Follow @pbrpennsylvania

By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

We polish off our look at class 5A today as we near the finish line for 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 I (4 bids)

Top Prospects:
1. Thomas Caufield, 2018, IF, West Chester Henderson (North Carolina)
2. Chris McMahon, 2017, RHP, West Chester Rustin (Miami)
3. Jack Kochanowicz, 2019, RHP, Harriton (Virginia)
4. Nick O'Day, 2018, RHP/OF, Bishop Shanahan (Texas Christian)
5. Alexander Tappen, 2017, 3B, Wissahickon (Virginia)
6. Charlie Connolly, 2017, RHP, Radnor (United States Naval Academy)
7. P.J. Heintz, 2018, C, Bishop Shanahan
8. Adam Smith, 2018, IF/RHP, West Chester East (UNC Wilmington)
9. Austin Odell, 2018, RHP, Bishop Shanahan
10. Brendan O'Donnell, 2019, OF/RHP, Great Valley
11. Matt Shilling, 2017, IF/RHP, Wissahickon (Harford CC)
12. Ryan Staropoli, 2019, RHP, Holy Ghost Prep
13. Zac Vittorelli, 2018, RHP, Holy Ghost Prep
14. Jonah Frankel, 2018, RHP, Harriton
15. Brady Bash, 2018, OF/RHP, West Chester Henderson
16. Alec Bales, 2018, RHP, West Chester Rustin
17. Alden Mathes, 2019, OF/LHP, Marple Newtown
18. Sean Hopkins, 2019, OF/C, West Chester Rustin
19. Jared Minnichbach, 2020, RHP, Holy Ghost Prep
20. Sam Freedman, 2017, C, Penncrest (Binghamton)

Wissahickon welcomes back seven of nine position player regulars and its entire pitching staff, and has added two transfers expected to make an immediate impact in Juniata-bound 1B/RHP Trey France (from Christopher Dock Mennonite) and sophomore infielder Steven Loden (from Calvary Baptist). Shilling and Tappen anchor the left side of the diamond and will power coach John Bernhardt's offense along with senior outfielder Mike Schoenleber. Vassar-bound RHP Logan Willans enters his fourth season as a stalwart in the rotation, while sophomore RHP Quinn Rovner has flashed some arm speed and shown a feel for his secondary offerings.

The entire starting rotation returns for Harriton, led by the uber-projectable 6-foot-6 Kochanowicz, Franklin & Marshall-bound RHP Don DiLoreto, and junior RHP Jonah Frankel. Coach Scott Kurzinsky's offense will be powered by senior holdovers in Bloomsburg-bound first baseman Ben Newbert and catcher Will Hoffman, plus the middle infield combo of Lorenzo Solon and Washington College-bound Aaron Deutsch.

Despite the loss of its gritty, two-way sparkplug to graduation, 2016 big-school state semifinalist Marple Newtown has plenty of talent remaining with which new coach Mark Jordan can craft another strong campaign. The pitching rotation will be fronted by college-bound RHPs Cameron Mathes (Villanova) and Scott Hahn (Cabrini). Fleet-footed sophomore OF/LHP Alden Mathes, who sparked the top of the line-up as a rookie with a hitting style reminiscent of Ichiro, and solid-across-the-board junior 1B/LHP Luke Zimmerman, will lend their two-way abilities. Also contributing heavily to run production will be senior infielder Bob Steven and physical 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior OF/C Luke Cantwell.

With any depth emerging behind the college-bound mound duo of live-armed Connolly and LHP Will Hoysgaard (St. Joseph's), Radnor should be a solid contender to reach its second straight state tournament. The offense suffered some attrition, but the infield trio of Gettysburg-bound third baseman Patrick McDermott, sophomore shortstop Sean Mullarkey, and senior second baseman Jack DeShan will help hold the fort for first-year coach Joe Kerrigan.

Returning for Holy Ghost Prep is the bulk of the pitching staff, which will again be fronted by senior RHPs Peyton Birch and University of the Sciences-bound John McCrane, with 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore RHP Ryan Staropoli poised to become a significant contributor. Sophomore catcher Phil Stahl assumed starting duties as a rookie and, along with sophomore 1B/OF John McNamee and junior infielder Sean Kerrigan, will buoy coach Vince Rossomando's line-up that must replace five regulars.

