Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Conference Preview: Suburban One League

March 8, 2014

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

SOL National

Returning all-SOL National Honorees

  1st-team 2nd-team Honorable Mention
Abington   '15 C Nick Bein  
Bensalem '14 C Andy Moser (Maine) '14 OF Jason Mulvey  
Council Rock North '14 C Tyler Callender (Delaware) '16 2B Brandon McIlwain
'14 OF Cole German (Maryland)		 '14 SS Aden Tully
(East Stroudsburg)
Council Rock South      
Harry S Truman      
Neshaminy '14 3B Sean Udris '14 LHP Cole Creighton
(Stony Brook)
 '15 OF Matt Graham
Pennsbury '14 2B Brendan Campbell
(Carson-Newman)		   '15 OF Ryan Sheaffer
William Tennent '14 OF Vinny Case (Alvernia)    


  • MacaulayDespite having no returning player who received post-season all-SOL honors, Council Rock South is hardly bereft of talent. '14 RHP Greg Paprocki (La Salle) leads a pitching staff that also includes 6-foot-4 '14 RHP Matt Walsh, funky '15 LHP Jordan Silverman, '15 RHP Nick Fabiano, and a number of '16s and '17s who have coach Ted Kirner excited about the present and future. A senior-heavy infield will feature SS Will Faccenda (Mercer County CC), 2B Sean Whelan, and 3B Jake Nevin (PSU-Harrisburg).  '15 C Connor Macaulay (right) and '14 OF Tyler Anderson, who spent most of last season recovering from an ACL tear suffered playing football, should help bolster the offense as well.
  • With the four guys listed above along with '14 OF Danny Whitney (Widener), Council Rock North should be able to put some runs on the board this spring. Depending on what college he ends up at, McIlwain may never set foot on its baseball field, as he is a high-level QB prospect with multiple scholarship offers already. College-bound '14 RHPs Matt Renck (Pitt) and Matt Weir (PSU-Harrisburg) are veterans on coach Matt Schram's pitching staff.
  • Battery-mates Creighton (who is also an OF and hits third in the line-up) and rapidly developing '15 C Kyle Skeels hope to lead Neshaminy to a second straight division crown.
  • McFaddenBuellCampbell, Sheaffer, '14 OF Justin Jacko (La Salle), and '14 OF/RHP Jake Goldberg (Philadelphia U) return to lead a veteran Pennsbury offense that returns eight players who saw significant playing time in 2013. On the flip side, Coach Joe Pesci has three starting pitching roles and 85% of last year's innings to replace. He will turn to Goldberg and '14 RHP Connor Ward (Gwynedd Mercy), as well as '15 RHPs Brody McFadden (right) and Logan Buell (left), to pick up the slack.
  • William Tennent features a solid returning offense that will be sparked by the athleticism of Case and '14 SS Brett Kozlowski (Bloomsburg), and powered by '14 C Ben Zeitz (PSU-Abington) and '15 2B Tim Brodhag. After graduating his top four pitchers from last season, coach Rick Penecale will call on '14 RHP Jeremy Hefele to assume the role of mound ace.
  • '14 LHP/OF Tim Hild, who authored a no-hitter against District I class AAA champ Holy Ghost Prep last year, is expected to front the pitching staff for Harry S Truman. A trio of '15s will join him in coach Jeff Vitale's line-up, including SS Matt Helbling, IF/RHP Matt Shea, and C Evan Miller.
  • Moser is one of the best receiving catchers in the area and a leader behind the dish for Bensalem.
  • Bein, who hit in the middle of the order as a sophomore, returns to lead a graduation-depleted line-up for Abington.

SOL Continental

Returning all-SOL Continental Honorees

  1st/2nd/3rd-team Honorable Mention
Central Bucks East 1st-team
'15 SS David Yanni (Pittsburgh)
3rd-team
'14 2B Pat Reilly
'14 OF Brandon Birkhead		 '15 3B Carter Usowski
Central Bucks South 2nd-team
'14 1B Matt Radwanski (Ursinus)		 '14 RHP Matt Radwanski
'15 2B Michael Kuypers
Central Bucks West 2nd-team
'14 OF Brennan Snyder (Elizabethtown)		 '14 RHP John Fitz (Lehigh)
'14 OF Sean Loughery
Hatboro-Horsham 3rd-team
'15 OF Eric Lane		 '14 RHP Dave Brown (Kutztown)
'14 2B Brad Humski
North Penn   '14 SS Chris Kersey
Pennridge 1st-team
'15 2B David Tatoian
2nd-team
'14 DP Tyler Shoultes		 '15 RHP David Tatoian
'14 SS Brad Misialek
'15 OF Danny Shane
Quakertown   '15 OF Sage Fuhrmeister
Souderton Area   '14 3B Brad Stolzfus
'14 OF Brett Hale


