Mid-Atlantic Insider: WCAC Preview

Team Breakdowns

Bishop Ireton

2017 was a tough one for Bishop Ireton who went winless in the WCAC and 4-19 overall. The Cardinals look to bounce back and compete this 2017 campaign with some new faces on the roster. They do return the middle of their lineup from last season in seniors Reilly Hughes and Chandler Wilder to pace them on the offensive end. Stephen McArdle could also provide some offensive contribution. Look for Mark Lock and Brian Hoffman to contribute on the mound for the Cardinals.

Bishop McNamara

Bishop McNamara will be a team to keep an eye on this spring. Maceo Campbell (Longwood) should be the top arm in the rotation and boasts a fastball that can get into the upper 80's. Jake Thomas should provide depth in the rotation for McNamara as well. Offensively the Mustangs will be paced by Tim Hanible (Delaware State), and Will Vickers alongside Campbell. IF Ian Cawthorne should continue to improve after getting a year older and having a solid year after having to replace Kyle Benjamin when he was lost for the year. Winston Davis could be a wildcard for the team and Kamau Moody should add some depth.

Bishop O'Connell

Bishop O'Connell finished the 2016 regular season in second place in the WCAC and lost to Good Counsel in the semifinals of the WCAC tournament. Senior righty Will Liverpool (West Virginia) emerged down the stretch in 2016 and looks primed to see an expanded role during the 2017 season. There could be a few game shtis season that the lanky righty will win on his own.  His younger brother, sophomore Nick Liverpool should be a key offensive presence in the lineup along with senior C James DiGuilian. O'Connell was looking forward to also adding freshman lefty Jake Berry (Virginia) to the mix but a basketball injury will affect his impact this spring. O'Connell will have a tough time replacing all of the talent lost from the 2016 season but still should compete in the WCAC.

DeMatha

DeMatha will be looking to build from their 8-8 campaign in 2016 and will boast some of the youngest talent in the WCAC this season. 2019's IF/RHP Thomas Keehn (Duke) and C Clark Burroughs will be key sophomores for the team and should be mainstays in the lineup. 2020's C Jack Bulger and OF/RHP Alex Greene (Virginia) are two freshmen that could see plenty of time on the field this season as they both are exciting young prospects. 2018's Moises Aristy, Marcus Brown, and Trendon Craig will be key offensive players with Craig being a mainstay in the middle of the lineup building off his successful sophomore season. Senior Paul Brown-Taylor will also provide a quality bat in the order and experience. Others to keep an eye on include 2018 Darius Gilliam, 2018 Timmy Pyne, and 2019 Jordan Peyton. DeMatha brings plenty of talent this season and should challenge this season, but more than likely are a year or two away.

Gonzaga

The Gonzaga Eagles finished in sixth in the WCAC regular season, losing to Bishop O'Connell 1-0 in the WCAC Quarterfinals.This 2017 they are poised to take a step forward. Offense again is going to be key for the Eagles in 2017 to get runs for one of the best 1-2 combinations in the WCAC in 2017's Teddy Blumenauer (VCU) and Will Thomas. Brendan Gibson give the Eagles a solid No. 3 in the rotation. Daniel Agate (Rochester) should add more depth to the staff. Offensively Gonzaga will look to Gibson and Jacob Hardney as the top two returning everyday hitters in the lineup. Nick Escoto could see more time in the lineup this season after hitting .310 in limited time year while Tommy McGee, Kyle McKenzie and James Delaney look to improve with another year under their belt.

Good Counsel

Good Counsel is hoping to take home a championship this season after finishing tied for third during the regular season and making it to the WCAC championship where they came up just short against St. John's. Leading the way for the Good Counsel offense this season will be seniors and returning WCAC all-conference members OF CJ Kozorosky and SS Joey Goodwin (UMBC). Zach Huddleston (Dundalk) will add another stick to the lineup and should help on the mound as well with RHP Ronnie Orie. One thing about Good Counsel is you never count out the Falcons. They should contend again in the WCAC.

Paul VI

Paul VI finished tied for third in the WCAC in 2016 losing in the semifinals taking eventual champion St. John's to a decisive game three. The Panthers would then reach the VISAA Division I State Championship game. They will welcome Billy Emerson back to the dugout as their coach this spring. Paul VI lost some key pieces to graduation but will still have plenty of talent on hand to challenge for 2017 and should be led by a strong rotation built around senior Liam McDonnell (James Madison) and juniors Cristian Sanchez (Alabama) and Jack Weeks (Georgetown). Paul VI's lineup will also have plenty of talent with senior catcher Michael Morgan (James Madison) back as well as juniors Connor Baine (George Mason) and Tyler Casagrande (Arizona) with very talented sophomore Cortland Lawson potentially contributing as well.

St. John's

Defending Champion St. John's looks like they will again be the team beat in 2017. The Cadets will boast the deepest pitching staff in the conference with an astounding nine pitchers committed to colleges. Leading the way will be 2018 RHP/3B Jacob Steinberg (Miami) coming off a 7-1 season with a 2.19 ERA. 2018 Zeke Gongola (Maryland) will add with Stenberg to make a formidable 1-2 combo. Gabe Levine (Lafayette) and Bruce Hudson (Radford) will add more depth to a staff that includes Jake Heskett (Goldey-Beacom), Kyle Johnson (Holy Cross), Jake Pecilunas (Towson), Yash Rane (Lehigh), and Zack Tsakounis (William & Mary). Offensively, the Cadets will be paced by OF Peter Costigan with Levine, Jack Roberts (Elon), and Steinberg. After missing the entire 2016 season, St. John's will also welcome the return of OF Ethan Forbes (Virginia). Keep an eye out for RHP Cooper Adams, IF Michael Campbell, and C Eric O'Brien (Christopher Newport). If you want to be picky, you could say that scoring runs could be a problem at times, but the Cadets will field a complete team and should compete for a championship yet again.

St. Mary's Ryken

The 2017 version of St. Mary's Ryken will have a tough time replacing Andrew Dameron, Brett Lagana, and Bryan Towers, but do return a strong core of players that should give the team a chance to compete in the WCAC this season. On the mound the Knights return Jackson Schmidt who led the team in innings and ERA from last season. Offensively the Knights will be paced by CJ Weirich and Cole Hayden. Keep an eye on Ryan Oglesby and Joey Bryner to build off of their experience from last season for a strong senior campaign.

Predictions