Belleville East senior pitchers hope their last act of high school career a memorable one
Belleville East’s four senior pitchers possess several common denominators: Talent, humility and an impervious bond of friendship.
Ean DiPasquale, Owen Kelly, Dylan Mannino and Zander Mueth represent the Lancers’ fearsome foursome. To a man, they say they’re best friends both on and off the field.
Whether swimming at someone’s pool, grabbing a pizza, playing video games, generally hanging out or otherwise going out to eat, the quartet is nearly inseparable. They also train together at Turn 2 Training at the Maximize Pitching Lab program in Collinsville.
And each agrees their tight-knit bond contributes heavily to their success.
“I’ve played against all of these guys in middle school, so we’ve known each other,” DiPasquale said. “I’ve been friends with Owen for a long time. I’ve played in the same leagues as these guys since we were kids. The anticipation and the expectation going into high school was we’d be able to play together one day ... it was great to get to freshman year and be together and play on the same team.
“As a unit, these guys are like my brothers. We’re best friends on and off the field. I know they’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs. If I do terrible one game, I know one of these dudes will come behind me and vice versa ... we’re picking each other up all the time. We play as a team, not an individual.
Kelly said the foursome constantly is talking about pitching and finding ways to learn from one another.
“Every game every practice we’re just talking about pitches, the way we move, picking up on our tendencies, picking up mistakes, cleaning each other up,” he said. “We’re always-always improving on each other and working to improve ourselves. We always talk about how to pitch to certain guys in between games, in between innings.”
Said Mannino, “It’s kind of a game within a game. We’re all trying to compete with each other and against each other. We’re all trying to get better and we take little samples from each of us and using it for us to make us a better unit as a whole.”
Added Mueth, “We take stuff from each other, not really being selfish. We all talk pitching. Anything we know we’re going to spread the knowledge between each other just to make us better. We want to have a really good high school team.”
Lancers coach Ryan Wiggs lauded his four senior hurlers. He said their cohesiveness and competitive fire aid in their collective strength as a unit.
“They are always together. When they show up to practice, they’re together. When they leave, they’re together,” he said. “They have text threads with each other. I think they’re obviously friends first and then baseball players second. That goes a long way with them being able to challenge and push each other, too, because they all care about each other. That’s a really nice aspect.
“They are constantly competing with each other for innings, but it’s such a competitive nature and it pushes all four of them to be the best they can.”
Not to be forgotten is the signal caller for the four seniors — fellow senior Pat Mendiola. DiPasquale, Kelly, Mannino, Mueth and Wiggs all praised Mendiola for his catching skills.
“Every one of those guys gets better with him behind the plate,” Wiggs said. “He’s an outstanding catcher. We’re fortunate to have obviously the arms plus the catcher behind the plate who can handle them. Pat calls the game all by himself and he just really understands baseball and catching, too. They all love Pat.”
Here is a quick breakdown of each pitcher:
Ean DiPasquale
2023 vitals: 3-3; 2.15 earned run average; 29 2/3 innings pitched; 19 hits; 33 strikeouts
Velocity: Mid-to-high 80s consistently with the ability to hit 90 mph
Pitch repertoire: Slider, four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball and changup
Strengths: “Getting guys out. Getting weak contact. I throw a pretty decent amount of strikes. Just a ground ball pitcher and getting guys to make weak contact.”
College destination: Minnesota State
Owen Kelly
2023 vitals: 5-3; 2.67 earned run average; 39 1/3 innings pitched; 31 hits; 46 strikeouts
Velocity: 88-91 mph consistently with the ability to hit 92 mph
Pitch repertoire: Fastball, slider and changeup
Strengths: “I would say my best pitch is my changeup. That’s my bread and butter. I produce a lot of weak contact and strikeouts with that pitch. My strength is just having a bulldog mentality as a pitcher. Just going in, getting the job done regardless of the circumstances.”
