Maryland Power 25 Countdown: #9 La Plata
March 9, 2020
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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 #9 team, the La Plata Warriors from Charles County. We will release one team in our countdown each weekday leading up to the release of our 2020 #1 Preseason Power 25 team on March 19th. Then, on March 20th our PBR Maryland staff will release it's final preseason predictions for the upcoming 2020 season as team get ready to square off on opening day later that afternoon.
La Plata Warriors 2020 SEASON PREVIEW
Head Coach: John Childers (9th Season)
Mascot: Warriors
County: Charles
Conference: SMAC
MPSSAA Classification: 2A South Region I
2019 Record: 20-5
2019 MPSSAA Playoff Run: Won the MPSSAA 2A
State Championship beating Middletown (4-2).
CLICK HERE to view the La Plata Baseball Website
CLICK HERE to view the La Plata Baseball Schedule
2020 PBR MD POWER 25 PRESEASON RANK: #9
Returning Starters: 5
Alex Borges (Jr.) RF
Chet Bowling (So.) C
Ryan Calvert (Sr.) P/3B
Shane Kirby (Jr.) 2B
Tyler Moody (Sr.) SS
Returning Pitchers: 5
Chet Bowling (So.) RHP
Ryan Calvert (Sr.) RHP
Brandon DeAtley (Sr.) RHP
Shane Kirby (Jr.) RHP
Tyler Moody (Sr.) RHP
Returning Players with Post-Season / Pre-Season Honors
Alex Borges - 2019 All-County First Team
Chet Bowling - 2019 All-SMAC First Team, 2019 All-County First Team
Ryan Calvert - 2019 PBR Player of the Year, 2019 PBR Maryland Preseason All-State Second Team, 2019 PBR Maryland All-State First Team, 2020 MSABC Pre-Season All-State Team
Key Losses
Austin Brown
Zach Harris
Dean Kirby
Top Newcomers
Dylan Brown (Jr.) MIF/RHP
Landon Jewell (Jr.) 3B/RHP
Brandon Lee (Jr.) OF
Colby Murphy (Jr.) 1B/P
2020 Key Players
Alex Borges (Jr.) RF
Chet Bowling (So.) C
Ryan Calvert (Sr.) RHP/3B
Jake Gleason (Sr.) OF
Shane Kirby (Jr.) 2B/RHP
Tyler Moody (Sr.) SS/RHP
Players Signed / Committed to College
Ryan Calvert (2020) - UNC Wilmington
Tyler Moody (2020) - Shenandoah University
Season Snapshot
La Plata reached the State Final Four for the ninth time in eleven years last season and captured their third State Title in school history defeating the Middletown Knights 4-2 at Ripken Stadium. Ninth year head coach John Childers returns another strong squad in 2020 with aspirations of defending that title.
The Warriors return five starters from last year's team and five arms on the mound headlined by First Team All SMAC right-handed pitcher and infielder Ryan Calvert (UNC Wilmington). Calvert was named 2019 PBR Player of the Year for his efforts in leading La Plata to the 2A State Championship both on the mound and at the plate last season. The senior went 8-1 on the mound striking out 121 batters in 62 innings to the tune of a 0.45 ERA. He also hit .444 with 13 doubles, 5 home runs, 40 RBI's and scored 24 runs.
Returning alongside Calvert on the mound this season are seniors Tyler Moody, Brandon DeAtley, junior Shane Kirby, and sophomore First Team All SMAC C/RHP Chet Bowling. Calvert, Moody, Kirby, and Bowling are also key pieces in the Warriors lineup that also returns senior outfielder Jake Gleason and junior outfielder Alex Borges. Gleason and Borges hit .400 and .373 respectively last year while Bowling hit .408 in his freshman campaign, good for second highest on the team behind Calvert. Look for juniors Dylan Brown, Landon Jewell, Brandon Lee, and Colby Murphy to also make an impact this season adding depth both on the mound and at the plate.
The new look MPSSAA regional alignments keep the 2A South Region I fairly similar with the five team pod consisting of Lackey, Thomas Stone, Westlake, and Southern-AA from Anne Arundel County. Calvert and Patuxent make the move from Region I to Region II in the 2A South this season. La Plata figures to have a really good chance of making it to the State Quarterfinals out of Region I and even further this season thus adding to those astounding aforementioned totals of making it to the State Final Four.
MORE PBR MD POWER 25 PREVIEWS