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2017 Recap

History was made in 2017 as Loyola-Blakefield won their first title in over 70 years defeating Calvert Hall in a winner-take-all game two of the MIAA tournament. The Dons had a .500 regular season finishing fourth, but first year head coach Mike Kelly had a plan in place for the year that came to fruition at the right time and Loyola-Blakefield came on strong at the finish to take home the championship.

Calvert Hall ended the year as the regular season champions and made it to the tournament final finishing second overall. Gilman once again had a strong campaign to finish 22-9 to a third place regular season. Archbishop Spalding had another solid season with a new look roster to finish 20-6 in the regular season and finish in second.

2018 Preview

It’s another season that is going to be hard to pick a clear-cut champ with multiple teams showing plenty of firepower that should contend. We would not be surprised if the regular season champ has five or more losses this year and the tournament champ could be another team from the middle of the pack. This year might be one of the more competitive seasons from top to bottom the league looks well balanced and making the tournament is going to be a battle to the end.  

Preseason All-MIAA

 

Trent Gast-Woodard	Archbishop Curley
Justin Looney	Mount Saint Joseph
AJ Holcomb	Loyola-Blakefield
Ryan Archibald	John Carroll
Maxwell Costes	Gilman
Kevin Madden	St. Pauls
Tyler Locklear	Archbishop Curley
JP Murphy	Calvert Hall
Connor Feustle	Mount Saint Joseph
Peter Godrick	Archbishop Spalding
Will Glock	Loyola-Blakefield
Stephen Pelli	St. Mary's
Nick Collier	John Carroll
Dan O'Connor	Calvert Hall
Matthew Wyatt	Loyola-Blakefield

 

Pitcher of the Year:    Matthew Wyatt

Player of the Year:     Maxwell Costes

 

The Teams

Archbishop Curley

The Friars might be set up the best this year in 2018 with some of the best talent in the conference. Offensively they will have a dangerous lineup and some of the most pop in the state with Paul Nixon (Harford CC), Trent Gast-Woodard (Towson), Nick Brown (Towson), and Tyler Locklear (VCU). Gast-Woodard and Brown should have bounce back campaigns in their senior season. With a powerful lineup, consistency will need to be in order as that talented lineup cannot all go cold at the same time. Going against top notch pitching that the MIAA has from top to bottom, the Friars could tire most pitching rotations with the depth of their lineup. Keep an eye on youngster Gavin Evans who could be a breakout player this season. More offensive consistency through the season can play a large role toward their championship dream and help a somewhat slim pitching staff develop for a better second half. Jeffery Calderon looks to be the clear-cut ace in the rotation this season along with Corey Burton and Colton Knoble, giving the team a nice top three rotation. This could be the year the Friars get back to the top of the league.

Key Player

• Tyler Locklear

Wild Card

• Corey Burton
  

Archbishop Spalding

The so called “transition year” we thought Spalding might have didn’t really happen as the Cavs rolled to a second-place finish in the regular season. Although they couldn’t make it another championship in a row, Spalding still had a very impressive season. The Cavs were able to roll with the arms of Nick Vermillion and Jordan Gerber last year, but 2018 looks like it could be more of a true transition as the Cavs will be a bit younger this go-round. Shortstop Justin Caesar is one of the more exciting players around and will be one to watch and should pace the top of the lineup for the Cavs. Peter Godrick is one of the few key seniors along with Nick Benitez and Justin Pelletreau but after that you will see plenty of young talent get time for Spalding. Look for Joshua Moylan to add a power presence in the middle of the lineup with the next Blohm in line, Cory Blohm as well as the next Vermillion in line, Nate Vermillion. Keep an eye on Zach Powers, Ethan McCormick, and Dan Elliott. Spalding may be a couple years away, but they look like they are retooling for another run at the top MIAA.

Key Player

• Justin Caesar

Wild Card

• Zach Powers
  

  

Calvert Hall

The Cardinals have found a new ace in the rotation with Maryland commit Dan O’Connor who has become a top arm in the state last summer after only pitching 9.2 innings for Cal. JP Murphy (High Point) may be the conference player of the year with his combination of size, power, and speed. Two big keys to the season will be the rest of the pitching staff to stay healthy and allow them to be rested come playoff time. Keep an eye on Boston College commit Parker Landwehr to have a breakthrough year this year and provide punch in the middle of the order. Antonio Barranca could see some time as well and provide another bat in middle of the lineup. Dominic Freeberger will be a key in the middle infield as well as Ethan Koster. Offensively this is a deep Cardinal team, but experienced pitching is lacking after their three main arms of Andrew Rosso, Brennan Maher, and Matthew Hentschel all graduated. O’Connor could have a big year, and will more than likely be a workhorse this season for the Cardinals.

Key Player

• JP Murphy

Wild Card

• Ethan Koster

Gilman

The Greyhounds have become a consistent tenant in the top quarter of the league the past few years, and we will not be surprised to see that again in 2018. Leading the way for the Greyhound will be All-Everything player Maxwell Costes. The Maryland commit has been a big factor in the Greyhound lineup and rotation for the past three seasons and will no doubt be a main cog in his senior swan song. Part of their big two will also be IF/OF 2019 Pierce Bennett (Wake Forest). Bennett had a breakout year in 2017 and looks to build off that success in 2018. Don’t be surprised to see the Greyhounds again in the picture come playoff time.