College destination: Saint Louis University
Dylan Mannino
2023 vitals: 5-1; 1.37 earned run average; 41 innings pitched; 18 hits; 63 strikeouts
Velocity: 88-91 mph consistently with the ability to hit 92 mph
Pitch repertoire: Fastball, slider and changeup
Strengths: “I just go in there and attack the zone, challenge hitters. I get a lot of fly balls. I get a fair number of strikeouts. I just go in there and compete.”
College destination: Western Kentucky
Zander Mueth
2023 vitals: 0-3; 2.43 earned run average; 31 2/3 innings pitched; 19 hits; 55 strikeouts
Velocity: 95-96 mph consistently with the ability to hit 99 mph
Pitch repertoire: Fastball, slider and changeup
Strengths: “Missing barrels, getting weak contact and being a competitor. I feel like I’m able to get out of lot of jams. And velocity.”
College destination: Ole Miss
College careers and possibly the pros
All four hurlers will continue their outstanding careers in college. While Mueth is currently committed to Ole Miss, what happens in the MLB draft in July could alter his plans for next year.
The draft takes place Sunday, July 9, through Tuesday, July 11.
“Obviously, that’s one of my dreams,” Mueth said of potentially getting drafted. “If the opportunity comes, I’ll definitely have to talk to my family and with the people who are closest to me and make an educated decision. Whatever cards are dealt ... there’s nothing bad with going to Ole Miss.”
Last summer, Mueth was on the Showcase Circuit, which is an opportunity for college coaches and MLB scouts to assess top high school talent.
Wiggs, meanwhile, said MLB scouts are regular visitors to watch Mueth in action, noting basically every professional team has been at one of his games this season. Wiggs praised how Mueth has handled the extra attention.
“I think that’s a really tough thing for a teenager to have to deal with that pressure and he’s done that really well,” Wiggs said. “And I think, honestly, his teammates have helped him just relax and play baseball and pitch and have fun. There’s guys with their radar games every game he’s on the mound.
“They’re in contact with me asking me questions. He’s got a good set of parents and they’ll sit down and make an educated choice on what the right thing is for him to do.
Ready to go out on top
Before taking their talents to the next level, DiPasquale, Kelly, Mannino and Mueth hope to finish their high school careers with a bang.
The Lancers (21-13) will host the IHSA Class 4A regional and open postseason action against city rival Belleville West at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25. And all four are ready for an extended playoff stay.
“With our talent on this team — even outside of this room here — we have the ability to go and win the state tournament,” DiPasquale said. “I think for all of us here, when we have our best stuff, no one’s beating us. And I think if we take it pitch by pitch, if we worry about just doing the small things, with the talent and work ethic we have going on with us and the rest of the team, there is absolutely no reason we can’t make a run, make a really really deep run with a state title at the end of this.”
Kelly said the lessons learned from several close losses this season — eight of the Lancers’ 13 setbacks have been by one run, with three others by two runs — will help the team in the playoffs.
“I think baseball is definitely — with a long season with a lot of games — it’s a game of momentum. It starts with winning a pitch, winning a game ... it all starts there,” he said said. “I think we’re prepared for that. As pitchers it’s very important to give our guys the best chance to win. We’re very confident going into the playoffs.
Echoing his teammates’ remarks, Mannino added simply having fun is critical.
“We just need momentum at the end of the season. I think we’re heading in the right direction. Throughout the whole year our pitching has been pretty lights out,” he said. “Having fun playing baseball is really what it comes down to. If you’re having fun and you’re not losing focus throughout the season, I really do believe that’ll be the best team at the end of the year.”
Mueth noted the Lancers having their hitting and pitching in sync is key to a deep run.
“The playoffs run on momentum. Whoever ends the season the best with the most momentum is usually the team that usually has the farthest run,” he said. “Our pitching has had momentum all year and our hitting has caught momentum the last week, week and a half. Once we put all that together I think we can definitely make a deep run in the playoffs.”
Belleville East enters the playoffs having won four of its last six games, including a victory against Edwardsville.
“It’s been a fun year. It’s a great team,” Wiggs said. “Obviously those four, but we have 10 seniors and they all show leadership in different ways which is awesome.”
