West Genesee graduate shines on the mound for Le Moyne
By E.Jay Zarett
With one year of eligibility remaining and his undergraduate degree complete, Sean Pisik decided to return home and pitch for Le Moyne.
Pisik, a graduate of West Genesee High School, played on Ursinus College’s Division III baseball team from 2013-16. But, after missing most of his sophomore year with an elbow injury, the NCAA allowed Pisik to compete collegiately for an extra season.
With no graduate programs at Ursinus —located in Collegeville, Pennsylvania —Pisik enrolled at his hometown school of Le Moyne where he has found immediate success on the mound. Despite shifting up to the Division II level, Pisik has registered a team-best 1.09 ERA over 57 and 2/3 innings pitched for the Dolphins so far this season.
“It’s just been a lot of fun honestly,” Pisik said about his time at Le Moyne. “This is the best start I’ve ever had.”
Le Moyne lost two of its top starters from a team that compiled a 27-17 record in 2015-16. With openings in the rotation, Pisik received a chance and ran with it. In his first start for the Dolphins, Pisik surrendered just two earned runs and five hits to lead Le Moyne to a 7-4 victory over East Stroudsburg. Eight days later, he pitched seven shutout innings as the Dolphins topped the University of Sciences, 12-1.
“When you start out with a good two games, you feel like you’re pitching better and you feel like your team can start relying on you a little more,” Pisik said. “Coming in as a grad student, you really do want to show leadership in that aspect, especially on the field.”
From there, Pisik continued to deliver. He has averaged more than one strikeout per inning and recorded a victory in six of his eight starts for Le Moyne.
Le Moyne head coach Scott Cassidy said that Pisik’s performance is a major reason why the team currently sits in second place of its division.
“We’re in a good position right now,” Cassidy said. “We’ve dropped some games that we think we can win, but we’ve won some pretty big games that put us in a good position regionally. [Pisik’s] success is, really, the main focus of that.”
But, Cassidy said Pisik’s biggest impact on the Le Moyne program might be off the field. He said that Pisik is a fiery competitor who leads by example and that he is one of the hardest working players on the team.
“When you’ve got a guy that goes out there and is prepared and competes like he does, the vibe just trickles down from him all the way down to the freshmen,” Cassidy said. “[His hard work] has paid off for us so far this year.”
West Genesee head coach Kevin Krause said that Pisik had a similar effect on his high school teammates.
“He has high values,” Krause said. “He just has always done the right thing, made the right decision. He’s very analytical. Highly intelligent.”
Due to poor weather, Le Moyne did not play its first home game of 2017 until April 14. Pisik’s father, Mark, a 1986 graduate of Le Moyne and a local physician, said that their family was excited to see Sean pitch so close to home.
Mark said he was proud of everything that his son has accomplished, both on and off the mound.
“This is all a credit to him continuing to work and showcasing what he can do, despite what other people have felt about him,” Mark Pisik said. “Sean’s not the tallest, not the biggest, doesn’t throw the hardest. It’s great to see someone who puts in a lot of work and has paid his dues be able to show his success.”
