior Josh Slaughter.

The Lancers have had five come-from-behind wins including an extra-inning comeback against Westminster earlier this year.

“These guys push themselves. They give 110% every inning. There’s very little time that I have to get them together but, when I do they respond. They push and get behind each other,” says coach Keiling.

Behind a pitching staff that has an ERA of 1.78 is Linganore’s lethal offense that averages just over six runs a game.

“Everyone is really stepping up on the offensive side. Stephen (Hunsberger) has two home runs this season and leads the team in batting average. Josh (Gontarek) has done a nice job in the leadoff spot and Dan (Rauch) has done a nice job of moving people around,” says Keiling.

Stephen Hunsberger, a senior third baseman, has a line of .455/.561/.788 (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage) and has two homeruns this season which all rank in the top two on the powerful Lancer squad.

“I like to intimidate the other team. I hit some bombs when I can and just try to do my part on the offensive side,” says Hunsberger.

Hunsberger, who sports a “Boston Redsox” like beard, is your classic power hitter at any given time. Another offensive threat is designated hitter Liam Lindsay.

“Fielding is not my strong suit so coach puts me in the DH (designated hitter) slot and I produce,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay is doing just that, leading the county in RBI’s with thirteen and with a .737 batting average with runners in scoring position keeps on producing for the Lancers.

“I get hits when my teammates are on and just try to move people around and do my job in the lineup,” stated Lindsay.

In centerfield, mans one of the most dynamic athletes in the state of Maryland, Albany football commit Josh Gontarek.

“Josh (Gontarek) has done a real nice job in the leadoff spot this season,” says Keiling.

Gontarek is a catalyst on both the offensive and defensive side and ranks towards the top in the conference with sixteen stolen bases and has great plate vision with a commanding .450 batting average.

“I back up the field and get on base when I can. You have to see the plate and when it’s right down the middle you got to rip it sometimes,” says Gontarek.

“I give Josh the green light to steal as much I can. He really makes it easy for us,” says Keiling.

Some other top offensive producers worth noting is senior outfielder Andy Kirk, senior catcher Travis Schroeder and senior first baseman Jake Fay. Kirk ranks third on the team with a .400 batting average, Schroeder is hitting a respectable .345 and Fay is second on the team in homeruns.

The entire Lancer squad has one mission, and that is to win its first baseball championship in the fifty-two year school history and isn’t satisfied on their season thus far.

“It’s nice to be fifteen and one but we haven’t accomplished anything yet so we do have goals to set and we’re going to go get them. We want to hang that first banner down in the gym and win our first baseball championship in school history. But we have to take it one game, one inning at a time,” says Keiling.

“On this team, we’re all friends and we all have one goal in mind,” stated Lindsay.

“Our ambition is to win and we’re not going to back down until we reach our goal,” said Gontarek.

Linganore baseball has all the key ingredients to keep on winning from Grant Waxter’s “Gorp trail mix” to a Josh Gontarek stolen base or a Stephen Hunsberger homerun. The road to Aberdeen for this well-rounded team will be extremely captivating throughout the state of Maryland to say the least.

Linganore will be looking ahead to senior night on April 30th against Frederick as Chris Stephey (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will be on the hill for the Lancers.