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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

We take a look at the biggest schools in District III on the penultimate day of our season preview content, which is running for four weeks up to the first official PIAA competition date tomorrow. 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 III (3 bids)

Top Prospects:
1. Tyler Burchett, 2018, RHP, Red Lion Area (Kentucky)
2. Drew Baughman, 2018, 3B, Cumberland Valley (Liberty)
3. Justin Williams, 2018, 3B, Cumberland Valley (Penn State)
4. Jeff Taylor, 2017, LHP, Penn Manor (Penn State)
5. Troy Schreffler, 2019, OF/RHP, Central Dauphin (Maryland)
6. Nick Parker, 2018, RHP/IF, Dallastown Area (Coastal Carolina)
7. Tye Golden, 2017, IF, Dallastown Area (Old Dominion)
8. Luke Trainer, 2017, C, Conestoga Valley (Millersville)
9. Bryant Holtzapple, 2017, C, Dallastown Area (George Washington)
10. Cole Houser, 2020, C, Hempfield
11. Beck Way, 2017, OF/RHP, Cumberland Valley (Belmont Abbey)
12. Tracy Carr, 2018, OF, Dallastown Area
13. Mitchel Hoon, 2017, RHP, Cumberland Valley (George Washington)
14. Demaurys Rodriguez, 2020, C, Wilson
15. Julian Bailey, 2019, C, Dallastown Area

Coming off a state semifinal appearance, Cumberland Valley returns the bulk of its offensive firepower, which it may need as it contends with replacing two of its top three pitchers. 6-foot-3, 215-pound Baughman has tremendous raw power and Williams did nothing but hit all summer against quality competition, while Way and his fellow Belmont Abbey-bound outfielder Adam Overcash bring a dose of athleticism to the line-up. Hoon has a live arm and solid curveball, and will be joined in the rotation by LHP Overcash and junior RHP Ryan Rudrow.

After a season that ended with a tough 1-0 loss in the first round of district play (one of just five losses on the season by a combined six runs), Penn Manor welcomes back polished ace Taylor, who has consistently demonstrated pitchability while seeing his velocity make a steady ascent. Senior RHP Matt Tulli is also back after logging big innings, while senior LHP Grant Gale, who made just two appearances last season, should see his role grow closer to what it was as a sophomore when he logged over twenty innings. Senior third baseman Dave Mowery and junior catcher Brett Beiler will join a trio of returning outfielders -- Taylor, Gale, and senior Jeremy Burkholder -- in trying to boost run-scoring from last season for coach Jim Zander.

Dallastown Area returns six position player starters, among whom Golden, Parker, Holtzapple, and the undersized, but toolsy, Carr could give them one of the strongest middle-of-the-diamonds in the state. Senior infielder Joe Capobiano will also provide some pop while playing multiple positions throughout the spring. Projectable staff ace Parker will be out until mid-season due to injury, leaving a trio of senior RHP -- Jake Gates, Zack Ness, and Chace Miller -- plus sophomore RHP Alex Weakland to pick up the slack in his absence for coach Greg Kinneman.

Coming off back-to-back state tournament appearances, Governor Mifflin returns four of its five pitchers who logged double-digit innings, led by pitch-to-contact Northampton CC-bound ace RHP Noah Weber. Also back to assume prominent roles are the college-bound RHP duo of Corbin Dunnuck (Fairleigh Dickinson) and Noah Angstadt (Camden County College), along with lanky, 6-foot-5 junior LHP Joe Adametz. Coach Chris Hole's offense is a little less settled, as Harford CC-bound infielder Ajay Sczepkowski is the only line-up holdover from among the Mustangs top six offensive performers last season, meaning Penn State Harrisburg-bound Austin Baker and his fellow senior Phillip Henry will be counted to assume a larger share of the run production duties.

Red Lion Area must contend with the graduation of two rotation stalwarts, but having a talent like the live-armed Burchett, who can be dominant when he harnesses his command, to slot in atop the rotation is a luxury many teams in a similar situation don't have. Senior RHP Cole Delp and junior LHP Tyler Stabley will also be asked to shoulder bigger workloads. Coach Kevin Lawrence's offense will be powered by Davis & Elkins-bound first baseman Hank Shultz, Mount Aloysius-bound catcher Cam Gipe, and junior third baseman Connor Dewees.

