2015 PIAA Class AAAA State Tournament Preview
June 1, 2015
By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting
And then there were sixteen. The first round of the 2015 PIAA Class AAAA state tournament starts tomorrow at various sites across the state. Below is a preview of each participating team (listed in bracket order, separated by first-round match-up), followed by how our staff sees the tournament playing out.
Notes:
X-Y before a school name = District-Bid (e.g. 3-2 is the runner-up from District III).
If multiple districts are listed before a school name, those districts combined to form a sub-regional to determine that bid.
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1-1 Council Rock North Indians (16-7)
After an 7-6 start to the season that cast doubt on its chances of even reaching the post-season, one of our preseason favorites ripped off nine wins in its last ten games to earn the district crown. Committed to South Carolina as a quarterback, junior Brandon McIlwain (.425 AVG, 13 XBH, 18 SB) is a freakish athlete who powers the offense from the leadoff spot. Other offensive notables from a line-up with a composite .421 OBP and more BB than K on the season (impressive given the level of competition they face) include junior Seth Leuz (.390 AVG, 11 BB vs 3 K), senior J.R. Hicks (despite a .224 AVG, he has a .519 OBP thanks to 25 BB and 6 HBP in 23 games), Charleston Southern-bound Cole German (.333 AVG), and junior Jared Schram (.359 AVG, 6 BB & 7 HBP vs 2 K). McIlwain (43 IP, 36 H, 21 BB, 43 K) is part of a trio of hurlers, also including junior Matt Hand (47 IP, 38 H, 24 BB, 50 K) and Towson-bound senior Noah Hartwell (30 IP, 25 H, 8 BB, 27 K), who have logged 82% of the staff’s innings.
3-3 Governor Mifflin Mustangs (20-7)
Slotting right where we had them in the pre-season, the Mustangs won eight of their last nine games. Only allowed more than three runs once during that span, which included league and district tournaments. Mound depth will be tested as Penn State-bound Eric Mock (47 IP, 36 H, 21 BB, 59 K) may be unavailable due to injury, which would leave Kutztown-bound John Catchmark (65 IP, 41 H, 14 BB, 73 K) and Point Park-bound Tanner Campbell (51 IP, 53 H, 12 BB, 26 K) as the only pitchers to log more than 4.1 IP. Four line-up regulars are hovering around a .400 AVG -- Zach Weidner (.417 AVG), Catchmark (.398 AVG), Mock (.397 AVG), and junior Earl Kochel (.397 AVG) -- while Morehead State-bound Niko Hulsizer has 10 XBH and 9 SB to go along with his .311 AVG.
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11-1 Parkland Trojans (25-1)
Sandwiched 11- and 14-game winning streaks around only loss of season. For the second year in a row, beat Stroudsburg ace Mike Nikorak, who is projected as a 1st-round pick in the upcoming MLB First Year Player draft. Arizona State-bound Connor Higgins (51.1 IP, 26 H, 22 BB, 64 K), Millersville-bound Rhett Jacoby (49.2 IP, 41 H, 3 BB, 60 K), and Evan McAndrew (29.2 IP, 17 H, 10 BB, 28 K) lead a virtually impervious pitching staff that has allowed only 29 runs in 26 games, including 19 games of one run or less and only one game of more than three. Penn-bound Chris Rabasco (.513 AVG, 15 BB vs 7 K, 13 XBH) powers a much improved offense from a season ago that also gets significant contributions from senior Jeff Strisovsky (.307 AVG, 10 SB), Kutztown-bound Justin Afflerbach (.375 AVG, .468 OBP), junior Tyler Bruno (.418 AVG, 11 XBH), and junior Andrew Roth (.451 AVG).
1-3 Owen J. Roberts Wildcats (18-7)
Following a 2-4 stretch in April, the Wildcats ripped off 13 wins in their last 16 games. An astounding seven regulars, led by brothers Blake (.362 AVG, .484 OBP, 19 SB) and Colin McCourt (.361 AVG, .489 OBP, 10 SB), have OBPs over .400 in a line-up that has accumulated more walks than strikeouts on the season. The pitching staff has been the reverse, issuing more free passes (100 BB, 23 HBP) than strikeouts (114), but juniors Corey Hennessey (54.2 IP, 53 H, 18 BB, 23 K) and Bobby Himes (44 IP, 31 H, 24 BB, 24 K), along with senior Grant Fitzsimmons (27.1 IP, 28 H, 21 BB, 40 K), have been the key cogs in limiting opponents to three runs or less eleven times during the team’s recent 16-game hot streak.
