Ryan senior’s
season cut short

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Andrew Lacovara will take plenty of memories from his time at Archbishop Ryan.
Lacovara, a senior, has been a member of the Raiders’ baseball team since his freshman year.
He was there last year as Ryan won the Catholic League Northern Division championship and advanced to the Catholic League championship game before falling to St. Joe’s Prep. During that campaign, he was considered among the best centerfielders in the city.
And he was there this year, helping a young squad find its way in the new Red Division, the Catholic League’s big-school league.
On Monday, Lacovara played his final game for the Raiders, and on Tuesday he started prepping for his college career.
A torn labrum in his right shoulder, his throwing arm, forced Lacovara to undergo surgery scheduled for Tuesday. The procedure almost certainly spelled the end of his career at Archbishop Ryan.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but one that had to be made.
"I don’t want to stop playing, but I can’t throw, so I’ve been (used as a designated hitter) all year," Lacovara said. "I was told I can’t make it worse by hitting, but I can’t throw, so it limited what I can do.
"It’s been bothering me for a while, but I tried to get through it. I went to the doctor right after we started practicing and he told me what it was," Lacovara said. "Surgery was the best thing."
Next year, Lacovara will attend the University of Pittsburgh, where he’ll continue his baseball career. For now, he’s just planning on rehabbing like crazy while squeezing in every last bit of high school baseball.
No, he won’t be in the field or even at the plate, but he’ll be on the bench producing as much chatter as possible.
"We’re such a young team, I’ll be around," said Lacovara, whose team is 5-6 in the balanced Red Division. "All year, we only have three guys who played last year, so I’ve tried to come out and lead any way I could. I just want to win and help the team."
And he has made sacrifices.
Last year, Lacovara’s speed and ability to get on base made him a good leadoff hitter. This year, he stepped up to the three-hole.
"I’m more of a leadoff guy, but for this team, I think I was needed more hitting third," he said. "I’m more suited to leadoff, but when I was asked to hit third, I was happy."
That’s pretty much Lacovara’s attitude toward the game.
"He’s not a ‘rah-rah’ guy, but he’s a good leader," Ryan coach Ron Gerhart said. "He’s done a lot for us and we’re going to miss having him. In fact, we really miss his play in centerfield.
"When he went out, it hurt us because not only is he one of the best defensive players, but you can usually put a guy at designated hitter who just can’t play defense that well. We have one of our best defensive guys playing DH. It definitely hurts."
But so does Lacovara’s shoulder.
He’s hoping that after the surgery and a few months of rehab, he will be back to feeling like the old centerfielder.
"I’m not nervous about the surgery, I’m kind of excited," Lacovara said. "It’s a pretty simple procedure and hopefully it will make me feel better.
"I’m disappointed I won’t play for Ryan anymore, but I’m happy I had a good year this year, a year to play a little. But I’ll still be around all the time."
Until next year, when it’s off to Pittsburgh.
"My whole life I wanted to go to school in a city," said Lacovara, who is weighing communications and business as potential academic majors. "I visited Pittsburgh and I loved it. I love the city, I love the action, and I think I’ll really like it there." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com