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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

Today marks the second installment of our season preview content (and the first for PIAA schools), which will run for four weeks up to the first official PIAA competition date on March 24. Each article includes a list of top prospects from amongst the cohort of schools, as well as write-ups of a number of teams in the cohort. The number in parenthesis after each header is the number of state tournament bids allotted to that district or sub-region. Today's grouping includes the smallest schools from the eastern half of the state.

We received inquiries in the past regarding how we decide which teams to detail. A team profiled in the article is less an indication of what type of season we expect it to have and more a function of how much information we are able to compile. For example, if we have not recently seen a team in person (there are over 600 baseball-playing high schools in the state), stats are not available on-line, and a school district spam filter gobbled up our e-mails to the coach that contained the questionnaire, we might not have enough information to write a full paragraph on that school.

Top Prospects

1. Christian Wingard, 2017, LHP, Millersburg Area (Millersville)
2. Matt Williams, 2017, 1B, Sayre Area (St. Bonaventure)
3. Ben Bills, 2017, SS/RHP, Christian School of York (Nyack)
4. R.J. Kuruts, 2017, RHP/OF, Forest City Regional (St. John Fisher)
5. Zane Robbins, 2019, RHP, Millville

District I (1 bid)

Jenkintown welcomes back its top three pitchers from last spring's district runner-up squad in the senior RHP trio of Chestnut Hill-bound John Contoudis, Jameson Kolb, and Michael DiValento. Those three, along with senior C/IF Alec Griffin, will help power coach George Vafiadis' offense that graduated five regular starters.

Delaware County Christian coach Jeff Wisnewski is tasked with replacing his entire infield, among five regular position player departures. Sophomore outfielder Tyler Rossini and senior outfielder Cody Moorhatch will spark the offense, while junior infielder Clay Corcigmiglia and senior 1B/OF Daniel Nichols should also factor prominently in the line-up. Rossini and fellow sophomore RHP Penn Schmidt will join Moorhatch in again playing big roles on the pitching staff.

Virtually the entire pitching staff and all but two position players regulars return for Faith Christian, which also will incorporate a pair of junior transfers -- shortstop D.J. Cesario and outfielder David Forscht -- into the mix immediately. Sophomore 3B/RHP Carter Heller had a big two-way impact as a rookie. Sophomore RHP Josiah Smith led the team in innings as a freshman, while senior RHP Tim Nice also logged more than 30 innings. Keep an eye on the freshman duo of C/RHP Parker Curry and infielder Jacob Davis to push coach Ed Curry for playing time as well.

Sub-Region II/XI (1 bid)

Tri-Valley looks to continue its odd-year championship streak (District XI titles in 2011, 2013, 2015) with two of its three primary pitchers back, along with more than half of its regular line-up. RHP Willie Kimmel, who logged more innings than all other returning staff members combined, will once again front the rotation, while his fellow junior RHP Dawson Schwalm and 6-foot-2 sophomore LHP Brayden Smith are poised to assume larger workloads. Also a second baseman, Schwalm will team with a pair of his classmates, third baseman Jake Masser and first baseman Logan Yoder, to anchor the infield and power the offense.

The St. John Fisher-bound RHP/OF R.J. Kuruts once again leads the way on the mound and at the plate for Forest City Regional, which is coming off a District II title and state quarterfinal appearance. Senior RHP/IF Kyle Shema will also contribute with his arm and bat, while senior third baseman Dakota Knehr-Cook and junior infielder Tyler Clift will reprise regular roles on a roster that graduated six major contributors.

MMI Prep hopes to have better luck on the injury front as it breaks in a young roster core. Senior RHP Kisan Patel, who logged more innings last year than all other holdovers combined, looks to step into the ace role on a staff that will also feature sophomore RHP Keefer Hoover and junior RHP Mark Lobitz. Junior infielder George Palermo and junior utility Mike Badamo are the top returning offensive performers in a line-up that could get a youth infusion from the likes of freshmen A.J. Jordan, Lance Book, and Christian Yamula.

Notre Dame (East Stroudsburg) is dealing with the graduation of six position player starters, three of whom also logged the most innings on the mound for coach Kevin Hezel. A young line-up will be led by junior infielder Royce Frazier, sophomore infielder Liam Naughton, freshman infielder Eddie Wess. An inexperienced pitching staff will be fronted by the junior duo of LHP Jimmy Gregory and Frazier, while Wess could earn mound time as well.

District III (2 bids)

Millersburg Area graduated five regular position player starters off its district champion and state semifinalist squad, leaving primary run production duties to the senior trio of outfielder Matt Snyder, catcher Cole Shomper, and OF/1B Christian Wingard. Coach Corey Keim will call on RHP Snyder to join Millersville-bound workhorse Wingard, the only available pitcher from last year who logged more than three innings, in the rotation.

Christian School of York has some holes to fill on the mound and at the plate following the departure of two impact two-way performers to college baseball. Back to make his own two-way impact is Nyack-bound RHP/IF Ben Bills. He will be joined in leading a young team in coach Erich Carroll's first year by senior infielder Connor Miller and sophomore RHP/IF Neco Velasco.

Lancaster County Christian is faced with needing to replace four line-up stalwarts, but still has five veteran position players back, led by junior Jeremy Brubaker, senior Kyle Heck, and sophomore Caleb Heck, who led the team in both extra base hits and stolen bases as a freshman. Brubaker is the lone pitching staff holdover to have logged significant innings last year, while the Hecks both stand to see their mound time increase.

With underclassmen holding down two-thirds of the spots in its regular line-up last year, Greenwood hopes to translate that experience into a push up the standings this spring. A pair of two-way performers in sophomore RHP/Util Luke Myers and senior RHP/Util Drew Paden will be joined by junior RHP Parker Taylor and freshman infielder Aaron Bollinger as primary contributors for coach Mark Sherman.

District IV (1 bid)

Millville will no doubt miss its graduated staff ace, but does welcome back a trio of pitchers --  senior RHP Kelly Holdren, junior LHP Gavin Barton, and 6-foot-5 sophomore RHP Zane Robbins -- who logged significant innings during the team's run to a district title last spring. Sophomore catcher Tyler Johnson, a line-up fixture as a freshman, will manage the staff for coach Andy Belolan and help power an offense that returns two-thirds of its primary contributors, including the three pitchers mentioned above.

After coming up one win short of a district title and state tournament berth last season, Sayre Area looks to get over the hump this season with St. Bonaventure-bound first baseman Matt Williams leading the way for a junior-laden group of contributors. IF/RHP Jordan Rockwell and C/RHP Nate Sweet will join Williams (also a LHP) in providing two-way production, while third baseman Connor Hanafin will provide some pop for coach Jon Pack.

Montgomery Area must replace its staff ace and will turn to a trio of sophomores -- RHPs Gage Yohn and Coty Steele, plus LHP Hunter Budman -- to fill the void. Junior catcher Jensen Drick will manage the staff and power the offense, along with junior infielders Trevor Kennedy and Ethan Marino, and sophomore first baseman Brayden Strouse.

District XII (1 bid)

With arch rival Masterman reclassified to 2A in the PIAA's new six-class system, Girard Academy Music Program is the prohibitive favorite to win this district and return to the state tournament for the tenth time in thirteen seasons.

Season Preview Content