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2-1/4-1 Wyoming Valley West Spartans (14-1)
The Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 champs enter riding a 9-game winning streak. Three-headed pitching staff includes Mansfield-bound Billy Gregory (30 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 23 K), Bloomsburg-bound Logan Zavada (31 IP, 22 H, 9 BB, 35 K), and talented junior Tyler Yankosky (24 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 28 K). Last summer’s American Legion state tournament MVP, Ryan Hogan (.585 AVG, 10 BB vs 3 K, 12 XBH), a St. John’s commit, provides thump in the line-up, which also gets a boost from Gregory (.421 AVG) and speedy junior Justin Montalvo (.350 AVG, 8 SB). [Note: stats do not include district semifinal or championship game]
3-2 Chambersburg Area Trojans (15-9)
This district’s Cinderella (the Trojans finished fifth in an albeit loaded Mid-Penn Commonwealth) didn’t have a winning streak longer than three games until May, but a well-timed five-game unbeaten stretch carried them into the district championship game. Bridgewater-bound Tristan Daywalt (62 IP, 43 H, 24 BB, 52 K), junior Austin Suders (56.1 IP, 42 H, 13 BB, 30 K), and senior Drew Betz (30 IP, 22 H, 6 BB, 30 K) have combined to log 88% of the staff’s innings. The offense has been led by junior Carlin Christian (.291 AVG, 10 BB vs 3 K, 17 SB), Betz (.333 AVG, 13 BB vs 7 K), and junior Hunter Brindle (.291 AVG, 10 BB & 5 HBP vs 10 K).
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12-1 St. Joseph’s Prep Hawks (17-7)
The Hawks followed a three-game losing streak at the beginning of April by winning 14 of their final 17 games. Four pitchers have logged at least 22.2 IP, led by the sophomore duo of Colin Scanlon (41.1 IP, 28 H, 26 BB, 50 K) and J.T. Gosweiler (32.2 IP, 23 H, 25 BB, 43 K). Seniors Colin Cunningham (.324 AVG) and Chestnut Hill-bound Dino Cattai (.375 AVG) have tallied nearly one-third of the team’s extra base hits between the two of them. [Note: stats do not include PCL semifinal or District XII championship.]
1-4 West Chester East Vikings (16-9)
Won first eight games of the season before scuffling to a 8-9 record the rest of the way. Three well-timed wins in the district playoffs later and, voila, the Vikings get a fresh start in the state tournament. The senior trio of starters Culver Hughes, a Virginia Tech signee, and Donnie Edwards, along with bullpen ace David Conklin have shouldered the load all season on the mound. An all-upperclass, and predominantly senior, line-up has guys who can run throughout, while also getting some extra base production from junior Ian Street, Hughes, and senior Shane Springer.
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3-1 Hempfield Black Knights (23-3)
The Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One champs have won 17 of their last 18 games. Perhaps more than any team still playing, they have a pitching staff, in the truest sense of the word. Five pitchers have between seven and eleven appearances, as well as between 27.2 and 37.2 IP. Longwood-bound Jon Peterson (35 IP, 37 H, 12 BB, 42 K) fronts the group that has allowed three or less runs 16 times. Senior Grant Oberholtzer (.377 AVG, 21 SB) is a sparkplug for the offense, while senior Derek Manning (.357 AVG, 10 BB vs 3 K, 12 XBH) provides a powerful presence.
1-5 Pennsbury Falcons (19-5)
The SOL National champion earned its first state berth in 22 years with a flair for the dramatic, winning its last two district playoff games 2-1 (scoring two runs in the bottom of the 7th) and 5-4 (throwing out the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh). Junior Zack Conley (52.2 IP, 43 H, 29 BB, 52 K) leads a deep staff that has allowed three runs or less in 16 contests and also features seniors Brody McFadden (38.2 IP, 38 H, 9 BB, 26 K), Logan Buell (31 IP, 19 H, 10 BB, 26 K), and Penn Tech-bound Andrew Gilbert (26.2 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 36 K). A veteran line-up with seven senior starters is sparked by Chestnut Hill-bound Zach Szumigala (.377 AVG) and senior Pat Lawrence (.322 AVG), who set the table for senior D.J. Endler (.365 AVG, 12 XBH).
