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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

And then there were sixteen. The first round of the 2016 PIAA Class A state tournament starts tomorrow at various sites across the state. Below is a preview of each participating team (listed in bracket order, separated by first-round match-up) with notes on players to watch and how each team's season has progressed.

Notes:
X-Y before a school name = District-Bid (e.g. 3-2 is the runner-up from District III).
If multiple districts are listed before a school name, those districts combined to form a sub-regional to determine that bid.

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12-1 Masterman Dragons (5-7)
Perennially a two-horse race for this bid, Masterman beat defending district champ GAMP in regular- and post-season meetings this spring. The Dragons are led by a trio of all-Philadelphia Public League Division A selections: junior 1st-team pitcher Liam Shanahan, senior 2nd-team outfielder Seamus Gleason, and senior 2nd-team pitcher Scott Phillips.

3-1 Millersburg Area Indians (13-7)
An inauspicious 1-6 start to the season was quickly erased with a 12-1 finish. Current run was punctuated by a nine-inning thriller in the district title game that was scoreless through eight innings. Ace junior LHP Christian Wingard (60.1 IP, 34 H, 32 BB, 87 K) gave a yeoman's effort in a complete game in the clincher. Wingard (.403 AVG) also teams with senior Austin Lehman (.355 AVG) as the only offensive regulars hitting over .281.

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11-1 Marian Catholic Colts (19-4)
Seven pitchers have logged double-digit innings for the Schuylkill League tournament and Division 3 regular-season champ, highlighted by Scranton-bound RHP Joe Nahas (46 IP, 15 H, 16 BB, 74 K). Offense is powered by slugging junior first baseman Daniel Keer (.494 AVG, 18 XBH), plus seniors Mason Evitts (.388 AVG, 8 BB vs 3 K) and UVa-Wise-bound Dante Salerno (.392 AVG, 16 BB+HBP vs 4 K, 14 SB). Three losses came vs 2A schools, three were by two runs or less, and the Colts emphatically avenged their lone 1A loss in the district title game behind a complete-game, 1-hitter from Nahas.

1-1 Christopher Dock Mennonite Pioneers (19-1)
This was all but a foregone conclusion when the district tournament started, as Dock had beaten each of the other five teams in the bracket once, by a composite score of 56-2. This team is more than a product of its schedule, however, having notched five wins over 2A/3A district qualifiers by a combined score of 36-3. Only loss came against a quality 4A program. The pitching staff has given up less than one run per game behind the right arms of junior Daniel Sabath (54 IP, 31 H, 6 BB, 80 K), who has the distinction of striking out possible first-round draft pick Nolan Jones twice in their May faceoff, and sophomore David Keller (44.2 IP, 23 H, 20 BB, 51 K). The entire offense has put up ungodly numbers, with Lehigh-bound catcher Tim DiLoreto (.422 AVG, 9 XBH, 14 BB vs 5 K) and freshman third baseman Nolan Bolton (.463 AVG, 13 BB vs 7 K) players to watch.

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4-1 Millville Quakers (16-6)
Has been in every game its played with all losses coming by one or two runs (and only two losses vs 1A schools). Started 12-2 before a 2-4 stretch to end the regular season, but rebounded to capture the program's 1st-ever district title. Penn Tech-bound RHP Brittan Kittle fronts the pitching staff (54 IP, 33 H, 21 BB, 63 K) and spearheads the offensive production (.433 AVG, 10 XBH). Rest of the staff has put up solid numbers as well, although may need to shake off some rust as Kittle has pitched a complete game in the Quakers only two games since May 19. Team is averaging over 5.5 steals per game, led by junior Kelly Holdren (.424 AVG, 18 BB vs 9 K, 34 SB) and freshman Tyler Johnson (.410 AVG, 9 XBH, 20 SB).

