It's not as often as one might think that a local athlete, who was a star in high school, experiences a similar success playing at the college level.

In this case, however, it's not just one, but two star baseball pitchers from Lehighton who have contributed to Bloomsburg University's 28-16 overall record and to the most conference wins in school history. The Huskies, in the most recent poll, are ranked sixth in the Division II Atlantic Region.Senior right hander, Kyle Hunter, and junior lefty, Tyler Hill, have helped anchor the Huskies' pitching staff that has boasts a 2.96 team ERA this season."Obviously, we are thrilled with their efforts that have added to our success this year," said Bloomsburg coach Mike Collins, whose team banged out 28 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Mansfield last Friday to temporarily remain in contention for the title of the East Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Hill started and won the second game of the twinbill, pitching six innings, giving up three runs. On Saturday, the Huskies split a doubleheader against Mansfield and will be the second seed in the PSAC tournament that begins this week.Hill, a former Lehighton first team Mountain Valley Conference pitcher and outfielder, has made excellent progress since his freshman year when he came to Bloomsburg as a "soft throwing lefty" who, according to Collins, "really had to prove that he could pitch at this level."According to Collins, Hill has done just that."Tyler has a great work ethic," says Collins. "He put on weight and muscle in the off seasons and it has improved his velocity. Last season he was our go-to-guy in the bullpen."Not only did Hill get stronger, he became more of a pitcher than a thrower."In high school, I just tried to strike batters out, but now I pitch to contact and let my defense make plays behind me," said Hill."He's very athletic and competitive on the mound," explained Collins. "As a lefty, he's deceptive with his low arm angle. He works fast and he wants the ball in tight spots and big moments. Last season, he moved from a specialist for getting out lefty hitters to closing games for us."Collins added, "In my view, Tyler was the best reliever in the conference."In the fall, Hill was asked to become a starter and he embraced the idea. "You get to throw more pitches and innings," he said.Hill's adjustment from closer to starter was more mental than physical."When I closed I would go all out to get one hitter or finish one inning," Hill explained. "But now when I start, I pace myself and I need to use all my pitches, not just my two seam fastball."Hill has worked on perfecting his curve and changeup and on hitting his spots around home plate. Though his out pitch is still his fastball, he loves to throw his curve to left-handed hitters.Early in the season, he threw a complete game 5-1 victory in a match up against heavy hitting West Chester and their ace hurler. Hill struck out eight, walked one, allowed five hits and gave up no earned runs. Until one recent outing, his ERA was under two runs a game.Hill has a basic approach to pitching."I throw strikes and try to keep hitters off balance with my off-speed pitches," he said. "I have also been taught how to visualize attacking the hitters, to remain calm, and do what coach says and that is to 'flush it out' if things are going bad."Former Indian, Kyle Hunter took a much different path than Hill's to make his mark at Bloomsburg."He had immediate success as a freshman and we quickly slotted him in as our fourth starter," says Collins. " Kyle was on fire. He put in several great outings. In fact, when we needed a win to get into the tournament, Kyle threw a complete game shutout against a big hitting Kutztown team."But then there was a setback.Hunter injured his labrum in his throwing shoulder which required surgery to repair. Though he battled through the injury, he was not at full strength in his sophomore and junior years. He was almost red-shirted, but with vigorous rehabilitation, he returned to his true form this season.In his last start against East Stroudsburg, which owns the conference's best offense, he pitched into the seventh inning, allowing no runs, walking one and fanning six before the Huskies' bullpen lost the game in extra innings. Hunter, who both relieves and starts for Bloomsburg, currently carries a 2.10 ERA."Kyle changes speeds well. His velocity on his fastball is in the mid 80s and when he's on, his change is a great out pitch for him," said Collins.Hunter rested a sore bicep this past weekend so he can be ready for the conference tournament and a possible NCAA Division II bid for the Huskies.Lehighton High School coach Brian Polaha predicted success at the college level for both of his former players."Kyle and Tyler are baseball junkies," he said.Hill's grandfather, who played in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, introduced his grandson to pitching when Tyler was just eight years old. Hunter was a TV Atlanta Braves fan before he played his first T-ball game."They are very intense about the game and they are very coachable too," says Polaha. "I'm glad they are just pitchers now. They had to do more on our high school team. Tyler played centerfield and Kyle was at shortstop when he wasn't on the mound. They were both team leaders as well."Polaha recalls a District 11 semifinal game against Northwestern. The Indians were down 4-0 in the second inning and the Tigers had loaded the bases with one out. Pouring rain suspended the contest until the next day. When the action resumed, Hill got out of the jam with a strikeout and a pop fly and Lehighton came back to win. In their next game at Coca Cola Park, the Tribe won the district championship as Hunter pitched the final two innings against Saucon Valley and struck out the last batter of the game.Hill and Hunter have been playing baseball on the same teams since Little League. Like his teammate, Hunter believes that the game is more mental than physical and that a consistency of success depends upon how quickly you can "rebound' from a setback. Kyle Hunter has "rebounded" from an injury to his shoulder and Tyler Hill has "flushed out" any doubt about his ability.Together, one from the right side and the other from the left side, they have helped forge what has become a season for the record books at Bloomsburg University. Yet to these two good friends from Lehighton, what stands equal to team records and personal statistics is simply the fact that they are still playing a game they have loved since their early childhood days on the ballfields of their hometown.