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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

and PBR staff

Pennsylvania calls itself a Commonwealth, not a state, which means we like to eschew the norm. Our team rankings aren't a standard Top 25, but rather an effort to predict what everyone is striving for: state tournament berths. Instead of going down a rabbit hole by attempting to order teams from various parts of the state who play against vastly different levels of competition, we are going to try to compare apples to apples a bit more. Each update, we will present the schools we think are in the best position to earn state tournament berths out of their respective districts. Below are our predictions, in bracket order, for how we see the PIAA class 3A state tournament shaping up. A Watch List for each district is also included, with the teams on it (and undoubtedly a few we overlooked) absolutely in the mix to make the March to Medlar.

Note: X-Y under "Berth" = [District]-[Bid]. For example, 3-2 is the runner-up from District III.

2017 Preseason PIAA Class 3A Super 16

Berth	School	Notes
3-1	Lancaster Catholic	Last year's 2A district runner-up is loaded with talent, including one of the top two-way players in the state. Offense will put up a lot of runs; only question will be ability to develop mound depth.
12-2	Prep Charter	The Huskies project to be squarely in the mix again after finishing 2016 as the top Philadelphia Public League team in this new classification during the regular- and post-season.
4-1	Montoursville Area	2016 district runner-up in the old class 3A returns virtually its entire roster and has added a couple of young, potential impact, pieces.
2-2	Holy Redeemer	Eight of nine position player starters and the entire pitching staff return for a Royals team that recorded one win over last year's 2A district champ and two over the 2A runner-up.
2-1	Lakeland	Chiefs welcome back two-thirds of their line-up and their entire pitching staff that features two college-bound arms and a high-upside sophomore who performed well as a rookie.
11-1	Notre Dame Green Pond	Runner-up in old district 2A last season. Returns solid line-up core and virtually entire pitching staff, including three who logged at least 35 innings last year.
12-1	Conwell-Egan Catholic	One of only two Philadelphia Catholic League schools in this classification, the Eagles return their staff ace and have an experienced group coming back.
3-2	Oley Valley	With question marks surrounding most of the teams in the district, the Lynx are an easy default choice with a veteran line-up. The 2016 2A district champ reached the old class 3A district semifinals the previous two years.
7-1	Steel Valley	Ironmen welcome back the entire pitching staff and eight of nine line-up regulars from a still fairly young team that could be a contender for multiple years in the near future.
10-2	Franklin Area	Like many of the usual suspects in this district, the Knights have some big holes to fill, but have enough talent in the pipeline to emerge as a contender this spring.
5-1/ 8-1/ 9-1	Chestnut Ridge	The Lions boast an experienced offense and the top two-way player in a new sub-region where typical contenders have question marks atop their rotations.
6-2	Philipsburg-Osceola	Two-thirds of the starting line-up and 70% of the innings are back for a Mountaineers club that played the eventual district champ tough in last year's semifinals.
10-1	Fairview	After winning the district title in last year's 2A, the Tigers welcome back seven senior position player starters and have a solid arm atop the rotation.
7-3	Beaver Falls Area	The Tigers welcome back their entire pitching staff and seven line-up regulars, six of whom were underclassmen last season.
6-1	Central	Perennial contender and 2016 state tournament qualifier welcomes back virtually its entire line-up as well as an experienced rotation with two college-bound arms.
7-2	Riverside	Always in the mix, the Panthers have some holes to fill, but return a solid line-up core and one of the top pitchers in the district from a team that reached the state semis in class 2A last year.

Watch List
District II: Hanover Area
District III: Annville-Cleona, Brandywine Heights Area
District IV: North Penn-Mansfield, Loyalsock Township, Mount Carmel Area, Warrior Run
Sub-region V/VIII/IX: Moniteau, Everett Area, Karns City
District VI: Penn Cambria, Mount Union Area
District VII: Charleroi Area, Brownsville Area, Avonworth, Mount Pleasant Area, Seton-La Salle Catholic, New Brighton Area 
District X: Girard, Greenville
District XI: North Schuylkill, Palmerton Area
District XII: Philadelphia Academy Charter, Roxborough, Science Leadership Academy

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