Central Dauphin coach Brian Zellers welcomes back a senior-laden squad this spring. Schreffler comes off a stellar freshman season in which he showed power and bat control. He will be joined in solidifying the line-up by Rochester Tech-bound catcher Luke McNamara and Harford CC-bound shortstop Braydon Parr. Senior RHP Jake Deibert will again front the rotation, while senior RHP Bryson Allen and senior LHP Dalton Oakes are poised to assume larger workloads.

Warwick welcomes back two of its top three innings-eaters in Kutztown-bound ace RHP Zach Peters and 6-foot-4 senior RHP Ethan Norman. Despite the loss of two-thirds of its position player starters, the Warriors still have a solid core around which to build the offense, including speedy senior outfielder Nate Hess, infielder Peters, and 6-foot-4 left-handed hitting junior first baseman Justin Byler.

Wilson coach Salvatore Raccuglia can roll out an experienced roster of upperclassmen this spring, which includes a quartet of college-bound position players: catcher Chase Zurawski (Penn State Harrisburg), outfielder Dalton Emerich (Misericordia), outfielder Ryan Murphy (Lackawanna), and infielder Jaden Himmelrich (Penn State Abington). A RHP-heavy pitching staff will feature juniors Collin Foster and Connor Uhrig, plus Reading Area CC-bound Darrien Mogel, while RHP Murphy is intriguing on the mound in his own right. Keep an eye on the switch-hitting Rodriguez to make an impact at the varsity level as a rookie.

Hempfield will have a whole new look, as just two position players and one pitcher return who received significant playing time last spring. Junior LHP Eric Sipling will front the rotation, with senior RHP Tanner Seitz and sophomore RHP Ty Vaughn, who combined to log just eight innings last season, slated to see their workloads significantly increase. A revamped line-up will feature returning senior starters in third baseman Angel Colon and outfielder Greg Gambler, while Lebanon Valley College-bound outfielder Mark Peterson is among a group who will need to assume more prominent roles.

Chambersburg Area will feature a youthful roster this spring, especially on the mound, where the junior tandem of LHP Kaden Hoover and RHP Austin Kopp, plus sophomore LHP Karsen Rush, are slated to should the majority of the workload. Frederick CC-bound infielder Hayden Kissel is among a trio of seniors, also including catcher Bryce Kendall and outfielder Kevin Carbaugh, as well as sophomore third baseman Max Armstrong, who will anchor coach Scott Folmar's line-up.

Conestoga Valley coach Jeff Craig will be staring at a young line-up card this spring after graduating two-thirds of his regular position players starters and more than half of his innings. Senior RHP Trevor High returns atop the rotation, where he could be joined by a pair of sophomores in Nathan Scheid and Keegan Martin. The left-handed hitting Trainer will manage the staff and provide some offensive punch, while others such as junior infielder Addison Dienner, sophomore outfielder Gavin Horning, and freshman 3B/OF Dominic Schleger will push for big roles.

Wilkes-bound RHP Cody Kissinger returns as the ace of a Lebanon staff that has no other holdover who logged double-digit innings last spring. Senior RHP Cameron Shaak, who will join Kissinger at Wilkes, will step up a couple rungs in the pecking order, while transfer junior RHP Franci Nunez could assume a significant workload as well. A group of returning line-up regulars for coach Mike Toomey includes outfielder Shaak and the junior quartet of first baseman Kissinger, infielder Antonio Collazo, outfielder Andy Ortiz, and catcher Dharlim Vasquez.

Manheim Township coach Matt Kirchoff is facing a roster overhaul, as just one position player who played full-time last year returns, while no pitching staff holdover logged more than 4.2 innings. Senior outfielder Hunter McClintock will spark the offense, while senior catcher Joe Rudzinski will manage a rotation that includes the junior duo of LHP Josh Long and RHP Ethan Kile.

6-foot-4 Kutztown-bound RHP Barrett Dunkelberger will front a Reading pitching staff that also will feature junior RHP Yadriel Parrilla and senior RHP Steven Tavarez. Coach Jason Zeigler will rely on senior catcher Marco Morales and first baseman Dunkelberger to provide some pop, while the junior duo of shortstop J.D. Garcia and center fielder Victor Feliz solidify the middle of the diamond.

Just one returning senior saw significant playing time last year for Cedar Crest, which will again feature a young, but now more experienced, roster. Primary run production will center around junior infielder Joseph Carpenter, senior 1B/OF Ethan Stickler, junior outfielder Nate Cavic, and sophomore catcher Kyle Poorman. Coach Josh Brown's pitching staff will feature a pair of junior RHP, Cavic and Chad Ryland, along with sophomore RHP Logan Horn.

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