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Postseason Notebook

May 19, 2014

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting


Regular season baseball has officially come to an end and the race to the state finals at Medlar Field in State College begins this week. Following are some of the many questions that will be answered in the coming weeks as the 2014 season hits the home stretch.

  1. What team(s) will make runs in Class 4A to get to the title game on June 13? Last year North Penn 17-10 made a charge through the postseason to win a title after finishing tied for 3rd place in the Suburban One League Continental Division. With every team in the 4A Super 16 rankings having at least three losses on the season it is not hard to envision a similar occurrence this season with a team getting hot at the right time.

  2. Will West York make it a 3-peat in Class 3A? The Bulldogs are the two-time defending state champs in this classification and have given no indication that they plan to give up their title without a fight. Currently ranked No. 1 in the Super 16 Class 3A poll, West York sits at 17-3 following two one run losses last week.

  3. Class 2A has a number of interesting story lines heading into the postseason. The Loyalsock Township Lancers (15-5), a prohibitive favorite to repeat as the state champions in this classification heading into the 2014 season, have played well coming down the stretch and appear ready to contend for a repeat. Will Central (18-0), currently ranked No. 4 in the Super 16 rankings, be able to run the table and take home a state title with an unblemished record? Will Saegertown seniors be able to win a 4th District 10 title in their storied high school careers?

  4. Will Class A have an undefeated champion in 2014? California (18-0) and Elk County Catholic (20-0) are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 3 respectively in the Super 16 rankings. Sitting at No. 2 are the Canton Warriors who are trying to avenge a loss in the Class A state title game one year ago.

  5. Will Blackhawk LHP Brendan McKay, a Louisville recruit, extend his consecutive scoreless innings streak during the Cougars' postseason run? McKay is coming off a two-hit shutout over Indiana in the WPIAL quarterfinals with 16 strikeouts extending his streak to 65 innings without allowing a run. Mike Halperin (Naples Barron Collier, FL - 1991 - 72 1/3 innings) and national record holder Joey Porter (South Natchez Adams, MS - 1973 - 80 innings) are the only two pitchers in the history of high school baseball that have streaks longer than McKay's.

  6. Will Central and Eastern PA have continued dominance in the state tournament? Beaver (2A) was the lone representative from Western PA to make an appearance in a state final in 2014. The remaining seven participants in the state finals hailed from central and eastern parts of the commonwealth.

  7. What team will emerge to take home the PAISAA title following a highly competitive 2014 regular season? As many as eight independent school programs have shown the ability to win on any given day this season making this year's PAISAA tournament one of the more competitive fields in recent memory.

  8. Will weather play a major factor in the 2014 state tournament? Rain has hampered the regular season schedule and could affect team's abilities to line up pitching moving through the postseason if wet conditions continue. 

+ Follow the PA District Tournament Tracker for up to date results from district playoff action statewide on a daily basis.


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