Surprising Vrana key cog in Lindenhurst's title run

Rich Vrana came into the season competing for a spot in the Lindenhurst starting rotation. When the first league series arrived, the junior lefthander was pitching out of the bullpen.

"I was a little disappointed at first," Vrana said. "I knew I just had to do what I could to help the team."

Little did he know that he would play a huge part in Lindenhurst's first state championship.

On April 12, Lindenhurst righthander Tom Bammann was struck by a line drive in the face. Vrana relieved him and allowed one run in 61/3 innings in a win over Connetquot.

"That game helped me a lot," Vrana said. "Connetquot is a great team, and if I could pitch like that against them, I knew I could pitch against any team in the league."

Bammann returned a month later, but Vrana stayed in the rotation.

"He was absolutely the most pleasant surprise on the team," Lindenhurst coach Mike Canobbio said. "You don't expect a kid coming up from junior varsity to do what he did. He was a revelation. He showed a lot of poise and character."

SEE PHOTOSLindenhurst baseball: State champs

Canobbio knew he had something when he went to visit the mound in the sixth inning of the Connetquot game. Vrana told him, "I got this.'' Canobbio didn't say a word and returned to the bench.

"Usually, you see a deer-in- headlights look or you could tell they're done," Canobbio said. "Right there I knew he was special."

Vrana went 9-0 with a 0.98 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. In 57 innings, he walked nine - two intentional - struck out 68 and held batters to a .190 average. Vrana had three shutouts and went 3-0 in the postseason.

"When he was throwing in the gym in the winter, his ball had great movement," Canobbio said. "He was an OK pitcher on the junior varsity, but when we saw him in the scrimmages, he was getting people out. When Tom went down, he came in and showed us a lot of guts. What we saw in the gym was very encouraging."

SEE PHOTOSHigh school sports -- June

Added first baseman Jon McGibbon: "We were all surprised. He really stepped up big for us. He was able to throw strikes. He had pinpoint control."

Canobbio didn't make a decision on whom to start in the state Class AA semifinals until 10:30 p.m. the night before the 10 a.m. game. Vrana got the call because Valley Central had several lefthanded hitters and liked to run.

Vrana made sure there weren't too many runners on base. He threw a four-hitter, walked one and struck out eight in a 3-0 win. He also got the win over Calhoun in the Long Island Class AA championship game.

"I was surprised by my season," he said, "but I knew I had a great defense behind me and the offense would give me a lot of support. I had real good movement on my fastball. I gained velocity as the season went on. I spotted my pitches well. The more I pitched, the deeper I went into games. At first, I was trying to strike everyone out."

If the Bulldogs were worried about anything coming into the season, it was pitching.

"That was our major concern all year," Canobbio said. "Rich stepping in and doing the job he did made the season. He bailed us out big time."