Maryland Power 25 Countdown: #13 Walt Whitman

March 1, 2019
Kyle Campbell
Maryland Scouting Director

Follow @PBRMaryland
Facebook & Instagram

It's hard to believe but the start of the 2019 Maryland high school baseball season is almost here. Every week throughout the season we will release our Power 25, ranking the top twenty-five teams from across the Old Line State. Today we continue our Preseason Power 25 countdown by taking a look at our #13 team, the Walt Whitman Vikings from Montgomery County. Be sure to stay tuned as we release one team each weekday leading up to the release of our 2019 #1 Preseason Power 25 team on March 19th. Then, on March 20th our PBR Maryland staff will release our final preseason predictions for the upcoming 2019 season.

Walt whitman 2019 SEASON PREVIEW

Head Coach: Joe Cassidy (12th Season)
Mascot: Vikings
County: Montgomery
MPSSAA Classification: 4A West Section I
2018 Record: 11-9
2018 MPSSAA Playoff Run: Lost in the MPSSAA 4A West
Region Section Semi-Finals to Bethesda-CC (8-6)
Twitter Handle: @WWVikesBaseBall
CLICK HERE to view the Walt Whitman Baseball Website
CLICK HERE to view the Walt Whitman Baseball Schedule

2019 PBR MD POWER 25 PRESEASON RANK: #13

Returning Starters: 9

Justin Carboni (Sr.) OF
Tyler DeMartino (Sr.) 1B/DH
Howie Fishman (Jr.) C/1B/DH
Sean Fleming (Jr.) 3B
Sam Mermelstein (Jr.) OF
Jack Ryan (Sr.) C
Matt Ryan (So.) SS
Bennett Solomon (Jr.) P/1B/DH
Zach Werkman (Sr.) P/OF

Returning Pitchers: 4

Austen Fourkas (Sr.) P
Mason Levin (Jr.) P
Bennett Solomon (Jr.) P/1B/DH
Zach Werkman (Sr.) P/OF

Returning Players with Post-Season / Pre-Season Honors

Justin Carboni - 2018 All-Metro Honorable Mention, 2018 All-Division - Montgomery County, 2018 PBR Maryland All-State 1st Team / 2019 MSABC Preseason All-State
Tyler DeMartino - 2018 All Division - Montgomery County, 2018 PBR Maryland All-State 3rd Team / 2018 MSABC Preseason All-State

Key Loses

Shinny Ishiyama

Top Newcomers

Harry Kaplan (Transfer from Bullis)

2019 Key Players

Justin Carboni (Sr.) OF
Tyler DeMartino (Sr.) 1B/DH
Jack Ryan (Sr.) C

Players Signed / Committed to College

Justin Carboni (2019) - Pennsylvania University
Tyler DeMartino (2019) - West Virginia University
Jack Ryan (2019) - University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Season Snapshot

Walt Whitman enters 2019 still searching for their first Regional Championship in school history. The Vikings have seen their season end early each of the past three seasons in the 4A Region Section Semifinal Round. This year's team though, looks poised to buck that trend as 11 players with starting experience return from 2018.

Seniors Justin Carboni (Pennsylvannia), Tyler DeMartino (West Virginia), and Jack Ryan (UMBC) return as the leaders of the team and offense with fellow senior Zach Werkman, juniors Howie Fishman, Sean Fleming, Sam Mermelstein, Bennett Solomon, and sophomore Matt Ryan rounding out a potentially potent attack. Workman and Solomon will also see time on the mound alongside senior Austen Fourkas, and junior power righty Mason Levin who has looked very good early this preseason. Look for Bullis transfer Harry Kaplan to also find a role with the Vikings.

The 4A West region is perennially one of the toughest to come out of but 12th year head coach Joe Cassidy is ready for the challenge and really excited about this group's potential. With great leadership and an experienced team, expect the Vikings to be in contention for both the Montgomery County Championship and Region title in 2019.