MPSSAA Playoff Preview
May 10, 2018
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Win or go home.
That is the mantra now across the Old Line State as we enter the MPSSAA playoffs. After another year of a heavy scheduled back-half of the season, we finally have reached the playoffs where everyone is vying for state title and the hope to finish this season as the top team in the state.
This year has some interesting brackets and match-ups across the board, we are here to give you a short outline of each class and at the bottom you can see our brackets for each class. So let the fun begin.
4A
In section 1 of the North, the biggest question is can No. 1 seed Dulaney make 2018 be their year? They are starting to get some key pieces back to the rotation, mainly Jack Tarantino (Johns Hopkins) that would be a big key, and 2021 Todd Mozio is an arm to keep an eye on as well. Bryce Frederick and Nolan Matsko are one of the top middle infield combos in the state who match with their offensive potential. They have a solid offensive approach, but can it be enough to take down Howard or Catonsville?...Howard had a bad week to end the season which took them away from a county championship. This is a talented team with a young core that I can only imagine are hoping to get back to the championship again this year. Ryan Kulick, Craig Wiley, Brendan Foster, and Ryan Jackubek are some key ingredients to get them back there..Section II looks to be between Urbana and Sherwood. One thing about Sherwood is they always seem to be loaded, and this year looked like it could be a down one for the squad after losing quite a few seniors from last year, but that is not the case…Urbana could be the most intriguing team of the 4A, as they have the talent to take a championship, but which team is going to show up to play? They recently fell out of the MD Power 25, but that is more to do with the fact that the CMC absolutely beats up on each other this season with no one able to run away. Urbana did win the championship for the second year in a row. If they want to make a run, Beside the obvious choice of Trey Lipscomb having to have a big playoff run, I think Jake Willis, Sean Berry, Kam Walters, and Ryan Hayden will play a bigger role with how they perform down the stretch…Again we still feel that Bethesda-CC is the team to beat in the West, but Churchill has been playing some very good baseball the back half of the season and should be the top competition out of the bracket. Wootton has been a bit of a surprise this year and just might have enough to make it out of the region even though they are a No. 1 seed...Gaithersburg has had a bad back end of the season and have been on a skid as of late and I don’t see them moving back Quince Orchard...Speaking of QO, not fully sure which team will show up to play each time out, but when they play right, they have shown they can take down anyone and could very easily represent the West here…Looks like it will again come down to rivals Arundel and Severna Park as to who will take section I of the East. Severna Park has the latest laugh with the recent victory for the county championship last night. By now everyone knows Kody Milton and the offensive abililty he brings, but they will need people like Cameron Clark, Luke Guy and George Lesher to step up on the offensive side to make a run. Apart from Clark on the hill, Sophomore star in the making Evan Lewis will play a big role giving a formidable 1-2 punch down the playoffs…Arundel has a formidable big three on the offensive end with Garrett Stanard, Matt Hagemann, and Moises Aristy all hitting over .400 this season for the Wildcats, with Elijah Santana coming in close to making for nice offensive depth. With playoffs, they are going to need strong performances from the staff, especially starters Dan Ownby and Will Schubert…North County has already taken down Arundel once this season, and could very well do the same thing in round two. They have been up and down, but RHP Jake Murphy is coming off an impressive performance on the mound out-dueling Joe Siedler in a 1-0 victory over Chesapeake…Old Mill is plenty capable of making a run, but will need to get everything working together. This solid team with a young core might be a year away…The South looks like it is going to be a matchup between CH Flowers and Roosevelt, but do not count out Bowie. Those are the big three in the region, and I have always been on the CH Flowers bandwagon as the favorite to get out of the region, and hopefully this year they prove me right.
3A
Eventhough Franklin has been the surprise team of the year with an impressive record this 2018, we still see Bel Air as the team to beat in the North region. We thought this year might be a tougher one for them, but after an impressive 13-2 campaign, it looks like they could be in the drivers seat to take the region...Speaking of surprise team, Rockville has played some inspired baseball this year en route to their 14-2 finish. It should be them and Linganore of Frederick county playing for the top spot of the West, with Linganore having some nice depth on the mound and 2019 Jake Ference looks like he could become a very interesting prospect over this summer. Do not count out Westminster and Thomas Johnson as potential candidates to make it out of this region...The East is a loaded one again, with top teams from the Eastern Shore (Decatur), Arundel county (Chesapeake) and Howard county (Reservoir) all battling it out. Keep an eye on Atholton as the sleeper team of this region...The South region looks like it is going to be a battle of SMAC teams as to who will take the region. Chopticon is the top seed and have some of the best talent, but Huntingtown is getting healthy and is not one to take lightly.
2A
We said in our season preview that the West Region was loaded with challengers and our mind hasn't been changed one bit since. Century, Damascus, Poolesville, and Walkersville look to be te top contenders, but Middletown will not be a push-over for anyone and will want to show why they are the defending 2A champs. Damascus had a bit of a slow start to the year but are playing some great ball now and hope to carry that to Aberdeen...In the North, it looks like Gwynn Park and Eastern Tech will be the top contenders to make it through, and its hard not to vote against Eastern , who have made it to the state tournament for the past four years since PBR Maryland has been here...The South division looks to be a competitive one with Howard county champion Marriotts Ridge and the SMAC representatives La Plata as the top contenders. Don't count out River Hill, Patuxent or Calvert...In the East, its looks like Elkton, Kent Island, and Easton are the best bets, But North East or Rising Sun could very well make a run to the state tournament...
1A
I see Boonsboro, Brunswick, McDonough, Patterson Mill, Colonel Richardson, St. Michael and Snow Hill as the top contenders for a championship in the 1A. Col. Richardson has been dominant this year to the tune of 17-2, but Snow Hill, who has had a tremendous season, defeated the Colonels for the Bayside championship. We aren't sure if that was a wake up call that Col. Richardson needed, or a weakness in their armor...Defending champ St. Michaels could very easily make it a repeat performance this year with another impressive season and strong core to lead them...Can Snow Hill continue to ride their momentum through the playoffs? It would be an outstanding story if they do and do not count them out.
Enough talk, its time to check out each bracket and our picks for the tournament. Click on each level to see the bracket.