Prep Baseball Report

2017 Season Preview: PIAA Class 4A, Part III



By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

Today's installment of our season preview content, which will run for four weeks up to the first official PIAA competition date on March 24, will finish off the southeastern quadrant of the state for class 4A. Each article includes a list of top prospects from amongst the cohort of schools, as well as write-ups of a number of teams in the cohort. The number in parenthesis after each header is the number of state tournament bids allotted to that district or sub-region.

We received inquiries in the past regarding how we decide which teams to detail. A team profiled in the article is less an indication of what type of season we expect it to have and more a function of how much information we are able to compile. For example, if we have not recently seen a team in person (there are over 600 baseball-playing high schools in the state), stats are not available on-line, and a school district spam filter gobbled up our e-mails to the coach that contained the questionnaire, we might not have enough information to write a full paragraph on that school.

District I (1 bid)

Top Prospects:
1. Aaron Feld, 2018, RHP, Octorara Area
2. Nick Pave, 2018, RHP, Springfield Township

Echoing shades of its 2014 state title run, Pope John Paul II is coming off a sub-.500 season, but has a deep pitching staff, with six members who logged innings last spring. Senior RHP Andrew John returns as the staff ace and will be followed in the rotation by the junior RHP duo of 6-foot-3 Ryan Schwab and Logan Mabry. Senior catcher Ryan Harvey will manage the staff and anchor the middle of coach Josh Hartline's line-up, along with third baseman Schwab and Alvernia-bound outfielder Christian Wagner.

Physical 6-foot-2, 195-pound Feld is the only holdover to have logged double-digit innings on an Octorara Area staff that will turn to senior RHP C.J. Pluck and sophomore RHP Ryan Schillinger to assume some of the vacated workload. The returning line-up core for coach Jed King will feature junior shortstop Andy Imbierowicz, sophomore outfielder John Cummings, and the senior duo of catcher Tim Lubrano and first baseman Pluck.

Always a tough team to get a read on due to playing predominantly larger schools during league play, Springfield Township welcomes back its 6-foot-4, 185-pound ace Pave, as well as two others -- senior LHP Noel Franzyk and junior RHP Macleod Farley -- who logged double-digit innings last spring. The line-up graduated four, including one of its most potent bats, but still has senior infielders Chris Kelly and Jackson Pauwels to set the tone on offense.

New Hope-Solebury coach Tony Vlahovic will be tasked with replacing five of his regular position player starters, along with two of his top three pitchers. Strike-throwing junior RHP Matt Benda returns as the ace of a staff that does return two others who logged double-digit innings last spring in junior LHP Tucker Wittman and senior RHP Chris Thompson. Senior catcher Danny Doherty and senior outfielder David Shonis are the top returning hitters in a line-up that will have senior Brendan Shadle and sophomore Jack Gawson anchoring the infield.

Virtually the entire roster returns for Lower Moreland following a season in which it graduated just two seniors. A half dozen returning pitchers toed the rubber at least four times last spring, including junior RHP James Laurenzi, senior LHP Eric Schwarz, senior RHPs Dylan Mood and Devin Mood, and sophomore RHP Max Cousins. Also a shortstop, Cousins and junior second baseman Jordan Leiber will form the keystone combo for a line-up that also featured Schwarz and the Moods last spring for coach Tony Martino.

District III (3 bids)

Top Prospects:
1. Sean Guilbe, 2018, IF/C, Berks Catholic (St. John's)
2. Nick Embleton, 2019, OF/RHP, East Pennsboro
3. Brandon Knarr, 2017, LHP, Eastern York (Notre Dame)
4. Trevon Dabney, 2018, IF, Berks Catholic

Despite graduating its staff ace, East Pennsboro returns three experienced strike-throwers -- senior RHPs Chris Horst (a Misericordia commit) and Drew Faling, plus junior LHP Dalton Miller -- who combined to post a four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio last spring. The line-up has some holes to fill, but does welcome back outfielder Miller, junior infielder Brady Madden, and 6-foot-2, 195-pound Embleton, who comes off a stellar freshman year offensively and could be an asset on the mound with his mid-80s fastball and solid three-pitch mix.