2-1 Forest City Regional Foresters (10-6)
The Foresters hadn't given up more than four runs in a game all season until the district championship, but a four-run top of the seventh helped them eke out a 6-5 win over a Blue Ridge team that beat them in two tight contests during the regular-season. Arcadia-bound Mitchell Blake and junior R.J. Kuruts lead the way on the mound, while Kuruts and the sophomore duo of Dakota Knehr-Cook and Kyle Shema power the offense. Four of six losses came vs 2A schools.

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6-1 Juniata Valley Green Hornets (15-8)
The Hornets defended their district title with relative ease, rolling through four rounds of the district tournament by a combined score of 33-11. Young team with only two seniors playing significant roles. Sophomore Jack Johnson (54 IP, 47 H, 22 BB, 51 K) and 6-foot-2 freshman Quinn Zinoble (34 IP, 38 H, 16 BB, 28 K) front a pitching staff that has seen five of its members log at least 15.2 innings. Polished junior infielder Bryce Hensor has a good feel for the barrel (.425 AVG, 8 XBH), plate discipline (16 BB vs 2 K), and solid wheels (24 SB). Zinoble (.373 AVG, 18 SB) and sophomore Seth Derugen (.350 AVG, 7 XBH, 19 SB) have shown well offensively early in their careers as well. Only two of eight losses came against 1A schools.

5-2 Meyersdale Area Red Raiders (19-5)
Projectable, live-armed 6-foot-2 junior RHP Riley Christner (54.1 IP, 27 H, 16 BB, 111 K) fronts a pitching staff that is allowing just three runs per game and has three other members who have logged double digit innings. Christner (.467 AVG, 14 XBH, 17 BB vs 2 K, 12 SB) also is the bellcow for an offense that gets a spark from sophomore Bryce Kretchman (.343 AVG, 14 SB) and junior Max Caton (.407 AVG). The bracket provides an added bonus for this team: they won'tt have to see nemesis Southern Fulton, which has beaten them in three straight district title games, prior to the state championship.

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7-1 Serra Catholic Eagles (22-2)
Avenged only two losses in WPIAL title game against Greensburg Central Catholic. Mound foursome of sophomore RHPs Ben Visnesky (34.2 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 42 K), Ben Davis (29 IP, 26 H, 4 BB, 27 K), Nate Piontka (28 IP, 20 H, 25 BB, 32 K), and Zach Bowen (26.1 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 39 K), who authored back-to-back perfect games earlier this year, has combined to log a better than three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season. Piontka (.452 AVG, 8 XBH), Visnesky (.414 AVG, 7 BB vs 1 K), and senior outfielder Noah Kinser (.400 AVG, 18 BB vs 5 K) highlight an offense (composite .376 AVG, .474 OBP) that got a boost from two senior transfers from 2016 WPIAL 4A champ Norwin: Ryan Anselmino (.435 AVG, 8 XBH) and Jason Cerniglia (.406 AVG).

6-2 Portage Area Mustangs (17-6)
Senior Luke Dividock (69 IP, 65 H, 6 BB, 55 K) is the unquestioned ace of a pitching staff that has a nearly three-to-one composite strikeout-to-walk ratio and three other members who have logged between 23.1 and 29 innings. Junior Jake Swank (.381 AVG, 12 BB + 5 HBP vs 8 K) leads a line-up in which only one regular is hitting below .333. Had a seven-game win streak stopped in the district title game.

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10-1 Rocky Grove Orioles (16-5)
Opened the season winning ten of eleven games before hitting a rough patch and losing four of six in early May. Righted the ship to win their next four, including an improbable comeback from a 7-1 deficit with three outs to go in the district championship game. Have been in every game they've played (all losses by three runs or less). Towering 6-foot-7, 200-pound sophomore RHP Travis Perry (45 IP, 19 H, 17 BB, 79 K) has been nothing short of dominant. Junior Brady Wilson (.279 AVG, 11 BB vs 6 K, 18 SB) is a spark atop the line-up, while Perry (.433 AVG, 10 XBH, 10 SB), sophomore Connor Curran (.361 AVG), and senior Nate White (.372 AVG, 9 SB) have also been major contributors.

