Fox Chapel native Jack Kartsonas shines at Palomino World Series

Fox Chapel native Jack Kartsonas pitched on the biggest stage of his career earlier this month.

Things started when Kartsonas played in a summer league with college-bound players who are 18 and under called the Youngstown “B” league. He pitched in seven games, threw 37 2/3 innings, recorded a 0.56 ERA and limited opponents to a .172 batting average. He left a lasting impression on manager Tom Otto.

“I told Jack several times that our team, within our league, wouldn’t have had the type of year we did without him,” Otto said. “We signed him this past winter to be a guy on our staff, but we never really knew that he would turn out to be our best pitcher this summer.”

Because of his performance, Kartsonas was named an all-star and got to play in the East Coast Palomino tournament. His team won that tournament, earning a trip to Laredo, Texas, for the Palomino World Series.

After his team lost to Puerto Rico in its third game, Kartsonas was named the starting pitcher for its first elimination game. His opponent was five-time champion Santa Clara (Calif.).

“I knew they were going to be a really good team. It was some of the best kids from California,” Kartsonas said. “But I had been facing really good batters all summer long, so I wasn’t too nervous or anything.”

The John Carroll-bound right-hander responded with his best performance of the summer, throwing a seven-inning shutout, striking out four and scattering six hits.

“He got us back into the finals of our bracket,” said Don Phletcher, the manager the all-star team. “He had some great stuff. He has average speed, but he has a couple other pitches that he can mix with great location and he kept a team of predominantly Division I recruits off-balance and put us in a great position.”

After its 3-0 victory over Santa Clara, Youngstown faced Puerto Rico in the semifinals and needed to win twice to advance to the championship. Youngstown won the first game 6-3 but lost in the second game 5-4, finishing the tournament with a record of 4-2.

His success in Laredo made Kartsonas’ hard work this past year worth it.

Around August of last year, Kartsonas discovered he had inflammation near his right elbow that could have been a slight tear of his ulnar collateral ligament or a growth plate irritation. After getting it checked out, he decided to shut down and went through physical therapy for four to six weeks. While an injury like that can be deflating for a pitcher, Kartsonas used it as an opportunity to improve.

“Not being able to throw at all this past winter allowed me to focus a lot more in the weight room, and it allowed me to get a lot stronger,” Kartsonas said.

His increased strength led to an increased workload this summer. After throwing about 35 innings last summer, Kartsonas said he reached 71 this summer.

“It was nice to see all of the hard work pay off and translate to success this summer,” Kartsonas said.

It also led to some late offers from small Division I schools. Kartsonas, however, decided to stick with the commitment he made last fall to D-III John Carroll.

“I think he’s just scratching the surface of his potential,” Otto said. “He’s a guy that throws in the mid 80s. He has three pitches, and when he gets into a college weight room, at the trajectory he’s going, I think they really got a steal. They got a player that is going to be a very good pitcher in college.”