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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

Today marks the third installment of our season preview content, 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.

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.

District V (2 bids)

Top Prospect: Riley Christner, 2017, RHP/IF, Meyersdale Area (Pittsburgh)

Meyersdale Area will have the chance to duplicate its 2016 run to the state championship game, as the Red Raiders return 100% of their innings and all but two members of their regular line-up. Christner has a profound affect with his arm (77.2 IP, 43 H, 29 BB, 136 K) and his bat (.474 AVG, 21 XBH, 19 BB vs 4 K). Junior IF/RHP Bryce Kretchman will also contribute heavily as a two-way performer, while senior outfielder Max Caton and senior 1B/C Zach Hotchkiss help anchor the middle of coach Wayne Miller's line-up.

Standing in the way of a repeat run once again will be Southern Fulton, which has proven to be the Red Raiders' kryptonite in recent seasons. The Indians captured their third straight district crown last season and lost an extra-inning game in the first round of the state tournament to eventual champion Vincentian Academy. Unlike the past few seasons, however, the pitching staff is less settled heading into the season. With a bona fide ace and the team's #2 starter both graduated, a relatively inexperienced group that includes junior RHP Cooper Grove, senior LHP Carl Potter, and freshman RHP Gabe Stotler will look to fill the void. Transfer sophomore infielder Colton Souders will join a a line-up that welcomes back seven regulars, including OF/1B Potter, senior shortstop Dylan Gordon, slugging junior 3B/1B Branden Lynch, and senior catcher Tanner Elbin.

Coming off a season in which it suffered four close losses to Meyersdale Area and Southern Fulton, Shanksville-Stonycreek must figure out a way to replace three of its top hitters and two of its top four innings-eaters, including its staff ace. Infielder Will Brant leads a senior-laden offense that will also feature sophomore utility Dawson Snyder, an everyday player as a freshman. On the mound, the senior tandem of T.J. Coughenour and Ryan Caton both return after logging more than twenty innings last spring.

Virtually the entire roster returns for Rockwood Area in coach John Emert's first season. Sophomore Troy Emert comes off a standout freshman campaign in which he served as the ace of the pitching staff and the most potent bat in the line-up. Three other holdovers on the staff logged double-digit innings last year, while sophomore catcher Talon Hall, and the senior duo of infielder Dillon Phillippi and outfielder Max Sechler, will again be counted on for primary run production duties.

After missing almost the entirely of last season, Berlin Brothersvalley junior RHP/IF Nick Gooden looks to get back on the field and be the impact two-way performer he was as a freshman. The now senior duo of LHP Kyle Boyce and 3B/RHP Chandler McClucas picked up the slack on the mound and with the bat last year in Gooden's absence.

Sub-Region IX/X (3 bids)

Top Prospect: Justin Miknis, 2019, C, DuBois Central Catholic (Kent State)

Looking to get back to the state tournament for the first time since it went to five straight from 2010-14 (including four district titles during that span), Elk County Catholic welcomes back virtually its entire senior-laden line-up. The college-bound duo of catcher Dan Stauffer (St. Bonaventure) and shortstop Brad Dippold (Rochester Tech) will power the offense along with fellow seniors Gabe Kraus and first baseman Ryan Heary. An inexperienced pitching staff will likely have the senior RHP trio of Kraus, Dippold, and Jordan Nasoni logging significant innings.

DuBois Central Catholic will open its district title defense with a revamped pitching staff that will feature senior RHP Jack Frank and sophomore RHP Dom Torretti. Midseason reinforcements could arrive from the Cardinals' most experienced returning arm, junior RHP Thomas Greco, who will miss the start of the season due to injury. Miknis and infielder Noah Bloom are part of a large sophomore class that will power the offense along with the senior tandem of outfielder Frank and infielder Michael Misiewicz. Anthony Kness, a sophomore transfer, could also make an immediate impact for coach Andy Sayers.

Coming off back-to-back state tournament appearances, Oswayo Valley will be breaking in an inexperienced squad that graduated six seniors. There's something about the second and seventh letters of the alphabet in Shinglehouse this year, as the Green Wave pitching staff will be led by seniors Garren Black and Gage Babcock, plus junior Gavin Babcock, while the senior duo of outfielder Grant West and shortstop Garret Babcock comprise most of the returning regulars for coach Brad Buchholz.

Yet another team in the mix annually that has a lot of holes to fill is Clarion Area, which graduated five of its top offensive performers and two of its three most-used pitchers. Senior OF/RHP Reed Anthony is back as the staff ace and leading returning hitter. Other returning starters include senior Ryan Anthony, junior Sterling Conner, and junior infielder Cameron Craig, who could also see his role on the mound grow.

A three-sport athlete, senior IF/RHP Sam Leadbetter is the bell cow for Clarion-Limestone on the mound and at the plate. Two-thirds of the line-up returns for the Lions, including sophomore Corey Himes, who comes off a strong freshman campaign. With Leadbetter shouldering a big chunk of the pitching load, and the graduation of two senior contributors, the rest of the pitching staff is less settled.

Despite a small roster, Union coach Angelo Salvo has some young building blocks in place. Sophomore RHP Reice Saylor was logging innings as freshman before an injury derailed his rookie campaign. Back healthy, he will pair with junior LHP Lucas Bowser, the top returning innings-eater, atop the Knights rotation. On the position player side, junior infielder Isaac Yoder and sophomore catcher Lukas Salvo anchor the line-up and middle of the diamond.

Season Preview Content