9-2 Oswayo Valley Green Wave (22-1)
Second straight state tournament appearance for the 2015 district champ, which suffered its first loss (by the score of 2-1) in this year's title game. Erie CC-bound catcher Dylan Buchholz (.435 AVG) manages a pitching staff fronted by senior RHP Brandon Brabham (45 IP, 13 BB, 52 K) and sophomore LHP Garren Black (45 IP, 16 BB, 49 K), who are backed up by a defense that has committed just 15 errors all season. Offense has six players hitting over .400, including junior Grant West (.471), Brabham (.460), Black (.460), junior Garret Babcock (.406, 7 XBH), and freshman Gavin Babcock (.425).

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5-1 Southern Fulton Indians (18-4)
Third straight district title. Pitching staff has allowed three runs or less sixteen times and is fronted by College of Charleston-bound RHP Trent Rider (64 IP, 22 H, 6 BB, 96 K) with senior Zach Clark (32.2 IP, 32 H, 11 BB, 41 K) providing quality innings as well. Late-season reinforcements arrived in the person of sophomore Cooper Grove, who could be an X-factor on the mound (7 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 9 K). The junior trio of Carl Potter (.406 AVG), Tanner Elbin (.286 AVG, 18 BB+HBP vs 11 K), and Dylan Gordon (.294 AVG, 14 BB+HBP vs 6 K, 15 SB) spark the offense, while Grove (.343 AVG) contributes as well.

7-2 Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions (15-4)
Regular-season Section 2 champ was felled in the WPIAL title game by section rival Serra Catholic, a team it beat twice during the regular-season. Offense with a composite .389 AVG is headlined by Penn-bound infielder Tommy Pellis (.645 AVG, 24 XBH, 13 BB vs 2 K, 17 SB), with senior catcher Zack Skatell (.435 AVG, 8 XBH, 11 BB vs 5 K) and junior infielder Neal McDermott (.362 AVG, 8 XBH, 9 BB vs 4 K) also serving as primary run producers. Junior RHPs McDermott (37.2 IP, 26 H, 20 BB, 45 K) and Jack Liberatore (27.2 IP, 28 H, 14 BB, 25 K), plus Ave Maria-bound LHP J.P. Pellis (29 IP, 20 H, 15 BB, 36 K) have dominated the innings.

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9-1 DuBois Central Catholic Cardinals (17-2)
After falling one win short of a state berth last year, DCC climbed the mountain to the district title this season. Senior RHPs Jake Miknis (36 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 56 K) and Nick Szczerba (40.2 IP, 25 H, 19 BB, 32 K), plus sophomore RHP Thomas Greco (22.1 IP, 12 H, 15 BB, 39 K) have logged 86% of the staff's innings. St. Bonaventure-bound Miknis (.490 AVG, 8 XBH) and Greco (.475 AVG) highlight the offense, while freshman Justin Miknis (.357 AVG, 9 BB vs 3 K) has made his presence felt as a rookie as well.

7-3 Vincentian Academy Royals (17-7)
A Royals program that has had a steady stream of talent for years finally broke a string of consecutive first-round WPIAL tournament losses on its way to earning this berth. The sophomore RHP duo of Aidan Thompson and Garrett Barto join the college-bound tandem of LHP Mark Cyterski (Ohio Northern) and RHP Nick Kempa (Allegheny) as primary mound options. The Fedko brothers -- sophomore Kyler (.611 AVG) and Connecticut commit Christian (.414 AVG, 7 HR) -- power an offense that also gets contributions from Barto (.397 AVG), Cyterski (.394 AVG), and Kempa (.380 AVG, 16 HBP). Five of seven losses came against schools in bigger classifications; all losses were by four runs or less.

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