Region Breakdown

4A West

Contenders (In Alphabetical Order)

1. Bethesda-Chevy Chase
2. Quince Orchard
3. Walter Johnson
4. Whitman
5. Wootton

Consisting solely of Montgomery County schools, the 4A west region is a essentially a big conference tournament where each opponent should have a good idea of what and who they are facing. Defending state champion Northwest will have a tough time repeating in 2018 with a large senior class graduating. Bethesda-Chevy Chase will be one of the better teams in the area with a nice potential 1-2 combo of John Narvaiz and James Springer (Fordham) on the mound. Sebastian Mieses is one of the better outfielders in the state and will pace the offense…Offensively, Whitman has a dangerous lineup in the county in 4A and will be led by their star Tyler DeMartino (West Virginia). DeMartino has one of the bigger swings in the state and has an uncanny ability to get barrel on the ball. He should have plenty of opportunity for RBI if speedy outfielder Justin Carboni hits in front of him. Catcher Jack Ryan makes for Whitmans big three on offense...Ryan Mariani should be a big piece to Wootton and their success this season. Do not be surprised to see Wootton in the mix come playoff time…You can never count out Quince Orchard, who always seem to restock with talent each season. 

4A North

Contenders

1. Dulaney
2. Howard
3. Montgomery Blair
4. Sherwood
5. Urbana

After a very successful 2017 season, Dulaney looks as if they could make another run for a title in the 4A North coming out of Baltimore County. Middle infield combo of Nolan Matsko (Georgetown) and Bryce Frederick make for one of the top double play duos in the state. Jack Tarantino (John Hopkins) looks to be the ace of the staff this year…Howard has a favorable placement this year in section I of the 4A North and playing a tough Howard County schedule will season them very well once the state tournament comes around. The offense will be led by Ryan Kulick and Brain Jakubek as the big hitters in the middle of the lineup. On the mound the Lions return their top two pitchers in Kulick and RHP Brendan Foster…Montgomery Blair always have an ability to make sure they are in the mix toward the end of the season, we won’t be surprised if that is the case again, even after losing seven seniors…Urbana is the lone Frederick County rep in 4A this year and though they have a deep roster and team, the question is going to be whether they will be fine playing smaller schools all season, though there is plenty of tough competition in the CMC. Trey Lispcomb (Tennessee) will be a big catalyst on the team this year and is one of the top talents in the state…Sherwood always is full of talent on the roster and this year Michael Bouma will be a big contributor and one of the top hitters in the county. The Warriors lost a lot of seniors of their roster from 2017 but seem to always be in the mix. I would not count them out…

4A South

Contenders

1. Bowie
2. CH Flowers
3. Eleanor Roosevelt
4. Northwestern
5. Parkdale

Prince George County make up the entire 4A South Region. Last year Eleanor Roosevelt came through the 4A south after an upset over CH Flowers in the Regional Playoffs, and look like one of the top contenders for the conference title. Roosevelt return key pieces Derek Ohringer Allen Beauchamp, and Devin Robinson to lead the offensive attack for the Raiders.  Parkdale returns a good piece of their roster from a successful 14-1 season and hope to come out of section I as the champ. CH Flowers return plenty of key pieces from their 18-3 season, leading the charge is Tremayne Cobb Jr, an All-PBR performer last season. Zach Alston will need a strong season on the mound as well as Thomas Espinosa. Northwestern will be an interesting team to keep an eye on with the majority of their team returning led by seniors Raymond Gonzalez, Eric Weaver, and Adonis Escano.

4A East

Contenders

1. Arundel
2. Leonardtown
3. North Point
4. Old Mill
5. Severna Park

Anne Arundel county makes up the majority of this conference with lone southern Maryland representatives North Point and Leonardtown coming out of the SMAC. Arundel will have to replace key seniors Andrew Santarpia, Matt Moon, and Mack McKisson, but return star Garrett Stanard along with Pat Mason. Matt Hageman should build off a solid junior season. The Wildcats do return their top two arms in Steve Sturlaugson and Will Schubert, coming off impressive junior campaigns. Someone will have to step up to replace the loss of Micahel Prosperi and be their third arm…As long as Kody Milton is around, Severna Park will again be a top contender, as the All-PBR performer last year put up offensive player of the year type numbers and don’t be surprised if he does so again this year. The Falcons will lean on ace Cam Clark who will be a workhorse this year. Keep an eye on 2020 RHP Evan Lewis who is a bright and promising young arm coming up…Though they lost a lot from last year’s roster, do not count out Old Mill. They have a group of young talented players on their roster and will be tough every game. Nick Cinquanto and Xander Waddell will be a solid middle infield combination...Another young and talented team will be Leonardtown this year and they return a majority of the team back for this season. Leading the way will be Nick Burch and Matt Bobrowski with John Deems. If they can identify their pitching rotation, it could go a long way to get the SMAC a 4A crown…Annapolis is going to be an interesting team this year with the addition of transfer LHP Cam Nolet (USC-Aiken), who will a few games by himself…North Point should also be another tough team this year and offensively will have Zach Doss (Maryland) and Kevon Wharton (Frederick CC) as key offensive returners.

Predictions

4A WEST CHAMP
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase

4A NORTH CHAMP
- Howard

4A SOUTH CHAMP
- CH Flowers

4A EAST CHAMP
- Arundel

State Finals
Bethesda-Chevy Chase v Arundel

Champ
Arundel

So may contenders to pick from, but we think starting pitching depth will pay off the most and Arundel will find ways to manufacture runs throughout the season.