West York Area returns two of its four primary pitchers from last spring in the LHP tandem of sophomore Justin Wetzel and senior Zach Gettys. The line-up lacks a big senior presence, but doesn't lack for experience, as junior outfielder Colton Kubicki, junior shortstop Robbie Bertuccio, sophomore infielder Trent Ketterman, and junior catcher Anthony Kahley (who should also log innings on the mound) all played significant run-production roles for coach Scott Erickson last spring.

Berks Catholic may lean on its offense early in the season while the roles on its overhauled pitching staff shake out. Guilbe, an athletic, 6-foot-2, 190-pound physical specimen with serious juice in his bat, will anchor the line-up along with the slick-fielding Dabney, and transfer sophomore catcher German Vasquez. Penn State Abington-bound RHP/OF Corey Criblear will make a two-way impact, while he will be joined in the competition for innings by junior LHP Trevor Leamer, and the senior pair of Nick Kozenske and D.J. Katella.

Coming off a state tournament berth, Bishop McDevitt must find a way to replace the ace of its pitching staff, as well as three of its primary run producers who departed for college baseball. Seton Hill-bound shortstop Jamie Wrabel and California (PA)-bound third baseman Joe Pensiero will buoy the line-up along with senior first baseman Mike Cross and junior catcher Jared Matte. Coach Steve Groff will turn to RHPs Pensiero and Cross, plus transfer junior LHP Trystan Housman, to log the bulk of the innings. Keep and eye on three-sport sophomore 3B/RHP Dray Donley and 6-foot-1, 260-pound P/1B Sawyer Morgan (a starter at tackle on the football team as a freshman last fall) to have an impact as underclassmen.

West Perry will feature a senior-laden roster and a veteran line-up sparked by senior shortstop Scotty Messner and senior catcher Cameron May. Coach Jeff Sanno will turn to sidearming senior RHP Logan Mann to front a pitching staff that otherwise lacks a member with significant varsity experience.

Eastern York ace Knarr, who has pitchability and a mid-80s fastball that will touch higher, will front an otherwise inexperienced pitching staff with no other returner who logged double-digit innings. The offense, on the other hand, has just two key cogs to replace and will be sparked by sophomore infielder Bren Taylor (13 walks, one strikeout as a rookie), with senior OF/1B Wyatt Smith and Knarr providing some pop.

Coming off a state runner-up finish in the old class 3A, Susquehanna Township returns just two players with significant varsity experience. Returning senior outfielders Kaevon McCurry and Jacoby Pate will be joined in the line-up by a host of newcomers, including junior infielder Aaron McGaw and 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior first baseman Kenny Runkel. A revamped pitching staff will feature LHPs Pate and Runkel, plus RHP McGaw. Keep an eye on 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore LHP/OF Ryan Jacobs and freshman LHP/OF Jace Merlina to each make an impact this spring.

Susquehannock welcomes back its top three innings-eaters from last season in the persons of senior RHP Conor Miller and junior RHPs Josh Bobbitt and Jake Mahan. Coming off an injury-riddled campaign, senior catcher Stephen Miller will manage the staff and be joined in coach Tim Hare's experienced line-up by junior infielder Ben Trego, senior outfielder Peyton Reider, and infielder Conor Miller.

An experienced pitching staff returns for Littlestown, led by the RHP trio of senior Russell Livesay, and juniors Alex DeHaas and Jacob Beal, who combined to log more than three-quarters of the team's innings last spring. Infielder Livesay and utility DeHaas will also spark coach Larry Baumgardner's offense.

Shippensburg Area coach Nathan Rosenberry must replace his top two innings-eaters from last spring, but has a trio of seniors in Nate Holt, Zach Barnhart, and Brady Kuhn who all gained varsity experience. Sophomore infielder Adam Maring is the leading returning hitter from a line-up that will need players such as senior outfielder Colton Zeigler, senior first baseman Bailey Custer, and sophomore outfielder Ethan Rockwell to assume more prominent roles.

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