Feature | By Rick Saulle | Photo by David Pinchot

On the Mound and On the Mat

Years ago it was common practice for a young athlete to compete in two or even three different sports over the course of a year.

Nowadays these same young athletes will typically immerse themselves in one sport playing on multiple teams throughout the year to hone their skills.

South Fayette’s Sean Lubin is old school. Lubin, 15, is an accomplished baseball player and wrestler. These are two very different sports with one similar result for Lubin: success.

The youngest son of Dave and Cindy Lubin, Sean recently helped pitch the Ohio Valley Vipers to the championship in the prestigious Beast of the East tournament held in Wheeling, WV, in early July. The Edgar Martin Classic or “The Beast,” as it is affectionately called, features the top baseball teams from the United States and Canada with over 50 college coaches in attendance.

The Beast is the third largest tourist event in the Ohio Valley. It spans four days with nearly 500 games played on more than 20 fields. The event, which is named for former West Liberty State College athletic director Edgar Martin, brings over 2,500 people into the Ohio Valley.

The Ohio Valley Vipers include players throughout the region with Lubin the lone representative from South Fayette. The event serves an open qualifier for the Pony League World Series. In the preliminary round, the Vipers faced little resistance en route to a stellar 5-0 record. Ohio Valley marched through the elimination round ultimately defeating Vesta by an 8-0 score.

Lubin, a right-handed hurler, picked up two victories on the hill for Ohio Valley while batting an impressive .400 at the plate as a switch hitter. Lubin counts the fastball and knuckleball as his two best pitches. He was recently clocked at 75 miles per hour on the radar gun. Lubin aspires to play baseball at the collegiate level with the University of Pittsburgh as one of his first choices.

In the meantime, Lubin’s immediate impact will be felt next spring as a sophomore for the South Fayette High School baseball team where he will be an integral part of the starting rotation. This fall, Lubin will be a member of the Pittsburgh Lions coached by Tom Horew, whose son, Luke, is a teammate of Lubin. The Lions will play their home games in Squirrel Hill versus high school varsity teams from Pittsburgh as well as squads from Ohio.

In addition to excelling on the diamond, Lubin is a force to be reckoned with on the wrestling mat, too. The 5’3”, 112 pound Lubin is entering his sophomore year as a wrestler for the South Fayette/Chartiers Valley co-op team. This is a unique situation where two schools will combine their squads for a particular sport to increase the number of participants and decrease the costs associated with fielding a varsity athletic team.

Lubin is the defending champion in the 103-pound weight class in Section I-AA. Lubin, who plans to wrestle at 112 pounds this season, also grabbed a fifth place finish at the WPIAL Championships. “I had a bad concussion in practice the week before WPIAL’s or else I could have finished even higher,” remembered Lubin.

In his quest to repeat as WPIAL champion, Lubin is participating in an invitation-only wrestling camp at Franklin Regional in mid-September. “It’s an all-day camp with ten wrestlers from the 112 pound weight class,” said Lubin. “I’m friends with most of the other wrestlers.”

It’s difficult to find young athletes who are as focused as Sean Lubin, but by his own admission he enjoys both of his sports and doesn’t mind the hard work. “We do some weight training but push-ups, sit-ups and running are a major part of our workout regimen,”stated Lubin.

With Lubin’s positive attitude and work ethic he will undoubtedly leave his mark on both the wrestling and baseball programs at South Fayette. And perhaps with his knuckleball and a little luck, Lubin may be pitching in the major league. Whatever happens, one thing is certain: Lubin will enjoy the ride.