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1-2 North Penn Knights (19-4)
The 2013 state champs had a 10-game winning streak snapped in the district title game, but should still be brimming with confidence coming off an SOL Continental title. The pitch-to-contact staff utilizes seniors James Witner (51 IP, 40 H, 15 BB, 31 K) and Kellen Williamson (39.1 IP, 47 H, 8 BB, 23 K) as starters, plus senior Collin Healy (30 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 18 K) and junior Paul Haynie (15.2 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 12 K) on the back end of games. Bloomsburg-bound Mike Christy (.346 AVG, 10 SB) and speedy junior Mason Nadeau (.395 AVG, 8 SB) set the table for La Salle-bound Jared Melone (.437 AVG, 9 BB+HBP vs 1 K) on an offense that got a mid-season reinforcement when Douglas Apple (.422 AVG) returned from an ankle injury.
12-2 Olney Charter Trojans (13-4)
Philadelphia Public League regular-season and tournament runner-up. Earned state berth by being last 4A team alive in the PPL playoffs. Juniors Cesar Loya and Joseph Gomez are impact two-way guys. Sophomore Kenny Cruz splits the pitching duties equally with those two, while junior Giovanni Ortega and senior Jeffrey DeLeon have provided additional pop in the line-up.
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7-1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings (12-7)
The Vikings like to keep things interesting, with only four games this year being decided by more than three runs, and all seven losses coming by a combined eleven runs. Emerging to front the pitching staff has been a pair of sophomores in Jack Tumulty (41.2 IP, 37 H, 17 BB, 36 K) and Nolan Martino (42 IP, 46 H, 15 BB, 30 K). Oklahoma-bound catcher Dom DeRenzo (.424 AVG, 11 XBH, 9 SB) does a little bit of everything to power the offense, while senior Ryan Sproule (.379 AVG, .514 OBP, 8 SB) adds some speed and junior Patrick Ferguson (.293 AVG, 7 XBH) some pop.
7-3 Shaler Area Titans (18-5)
Could the fourth time be the charm? Three of the Titans’ losses have come against their Section 3 rival and opponent in this opening round contest. From the outside looking in, two runs on 15 hits in three games (led by junior Noah Seelhorst's four knocks) might not leave a lot of room for optimism, but the Titans have gotten a look at all three pitchers the Vikings are likely to use. In addition, West Virginia-bound Jake Potock fronts a pitching staff, along with senior Gavin Cannon and junior Brennan Keilor, that has allowed three runs or less 14 times, so another low-scoring ballgame could be in the offing.
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6-1/8-1/9-1/10-1 State College Area Little Lions (18-5)
On a 9-game winning streak covering the entire month of May. A whopping seven pitchers have logged double-digit innings, led by junior Air Force commit Bailey Ishler (37.1 IP, 27 H, 20 BB, 30 K), junior Tristan Ballenger (35.1 IP, 32 H, 14 BB, 23 K), and Millersville-bound Kyle Peterson (25.1 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 28 K). Primary run production has come from William & Mary commit Brandon Raquet (.426 AVG, 10 SB), Penn commit Chris Adams (.312 AVG, 21 SB), and senior Samuel Plafcan (.368 AVG).
7-2 Norwin Knights (15-5)
Impressive run to the WPIAL final included getting the best of two of the top left-handed pitching recruits in the state (one going to Coastal Carolina and the other to Pittsburgh), so this team certainly won't be awed by any of the college-bound arms it might see in this one. Pitching staff led by senior John Driggers and junior Nick Amendola gave up two runs in four WPIAL playoff games, including shutouts in the first three. The offense is powered by senior Bobby Svec, along with juniors Reno Rainey and Ethan Sikora.
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| Williams | Gill | Leitzel | Chimel | |
| Quarterfinalists | Council Rock North Parkland Wyoming Valley West St. Joseph's Prep Pennsbury North Penn Shaler Area Norwin |
Council Rock North Parkland Wyoming Valley West St. Joseph's Prep Pennsbury North Penn Shaler Area State College Area |
Council Rock North Parkland Chambersburg Area St. Joseph's Prep Hempfield North Penn Shaler Area Norwin |
Council Rock North Parkland Chambersburg Area St. Joseph's Prep Hempfield North Penn PCC Norwin |
| Semifinalists | Parkland St. Joseph's Prep North Penn Norwin |
Council Rock North Wyoming Valley West Pennsbury State College Area |
Parkland St. Joseph's Prep North Penn Norwin |
Parkland St. Joseph's Prep North Penn Norwin |
| Championship | North Penn over Parkland |
Council Rock North over Pennsbury |
Parkland over North Penn |
St. Joseph's Prep over North Penn |
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