Key Player

• Maxwell Costes
  
  

John Carroll

Though they have had some under-performing seasons the past two years, this John Carroll roster looks poised for a nice spring.  A nice mixture of returning offense and pitching make this an intriguing team this 2018. It all begins with two-way talent Ryan Archibald for the Patriots. The Arizona commit is one of the top players in the conference who can change the game in one swing, and can also more than hold his own on the mound. Towson commit LHP Nick Collier will give the team an opportunity to win every time he toes the rubber and will again provide plenty of innings and reliability on the bump. Keep an eye on Myles Janson, a transfer from Great Britain to see some time on the mound. The Patriots have plenty of candidates but will need some of their pitching depth to take bigger roles for the team this spring. Offensively the Patriots will need to give Archibald some protection and Grant Astle should be a staple at the top of the order this season. A big season from a new face such as Tyler Blittersdorf, Stelio Stakias, or Chris Roberts could go a long way for the Patriots this season.

Key Player

• Ryan Archibald

Wild Card

• Stelio Stakias
  

Loyola Blakefield

The Dons looks like they could make another championship run in 2018, although losing Miguel Mateo and Hunter Spalt will be hard to replace. Matthew Wyatt (Virginia) and Will Glock (Maryland) make up for two of the top arms in Maryland, and Carson Barnes makes for a very interesting top three in the rotation. Glock may also again be the mainstay at shortstop so who takes his spot when he is on the mound is a question that will need answering. AJ Holcomb (High Point) will be the main man in the middle of the lineup, but they will need others to step in and have big seasons to give the Dons enough offensive firepower throughout the season. No one will take the defending champs lightly in 2018, but don’t be surprised to see new confidence in the defending champs in their quest to make the next championship have a little less time in between.   

Key Player

• AJ Holcomb

Wild Card

• Carson Barnes

McDonogh

One of the more improved teams last year was McDonogh and look for the Eagles to build off that season heading into 2018. Grayson Lawrence, Matt Spind, and Ben Smith will play key roles for the team and keep an eye out for youngster Kyle Whitaker who shows some pop at the plate and could contribute as the season progresses. 2021 Evan Marcinko looks like could be a freshmen to follow down the road. We see some improvement for the Eagles as they could challenge for a playoff birth.

Key Player

• Matt Spind

Mount St. Joseph

Could be an interesting season for MSJ heading into 2018. A solid core on the offensive end should pace the Gaels who will lean on seniors Connor Feustle, Luke Hess, and junior Justin Looney (Longwood) to lead the offensive charge. On the mound look for RHP John Torroella to see plenty of mound time and could play a key role this season. Do not be surprised to see some new faces come into their own for the Gaels this season as they should be in the battle for a playoff birth in the middle of the pack.

Key Player

• Justin Looney

Wild Card 

• Luke Hess
  

St. Mary’s

Off-field distractions slowed down what looked like a promising season for the Saints last year and this season will be a senior led roster who will need to put up big years if the Saints want to get to the playoffs. On the mound they will look no further than their bonafide ace in Stephen Pelli (North Carolina), who will give the team a chance to win every time he is on the rubber. No. 2 should be LHP Brock Goodwin (Monmouth) who has made a big rise since the fall and should give them an interesting 1-2 combination. The question is who will catch them? Offensively they will be led by seniors Pelli, Brandon Cook (Shepherd), Nick Hopkins (LaSalle), Miles Christian and Chase Hilliard (King). Keep an eye on 2020’s McCormick Buchner, Jacob Way and Dhane Blair. Pelli and Goodwin will need to be effective on the mound and go deep into their starts in order for the Saints to be most effective and contend. This year looks like a battle to get into the playoffs.

Key Player

• Stephen Pelli

Wild Card

• Nick Hopkins
  
  

  

St. Paul’s

Looks like another rebuild year for St. Paul’s although they do possess one of the to players in the conference in P/IF Kevin Madden (Virginia Tech). Madden will give the team a chance to win any time he takes the hill and should be a staple in the middle of the order. Him and C Ryan Rogan will be the keys on the offensive end with peter French as well. There should be some improvement but still a tough road to climb in 2018.

Key Player

• Kevin Madden

Predictions

1. Loyola-Blakefield
2. Archbishop Curley
3. Calvert Hall
4. Gilman
5. Archbishop Spalding
6. John Carroll
7. Mount St. Joseph
8. McDonogh
9. St. Mary’s
10. St. Paul's

The league seems pretty wide open with any of our top six capable of taking a championship. Archbishop Curley has the most talented team in the league, but can this group take the next step to a championship? Calvert Hall has another dynamic offensive attack, but can they find the pitching staff to help them win the close games late in the year? Does Gilman take the next step? Can Spalding mature quickly? Will John Carroll be consistent enough to take win it? All these question reside around each team, we see Loyola-Blakefield having the best mix of experience and talent who should take the crown. Also getting more innings out of their top arms Glock and Wyatt will make for an intimidating 1-2 punch. We see them taking home the hardware in 2018.

MIAA B

The B conference gets a bit of a make-over with the addition of the top two teams from the C conference in Gerstell and St. John’s. Both teams should instantly come in and compete in the league making it much more competitive from top to bottom. However the name of the game this season is yet again going to be Boys’ Latin with arguably one of the top starters in the state in big right-handed pitcher Ned Ruffin. We would not be surprised to see some stupid statistics from the righty this spring…Do not be surprised if St. John’s and Gerstell get themselves into the playoffs in their first season.

MIAA C

Keep an eye out for Indian Creek who have some talented young players on the roster and two interesting 2021 arms in Travis Garnett and Evan Selmer.