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Conference Preview: Lancaster-Lebanon League

March 17, 2014

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

Lancaster-Lebanon Section 1

Returning all-LLL Section 1
  1st-team 2nd-team
Cedar Crest '14 RHP Conor Bawiec (Lackawanna) '14 IF Devin Elder
Hempfield   '15 LHP John Peterson
JP McCaskey '14 IF Miguel Torres
'14 OF Aaron Taylor (Millersville)		  
Manheim Township   '14 C Dan Vucovich (Holy Cross)
'14 IF Ian Erikson
'15 OF Ryan Dornes
'14 RHP Carter Krick (Cal U of PA)
Penn Manor    
Warwick '14 LHP/1B Travis Reapsome (VCU) '14 C Ian Hart (Pitt-Greensburg)
'14 IF Ben Keyser

 

  • SmithReapsome (6-2, 1.46 ERA, 42 H, 21 BB, 80 K in 52.2 IP) is one of only two returning pitchers on the Warwick staff, which graduated 60% of its innings and needs to develop a #2 starter behind him. Reapsome (.301 AVG, .465 SLG) will team with Hart (.364 AVG) and Keyser (.315 AVG, .451 OBP) to lead an offense for coach Bob Locker that returns six regulars in total. '16 C Justin Smith (right), who has shown solid defensive skills and a smooth stroke, could develop into the heir-apparent to Hart after this season.
  • TorresTorres (.416 AVG, .696 SLG, 17 SB; pictured right) and Taylor (.390 AVG, .623 SLG, 7 SB) will continue to terrorize league pitching, but J.P. McCaskey will need to replace its top two pitchers who accounted for 76% of the staff's innings last year.
  • Manheim Township should feature a senior-heavy line-up this spring. Dornes (.353 AVG, .471 OBP, 15 BB vs 4 K) was the only underclassman to receive regular at-bats last year. The biggest question mark for the Blue Streaks heading into the season may be their defense, which committed 47 errors that led to 49 unearned runs (38% of their total runs allowed).
  • PetersonEven with the return of Peterson (3-2, 3.05 ERA, 37 H, 12 BB, 49 K in 41.1 IP; pictured right), Hempfield coach Jeremy Morrison is dealing with a near-complete roster overhaul this spring (almost two-thirds of innings and 82% of plate appearances came from last year's seniors). '16 IF Tim Gailor got his feet wet on varsity as a freshman (.294 AVG, .429 OBP, 4 SB in 25 plate appearances).

 

Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2

Returning all-LLL Section 2
  1st-team 2nd-team
Cocalico '14 OF Jake Terry '15 OF Jeremy Marshall
Conestoga Valley
 '14 OF Nathaniel Cardona
'16 IF Daulton Martin		 '14 C Aaron Blain
'14 P Brenden Martin
Elizabethtown '14 IF Luke Longenecker  
Ephrata '14 C Colin Albright (Lebanon Valley)
  
Lebanon
'16 OF Daniel Caricabeur
'15 P Orlando Gonzalez
'14 P Cameron Martin
Solanco '14 RHP Zack Leonard
 '14 IF Darrin Rutledge

 

  • FassnachtAlbright threw out 43% of attempted base-stealers while hitting .371 with a .459 OBP for Ephrata. Switch-hitting '16 IF Nate Fassnacht (right) saw some varsity time as a freshman and hopes his plate discipline (7 BB vs 3 K) and solid defense can earn him a larger role. The offense will need to produce, as the pitching staff returns only three arms who combined for 13.2 IP.
  • Leonard returns as the ace of the Solanco staff after going 6-2 with a 1.80 ERA, 35 H, 19 BB and 75 K in 58.2 IP.
  • As a freshman, Martin led Conestoga Valley in plate appearances and RBI, while posting a .328 AVG.

