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BCIAA Tournament Preview

May 8, 2013

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

With the release of the most recent District III power ratings, the seeding for the BCIAA playoffs has been determined as follows:

1. Exeter Township (14-6, 8-2 in Div I, 1st place)

2. Oley Valley (16-3, 9-1 in Div III, 1st place)

3. Conrad Weiser (13-6, 7-3 in Div II, 1st place)

4. Wilson (12-5, 7-3 in Div I, tie 2nd place)

5. Governor Mifflin (14-6, 7-3 in Div I, tie 2nd place)

6. Hamburg (15-5, 6-4 in Div II, tie 2nd place)

7. Twin Valley (11-9, 6-4 in Div II, tie 2nd place)

8. Kutztown (12-8, 8-2 in Div III, 2nd place)

Quarterfinal action begins on Thursday, May 9th.  First Energy Stadium, home of the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, will host the semifinals on Monday, May 13th and the championship on Wednesday, May 15th. Click here for full bracket, game times, and locations.

Nick DistasioThe Favorite: Oley Valley - Exeter grabbed the top seed by four ten-thousandths (.0004) of a point in the power ratings, but the Lynx enter with the top overall and division records in the field. They have a bona fide ace in junior Nick Distasio (right) and an offense averaging over seven runs per division game (nearly eight runs per game overall). They are also the hottest team in the tournament, having won eleven of their last twelve games.

RavelThe Sleeper: Wilson - After a slow start, the Bulldogs may finally be hitting their stride. They have toppled 1-seed Exeter (4-3), 5-seed Governor Mifflin (13-2), and highly ranked Parkland (7-5) from the LVC during a stretch that has seen them win seven of eight games. The senior trio of Kent State-bound Andy Ravel (left), Bryan Fegley, and Old Dominion-bound Adam Bainbridge (who is just now getting up to speed after not pitching for a season and a half due to injury) has a combined ERA of 1.37 and could very well carry an offense that has scored more than four runs only three times in its last thirteen contests.

GernertUpset Alert: Kutztown over Exeter Township - West Chester-bound Cougars ace Andrew Gernert (right) contained 2-seed Oley Valley twice (1 BB, 10 K in a 2-1 win & 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K in a 3-1 loss), while racking up big strikeout totals in victories over Tulpehocken (8 K) and Brandywine Heights (13 K twice). Exeter's East Stroudsburg-bound Ben Bortz (6-0, 1.36 ERA, 51 K in 36 IP) won't make it easy, but Gernert, assuming he gets the starting nod, should keep his team in the game and give them a chance to surprise.

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