  • MeloneNadeauIt would be odd to start this section with anyone other than defending AAAA state champ North Penn. The Knights return four major line-up cogs in the steady Kersey, powerful '15 3B/1B Jared Melone (right), speedy '16 OF Mason Nadeau (left), and clutch '14 C/3B Bobby Scott (Gwynned Mercy). Nadeau will showcase his plus wheels (sub-4.00 Home-to-1B on bunts) for Team PA at the PBR Future Games next August. Physical '14 RHP Noah Melchior (West Chester) could make a huge impact on coach Kevin Manero's graduation-depleted pitching staff.
  • BarronHumski provides veteran leadership for a Hatboro-Horsham line-up that returns Lane, '15 1B/3B Kevin Barron, and '14 C Eric Thomas, and will also include toolsy '15 Chris Crookham sliding into the vacated SS position. Barron (right) has juice in his bat, while Lane grinds out at-bats with a short, quick stroke and feel for the barrel. The Hatters pitching staff was not immune to the exodus of arms from the league, however, so coach Pete Moore will turn to the fiery Brown, with his a low arm slot and wicked slider, in the ace role.
  • LongMolettiereClass AAAA semifinalist Pennridge returns a strong line-up, including Tatoian, Shane, Shoultes, Misialek, '15 OF Joe Unangst and '14 C Jeff Roedell (Wilkes). '15 1B/OF Tommy Nuneviller and '16 IF/RHP Danny Long (right) are other Rams youngsters to watch. While coach Tom Nuneviller will likely be without Tatoian's services on the mound this spring while the two-way talent continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, capable replacements are waiting in the wings in '15 RHP Joe Molettiere (left) and '14 RHP Eric Wesolowski.
  • KuypersRadwanski, Kuypers (right), and '14 Util Alex Spector (Widener) will need to step up offensively for Central Bucks South to help replace numerous losses from last year's line-up. The pitching staff sustained even more carnage, graduating 80% of its innings, although coach Mike Schaefer has a number of options to fill the vacated roles, including the aforementioned Radwanski and Kuypers, plus imposing 6-foot-4 '15 RHP Zach Dennis.
  • BirkheadCentral Bucks East is yet another program dealing with significant turnover on the pitching staff. Coach Kyle Dennis will call on twin tower '14 RHPs, Birkhead at 6-foot-4 and Dan Morrin (Moravian) at 6-foot-5, to pick up much-needed innings. Birkhead (right), Reilly, and Usowski will hit in the middle of the order, following stud SS Yanni, who has above average tools with the bat and glove.
  • The sledding was tough for Quakertown Community last year, as they lost ten of their fourteen league games by eight runs or more. Fuhrmeister will make the transition to 3B, where he will join '14s Mark Repsher and Pat San Angelo on the infield. Repsher and '14 LHP Vincent LaCava will soak up innings on the mound.
  • Souderton Area, which graduated five players who received post-season recognition, will rely on Stoltzfus and Hale, along with younger guys like '15 C/OF Dylan Morrissette and '15 C/3B David Straub, to put runs on the board.

SOL American

Returning all-SOL American Honorees

  1st/2nd-team 3rd-team/Honorable Mention
Cheltenham 1st-team
'14 RHP Calvin Salazar
'14 C Max Perilstein
2nd-team
'14 2B Calvin Salazar		 3rd-team
'14 OF Kevin Graham
Norristown Area   3rd-team
'14 RHP JT Vaughan
Plymouth Whitemarsh   3rd-team
'14 C Matt Nardo
Springfield Township 2nd-team
'14 OF Ian Quigg		 Honorable Mention
'14 C Marten Pauwels
'14 OF Eddie Bacino
Upper Dublin
Honorable Mention
'14 RHP Dan Jacobson
(Rhode Island)
'14 LHP Harrison Guber
'15 OF John Lee
Upper Merion Area   3rd-team
'14 3B Brenden Steiner
Honorable Mention
'14 SS Carmen Fortino
Upper Moreland 1st-team
'14 1B Charlie Hooker
(Alderson Broaddus)
'15 DH Colton Hooker
2nd-team
'14 RHP Eddie Decker		 3rd-team
'14 RHP Charlie Hooker
Honorable Mention
'14 C Pat Driscoll
Wissahickon 2nd-team
'15 3B Nick Falso (Ohio U)
'14 OF Matt Oruch (Gannon)		  


  • ReardonThe Plymouth Whitemarsh pitching staff welcomes back its three members who racked up the most innings last season: '15 RHP Jon Fisher (James Madison), '14 LHP Michael Whalon, and '15 LHP/OF Zach Metz. Coach Chris Manero will call on '14 OF Connor Purdy, and '16 C/IF Dutch Reardon (right) to join Nardo (who is converting from C to IF) in leading a line-up which has a significant number of returning players. The Colonials will be without the services of '14 LHP Teddy Slagle (Delaware), who underwent Tommy John surgery over the summer and will miss the entire spring season.
  • Fresh off a class AAA state runner-up finish, Upper Moreland returns a number of pieces which could have it in position to make another long post-season run. A trio of '14 RHP -- the elder Hooker, Decker, and state-semifinal hero Tom Robinson -- return to soak up the bulk of the innings. The heart of the order is back as well, including both Hookers, Driscoll, and '14 3B Mike Cavanaugh.
  • FalsoBeckerThe always active and energetic Falso (right) returns to anchor Wissahickon's infield along with '15 SS Ryan Becker (left). They should be joined by '16 IF Blake Rapoport, who got his feet wet on varsity at the end of his freshman season, while Oruch will captain the outfield. A pitching staff that graduated its top two arms will likely turn to '14 LHP Brett Downey, '15 RHP Julian Osterneck, and '14 RHP Jimmy Gorman for the bulk of its innings.
  • Originally committed to Temple prior to the announcement of the discontinuation of its baseball program, Springfield Township's Pauwels has re-opened the recruiting process for his powerful bat.
  • Lee will help power the offense, but Upper Dublin's fortunes will likely hinge on the arms of the projectable Jacobson and crafty Guber.

 

view all conference previews & preseason players of the year by conference

 

Additional PA news: