Chagrin Falls baseball: Leo Fornara sets school record for strikeouts in a season
May 30—For Leo Fornara, it felt like just another outing when he took the mound for Chagrin Falls against Coventry on May 18. Little did he know that after that game, his name would be etched in the Tigers' record book.
With Fornara's 13-strikeout performance against Coventry, the senior set the record for strikeouts in a season with 96, breaking the previous record held by Bob Shutts who had 94 in 1963. Fornara added to this total with his nine-strikeout performance against Revere in a district semifinal to run his record to 105.
Even after setting the record, Fornara didn't know that he broke the record until coach Michael Sweeney posted about it on Twitter following the game.
"It was a wonderful accomplishment and I had no idea that I was close to breaking that record," said Fornara. "What it really is is a testament to the team's defense as a whole because without them backing me up I would've had no shot to break the record. I give a lot of credit to Andrew (Kirkpatrick) behind the dish as well. It highlights my achievements but also shows how well of a team we've done."
Fornara will look to add to that total when he faces Chardon in the Division II regional semifinal on June 2.
While dealing with a revolving-door schedule due to the weather, Fornara has taken advantage of being the No. 1 arm for the Tigers. He's had five games in which he struck out 10 or more batters, including a 17 punch-out performance against Hawken in nine innings.
His ability to work backward through the order and challenge hitters in the strike zone is a huge advantage for Fornara this season as he took over the number one spot in the rotation for the Tigers.
"Mixing up my pitches has really allowed for me to e able to spread out the strikeouts," said Fornara. "Through the first few innings I show my fastball and hide the off-speed stuff because I have confidence in locating my fastball. Then in the later innings I can then show my off-speed. As a team goes through a lineup, they start to get familiarized with your pitches."
When he's not pitching, Fornara can be found behind the plate or in the outfield. Fornara is one of three pitchers also listed as a catcher on the Chagrin Falls' roster, and that has also aided him in his pitching endeavors.
Fornara and Andrew Kirkpatrick have been the one calling each other's games from behind the plate and the two have developed strong chemistry and confidence in each other.
"I have a lot of faith in Andrew and we've really gotten to know each others pitching styles well," said Fornara. "It's great because it allows us to help each other when we can talk about strike zones, where we want to locate certain pitches, what to throw on certain counts to certain hitters, it's been a great way for us to grow as pitchers."
While he set an individual record, Fornara has highlighted his teammates' performances rather than his own. Chagrin Falls reached the regional semifinals for the second straight year and won their sixth straight CVC championship.
Sweeney knew that with both Fornara and the defense on the top of their games, Chagrin Falls could be right back in the regional round, and win the CVC again. Sweeney pointed to the team-first mindset of Fornara as a reason for that success.
"He's such a focused, hard-working kid that when he goes out to pitch we're going to get the best out of him," said Sweeney. "Obviously when you're throwing there are days where it's good and days where it's bad. He's such a competitor and has been going after it all year long. Even with all the rain and one game a week, he's been consistently going and he was the guy that we threw. He's been able to be consistent and work with the strike zone."
