Tuesday
August 13, 2024 
Like Lions at feeding time.
It is an appropriate analogy for how the Faith Christian Lions attacked their competition this spring. Faith plated nearly 250 more runs than its opponents, outscored its PIAA competition 22-2 and won all 23 games in a rampage to the Class A state baseball title.
How commanding was Faith? In their lone game decided by one or two runs, Lions pitchers Grayson Weikel and Reid Miller combined to no-hit District 11 champion Nativity BVM in the PIAA opening round. Even in a 1-0 win, Faith dominated.
Faith mercy ruled its first five opponents. But it wasn’t until they hung a 12-4 win over archrival Dock Mennonite, a defending Class A state semifinalist, on April 16 that Weikel knew something special was brewing with this year’s Lions.
“Beating Dock early by eight runs after losing to them in the district championship last year was definitely the spark that gave us a huge boost of confidence throughout the rest of the season,” Weikel remembered. “It may have been just our second win in the last 10 years against Dock. We had six runs in the first inning.
“We got motivation from both other teams in the league and compliments from other coaches who said in the past eight or 10 years that they’ve played Faith, this was by far the best team that has ever come through the program,” Weikel continued. “Those things boosted our confidence as well.”
Faith does not win its first state championship and first district title since 2019 without two-way threat Weikel. On the mound, the 6-foot-3 Cedarville signee went 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 44⅔ innings. Also a first baseman, he hit over .500 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs.
“He is a player who will be impossible to replace,” Faith head coach Nick Koffel emphasized. “It’s tough to replace a hitter or a pitcher, let alone both at the same time. But it will be totally impossible to replace (his production).
“Grayson brought a tremendous amount of leadership. He was a player that all of the young guys looked up to,” Koffel added. “He is a phenomenal worker. He is one of those kids where, if something is not perfect, he works at that until it is perfect.”
Weikel threw six of the no-hit innings against Nativity. “I had a 1-2-3 first inning and worked just fastballs and maybe two offspeed pitches,” Weikel explained. “I saw they weren’t catching up to my fastball. I mixed in a couple of offspeed pitches throughout the game but they weren’t touching my fastball so I kept sticking with that and the defense backed me up. We didn’t have a runner past second base the entire game.”
In the second round against District Two’s MMI Prep, Weikel singled, doubled and homered to drive in five.
Koffel praised Weikel’s “bat head speed and strength. He doesn’t look like a high school player. He looks like a man, he is that strong,” Koffel noted. “In batting practice this year, he is probably responsible for 100 balls over the fence.
“One thing we preached is regardless of what position you’re playing, you have seven seconds to get from the dugout to your spot and if you can’t, I’ll find someone else who can get it done,” Koffel continued. “Grayson was one of those players who kept preaching ‘Seven seconds. Let’s go guys. You’ve gotta move.’ And when Grayson said something, the guys listened. That was the kind of leader he was.”
Weikel mastered District Six’s Bishop McCort in the PIAA semifinal, spinning a one-run, walk-free complete game where he struck out eight Crushers in a 6-1 Faith win.
“Against McCort, I was throwing my breaking stuff for strikes consistently and mixing it in often,” Weikel shared. “That was probably the best game I pitched all year. After that final out of the game when (catcher) Kendri (Beltre) caught that popup and we knew we were heading to Penn State, that was pretty cool.”
A transfer from Souderton after his freshman year, Weikel could always mash, hitting .545 with almost an extra-base hit every other game as a sophomore and junior. But he battled the injury bug both years. Last season, Weikel played but couldn’t pitch. He was forced to miss the 2023 playoffs due to a knee injury.
A healthy Weikel teamed with Koffel to produce the best season in Faith’s history. “This year felt like family. It was great team chemistry. It was Coach Koffel and a brand new coaching staff. We had leadership from the seniors – Kendri Beltre, Ethan Johnson, Andrew Santiago and me,” Weikel said. “After the first couple of games, I knew our bats were just really outstanding compared to any one of the three years I played for Faith.”
This fall, Weikel will suit up for Division II Cedarville, a Christian college halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati. The Yellow Jackets recruited Weikel as a two-way player. “Cedarville, as a whole school itself, was definitely the right fit,” shared Weikel, who received heavy attention from Division I programs as an underclassman before injuries set him back. The setbacks “gave me a reassessment on seeing where I was.
“I did want to go, preferably, to a Christian school,” he continued. “After visiting Cedarville and talking to the head coach, Matt Richter, I knew it was the place for me. I went to their camp in September and they offered me on the spot. I was recruited as a two-way player but I’m looking to improve my skills and contribute next year wherever they need me.”
That will be in 2025.
2024 was for Faith Christian.
“The motto we went with this season was ‘Our Year.’ You can see it on our jersey sleeves in the championship games,” Weikel concluded. The trophy that Faith brought back from Penn State and the huge banner going up on the Lions’ right field fence are proof positive that this truly was Faith’s year.
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