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By Dylan Hefflinger and PBR Staff
Editor in Chief/NW Scout

With the 2016 spring season right around the corner, PBR Ohio is eagerly anticipating bringing the Buckeye state the best high school coverage throughout the entire state.

Starting February 1st, we began releasing team previews for teams across the state, leading into the Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings.

To view the full list of 2016 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here.

If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2016 Team Preview, click here.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

2016 Spring Team Preview: Summit Country Day Silver Knights

Team Name: Summit Country Day Silver Knights
Head Coach: Triffon Callos
Division: III
2015 Record: 19-13
Conference Record: Miami Valley Conference, 9-4
Returning Starters/Pitchers: 4/3

2016 Team Strengths:

• Pitching
• Team speed
• Depth
• Experience

2016 Team Weaknesses:

• Inexperienced catcher
• Lack of team power at the plate
• Not a true leadoff hitter (at this point)

Coach Outlook: We lost four seniors who all started last season. Losing Eric Terry (All-State, C) and Mark Peterson (3B) will be tough to replace. However, we return our top two pitchers, Connor McMurry and John Merritt who lead us to the State Championship game along with our #4 pitcher last year, Reece Jackson. We return four starters who will help lead this team in the field. With McMurry on the mound we can beat anyone in the state if he is on his game. I feel he is the best junior RHP in Cincinnati, and Merritt (senior) won seven games as a junior including the District & Regional Championship games. The growth of senior, Justin Ayer, behind the plate and finding a new 3B will be key to our success. This team is focused and ready to face another tough schedule.

Top Returning Players:

• Connor McMurry, RHP/1B, JR, 6'1” 190, has command of four pitches and will be one of the top arms in Cincinnati, went 4-4 with four saves and 72 K's in 2015 while hitting .347 with 30 RBI's, will hit in the middle of the lineup
• John Merritt, RHP/1B, SR, 6'4” 180, Being looked at by D3 colleges, 7-5 last spring with a 2.64 ERA while hitting .421 with 28 RBI's
• Brennan Gick, OF, SO, 6'1” 170, started as a freshman and hit .343
• Reece Jackson, RHP/UTL, SR, 6'2” 180, went 3-1 with a 2.37 ERA as a junior 
• Will Mackey, INF, SR, 5'10” 155, four year varsity player and three year starter who will play up the middle (SS/2B)
• Logan Bernhardt, INF, SR, 5'10” 180, will start in the infield and be counted on at the plate, was starting SS last season
• Will Edwards, INF, JR, 5'9” 145, will compete for time in the infield after seeing action in 22 games as a sophomore in 2015
• Justin Ayer, C, SR, 6'0” 200, hit .375 in limited action as a junior and will be counted on to replace Eric Terry behind the plate
• Joe Collins, OF, SO, 6'0” 185, saw limited action as a freshman and will compete for a starting position in the outfield 

Top Underclassmen:

• Wil Eads, OF, FR, 2019, will compete for a starting spot in the outfield, great speed
• Matthew Treadway, RHP, FR, 2019, will compete for a spot in the starting rotation

 

A Look Back At 2015 Preseason Articles:

To view the 2015 Team Previews, click here.
To view the 2015 Preseason All-State Teams, click below.

• Division I
• Division II
• Division III
• Division IV

To view the 2015 Preseason State Rankings, click below.

• Division I
• Division II
• Division III
• Division IV