 

Lancaster-Lebanon Section 3

Returning all-LLL Section 3
  1st-team 2nd-team
Donegal
'14 OF Justin Amspacher
'14 IF Austin Mellinger
Eastern Lebanon County
   '14 OF Jake Stager
Garden Spot
'16 OF Logan Eby
Lampeter-Strasburg '14 OF Sam Meck (Wesley)
 '14 IF Matt Wright
'14 IF Brett Brooks
'14 C Reagan Hershey (Messiah)
'14 RHP Alex Brown (Harford CC)
Manheim Central
 '14 OF Ben Bomberger
'14 IF Colin Fry (Messiah)
  
Northern Lebanon
 '14 C Drew Bene (Stony Brook)
 '14 OF Darrin Shirk

 

  • BombergerAmong major contributors, Manheim Central returns all but two players from last season. '14 C J.J. Sanchez commands a pitching staff that returns its ace in '14 IF/RHP Andrew Bucher and will see others such as Fry and '15 IF/RHP Blake Reiff vie for innings behind him. Bomberger (.397 AVG, .479 OBP, .653 SLG, 7 SB; pictured right) will be joined in the outfield by '15 Dan Wiederrecht (.254 AVG, .392 OBP, 8 SB), while Fry (.455 AVG, .511 OBP, .662 SLG), Bucher (.348 AVG, .530 SLG), and Reiff (.314 AVG, .457 SLG) comprise a solid offensive infield for coach Matt Huber.
  • EnckLampeter-Strasburg coach Keith Martin welcomes back five of his top hitters (all of whom finished in the top six on the team in AVG, OBP and SLG), as well as three players among that group who stole double-digits bases. The veteran pitching staff returns its top innnings-eaters as well, including Brown, Meck, and '15 RHP Cameron Enck (Maryland).
  • Garden Spot's Eby (.333 AVG, 413 OBP) is not just the only freshman to make the all-section team, he is the only returning non-senior. The Spartans graduated 91% of their innings.
  • LazowskiA magical 2013 regular-season for Donegal, led by a senior-heavy roster, has it cobbling together a pitching staff that returns only Amspacher and 6-foot-5 '15 RHP Sam Lazowski (right), who combined to rack up a mere 13% of the team's innings last year. Mellinger (.391 AVG, .462 OBP) and Amspacher (.271 AVG, .357 OBP) lead an offense that returns five regulars.

 

Lancaster-Lebanon Section 4

Returning all-LLL Section 4
  1st-team 2nd-team
Annville-Cleona '14 IF Mitch Rodkey '14 IF Braden Elliott
'14 OF Zack Southall
'14 RHP Mitch Rodkey
Columbia
  
Lancaster Catholic
 '15 IF/RHP Willie Burger '15 IF James Huber
Lancaster Mennonite
 '14 OF Paul Frederickson '14 IF Matthew Hess
'15 OF Adam Harnish
Lebanon Catholic
 
Pequea Valley

 

  • BurgerLancaster Catholic coach Chris Kiehl has been tasked with developing a pitching staff behind Burger (5-0, 18 H, 22 BB, 57 K in 36 IP), who is the only returning arm to have logged varsity innings. Despite those stats (and a FB that reaches 88mph), Burger (right) is a primary position player. He showcases excellent hands and feet, at the hot corner and behind the dish, but his power (13 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR in 24 games) is his true standout tool. Huber (.278 AVG, .388 OBP) and '15 OF Chris Schreder (.293 AVG, .408 OBP) will help provide stability for a line-up that graduated six starters.
  • Rodkey (.358 AVG, .457 OBP, .582 SLG, 10 SB), Elliott (.313 AVG), and Southall (.351 AVG) lead a group of five returning players who saw significant time in the Annville-Cleona line-up last spring.  Rodkey (4-1, 29 H, 17 BB, 44 K in 37 IP) will be joined in coach Scott Shyda's starting rotation by '15 LHP Jordan Gohn.
  • Columbia coach Tony Plastino hopes to turn a small roster into a positive this spring, by getting more repetitions for his players to speed up their development. As a freshman, '16 1B/OF Jarod Kashner (.300 AVG, .462 OBP) was the lone member of the Crimson Tide to hit above .250 last year. 

 

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