Three of the five pitchers who logged double-digit innings last spring are back for Strath Haven, led by ace Will Carey, whose fellow senior RHPs Evan Atsaves and McDaniel College-bound Andrew Robinson are poised to increase their workloads. Coach Brian Fili's offense has some spots to fill, but does welcome back returning starters in junior infielder Anthony Viggiano and Luke Mutz, plus the senior tandem of outfielder Casey Rosier and first baseman Carey.

Springfield will feature an upperclass-laden roster, highlighted by a pair of seniors -- RHP Jared Morris and Washington College-bound LHP Mike Smith -- who return atop a rotation that will also feature junior RHP Mike Conran. A large chunk of offensive production returns, including the senior trio of infielder Brandon Dichachio, catcher Andrew Todaro, and Rochester Tech-bound outfielder Tom Quinn, along with junior third baseman Dave Bingaman.

A big junior class highlights the roster for Bishop Shanahan, headlined by the live arm and power bat of O'Day. He should be joined atop the rotation by the projectable Odell, while the staff will be managed by Heintz, who brings a strong defensive presence with advanced game awareness. Others from the class of 2018 who could make an impact include OF/LHP Danny Dibeneditto and 6-foot-6, 235-pound first baseman Kevin Dodds.

The majority of the line-up returns for West Chester East, highlighted by the toolsy Smith, his junior double-play partner Tim Becker, senior catcher J.T. Thompson, and junior first baseman Jackson Berman. Smith is also one of two experienced rotation cogs (the other being senior RHP Tom Luckner) who will be joined in the rotation by 6-foot-2 freshman RHP Ryan Basarab. Also keep an eye on freshman outfielder John Wileczek to make an immediate on-field impact.

Despite a young roster at Phoenixville Area, the Phantoms pitching staff will feature elder statesmen in junior RHP Kevin Cushing, plus the college-bound RHP duo of Matt Osisek-Byrne (Kutztown) and Zack Masalski (Virginia Wesleyan). A pair of juniors -- 2B/C Luke LeBeau and C/SS Nick Opalkowski -- will provide the primary run production and help welcome a trio of transfers -- sophomore OF/RHP Trip Shoemaker, junior OF/RHP Quinn Danna, and sophomore infielder Devon Goryl -- into the fold.

Ches-Mont League schools who have windscreens behind home plate are going to draw the ire this spring of scouts following around West Chester Rustin ace McMahon, whose easy delivery produces a low-90s fastball that has touched 94 mph. Filling out a trio of seniors atop the rotation for coach Brad Harkins will be LHP Evan Snyder and RHP Jack Brosnan. An unproven offense will be powered by first baseman McMahon and the toolsy Hopkins.

The roster for Sun Valley will feature ten seniors, highlighted by the two-way production of West Chester-bound RHP/IF Christian Bateman. He will be followed in an experienced rotation by a pair of RHP in senior Rich June and junior Nick Wright. Coach Dan Brady's offense, which is down two of its big bats due to injury, will also feature the senior trio of Casey Crockett, Dave Montella, and  Dino Karras.

Senior RHP Brady Horne returns to front a Unionville pitching staff that will also feature the sophomore RHP tandem of Noah Kirkland and Jon Love. Coach Mike Magee's offense will be led by senior outfielder Spencer Pellegrino, junior catcher Zack Kennedy, and junior IF/OF Joe Zubillaga.

Time to reload for Great Valley, which graduated ten off of last year's team and will have seven new names in its line-up this spring. Senior Ryan Craig will spark the offense and patrol centerfield, while junior RHP Sean Gowen will front coach Matt Schultz's pitching staff. Sophomore OF/RHP Brendan O'Donnell and junior IF/RHP Connor Mallloy will be called upon to assume bigger roles at the plate and on the mound.

After a 2016 season during which two-thirds of the line-up had no prior varsity experience, Kennett coach Justin Lamborn has a more seasoned group to work with this spring. Junior RHP/IF Owen Dougherty returns to front the rotation and power the offense. His fellow junior RHP M.J. Patterson will join him in the Blue Demons rotation, while junior first baseman Ben Lesher, plus seniors Bowen duPhily and Drew Massetti will help spark the offense.

Following the graduation of its staff ace, Chichester will be overhauling its pitching staff this spring, turning to the RHP trio of senior Aaron Smith, junior Andrew Rodriguez, and sophomore Ryan Boyers for innings. Coach Dan Singley's offense will be led by senior outfielder Larry Jackson and Nick Jones, plus junior infielder Jason Riberio and junior utility Joe Renzi.

Season Preview Content