It didn’t take long for Port Allegany coach Nate Zitnik to realize just how locked in Howie Stuckey was for the 2019 season.
In fact, it took all of one throwing session in early March.
“The way the ball was cracking the mitt you could just see,” Zitnik recalled. “Some guys were throwing bullpen, other guys in the cage, some other guys doing drills — everything just stopped. I went up to (assistant coach Lance Baker) and told him, ‘Boy, this is pretty good for day one.’ That’s when I kind of had the idea it was going to be a breakout year for him, at least on the mound.”
Zitnik’s early observations proved to be correct.
Stuckey posted a 4-2 record on the bump in 2019, aided by a 0.56 ERA, 70 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 37 1/3 innings pitched.
In addition, he hit .567 on the year, crushed 10 doubles, had 25 RBIs and struck out just once in 70 plate appearances.
Those numbers earned him Big 30 Baseball Player of the Year honors, becoming the third consecutive Pennsylvanian to win the Bill Husband Memorial Award after Oswayo Valley’s Garren Black captured it the previous two seasons.
“I was really surprised because I am only a junior, I have one more year, so it was pretty exciting. I wasn’t really expecting it,” Stuckey said.
“I followed my stats throughout the year and I realized I was having a pretty good season, so I just tried to keep things going and it worked out.”
Stuckey’s superb season helped the Gators to a 9-9 mark, a four-win improvement from the season before, as well as a berth into the first round of the District 9 Class A playoffs.
“Baseball is a numbers game, for sure,” Zitnik said. “There are statistics for everything and sometimes I think that statistics don’t always bear out with the best players. In this case, I think Howie had numbers that were representative of a Big 30 Player of the Year.
“I think there were certainly some other deserving candidates, and I think that’s what makes the award more special because he certainly was up against some very talented ballplayers on both the Pennsylvania and the New York side.”
Stuckey edged out Cuba-Rushford’s Dan Emerson as well as Olean’s Nick Crandall to win the award, becoming the first player from Port Allegany to claim the honor since its inception in 2006.
Zitnik has seen Stuckey’s growth better than just about anyone. The former St. Bonaventure baseball standout taught Stuckey in sixth grade, where they were both already dreaming of the day he would don the orange and black uniform.
“He would draw me pictures of the Gator logo that we have and would always talk about how much he couldn’t wait to play. I would tell him, ‘Trust me, as much as you’re excited about playing, it doesn’t even come close to how excited I am,’” Zitnik recalled with a laugh.
Fast-forward five years, and Stuckey was pitching on the biggest stages for Port Allegany.
He was on the mound against Otto-Eldred in that first-round playoff game and held the Terrors to just three runs in five innings before getting pulled after he reached his pitch count. O-E ended up winning on a walk-off in the seventh and went onto the D-9 title game and the state playoffs.
Just two weeks prior — without Stuckey pitching — Port Allegany lost 14-2 to Otto-Eldred.
“I think everyone knew when Howie was on the mound that we had a chance to win,” Zitnik said.
“That’s a testament to him, because when you’re on a team with no seniors, starting three juniors and the rest are sophomores and freshmen, to get them to be able to hang with some of these teams … he’s a true leader.”
Stuckey’s success on the mound is already getting him attention from the next level, according to Zitnik. Specifically, Stuckey’s velocity as well as his command have stood out to college coaches.
Stuckey credits his aggressive mindset on the mound for his high strikeout-to-walk ratio.
“I try to attack the strike zone and make hitters hit me,” he said. “I don’t try to pitch around anyone; I want to make them beat me.”
When he wasn’t pitching, Stuckey played shortstop for the Gators and made few mistakes at a high-pressure position on a young team.
“His defense was stellar,” Zitnik said. “He made some really big plays. The kid was 4-2 on the year (on the mound) and we went 9-9, and a lot of that was some big defensive plays.”
This summer, Stuckey is playing for the Smethport American Legion team as well as the Northeast Twins travel baseball team.
He’ll then gear up for soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter, where his dad serves as head coach.
But Stuckey is already looking forward to next spring, where the future’s looking bright for the Gators baseball team.
“I’m excited for next year because we have the same team coming back,” he said.
And if there was any question about Stuckey loosening up on his preparation or training after the season he had, Zitnik says to forget about it.
“You could just tell that each year he gets progressively better,” he said. “That is a testament to his work ethic and the time he puts in. There are a lot of kids out there that I thought were deserving this year, but his effort stands out. He’s got a lot of hours invested.”
