Prep Baseball Report

2017 Season Preview: PIAA Class 5A, Part II



By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

With fewer big schools on the western side of the state, we need just one article to cover those programs as part of our season preview content, which will run for four weeks up to the first official PIAA competition date on March 24. 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.

Sub-region VI/VIII/IX/X (1 bid)

Top Prospects:
1. John Servello, 2017, OF, Hollidaysburg Area (Buffalo)
2. Sam Servello, 2019, RHP/IF, Hollidaysburg Area (West Virginia)
3. Tyler Peterson, 2017, C/RHP, Hollidaysburg Area (Seton Hill)
4. Cory Storm, 2017, RHP, Hollidaysburg Area (Seton Hill)
5. Nick Hess, 2017, 1B, Cathedral Prep (Mercyhurst)

Hollidaysburg Area has been on the doorstep of a state tournament berth two of the past three seasons, and certainly has the talent to get over the hump this spring. John Servello is a physical beast with the bat in his hands, while Peterson and Seton Hill-bound infielder Lennox Pugh have the ability to drive the baseball as well. With a large caveat being that the following quartet combined to walk more batters than they struck out last season, an experienced pitching staff that features Storm, Mercyhurst North East-bound RHP Nolan Walters, the live-armed Sam Servello, and Pitt-Johnstown-bound RHP Tyler Treese possesses plenty of arm talent. Storm, the younger Servello and Treese also factor heavily in run production.

If Cathedral Prep is to earn its fourth straight state tournament berth, the Ramblers will need to find a way to replace more than half of their line-up as well as three of their top four innings-eaters (including the staff ace) from last season. The offense has a solid core in 6-foot-3 left-handed hitting Hess, junior infielder Chris Smith, sophomore 3B/OF Rockne Seidel, and Indiana (PA)-bound infielder Colin Williams. Coach David Hess typically spreads his innings around between a large group of pitchers, which this year will include Smith, senior LHP Mark Majewski, Seidel, and Hess. Note: post-publication it was brought to our attention that Majewski will not be participating this year; this is in addition to junior outfielder Matt Bauer (a top 50 baseball prospect in the PA 2018 class), who is focusing on football after verbally committing to Notre Dame earlier this academic year.

DuBois Area welcomes back all but three contributors from last year's squad. An injury will deplete the pitching staff of one of its three members who logged 30-plus innings last spring, but the return from injury of senior Colin Read (who reached that workload as a sophomore) to join his fellow seniors Nolan Schneider and Ethan Long could help plug the hole. The largely intact line-up will feature the senior quartet of Youngstown State-bound Nick LaBrasca, Ryan Pasternak (who is headed to Edinboro for football), Penn State Behrend-bound Braden Paulinellie, and Rochester-bound Drew Bankovich.

District VII (3 bids)

Top Prospects:
1. Austin Hendrick, 2020, OF/LHP, West Allegheny
2. Trent Vietmeier, 2017, RHP, Montour (Louisiana State)
3. Zach Kokosksa, 2017, OF/LHP, Greater Latrobe (Virginia Tech)
4. Will Bednar, 2019, RHP, Mars Area
5. Frankie Craska, 2018, RHP, Mars Area
6. Jack Anderson, 2018, C, Mars Area (Northwestern)
7. Michael Crawford, 2017, LHP, West Allegheny (Coastal Carolina)
8. Sevin Schoeneweis, 2018, RHP, Moon Area
9. Travis Sankovich, 2018, SS, Laurel Highlands
10. Jared Kollar, 2017, RHP, Greater Latrobe (Seton Hill)
11. Billy Welsh, 2017, RHP, North Hills [Indiana (PA)]
12. Steven Miller, 2018, IF/RHP, North Hills
13. Michael Haley, 2017, C/RHP, Franklin Regional (Ashland)
14. Devin Dunn, 2017, LHP, Montour (Virginia Commonwealth)
15. Corey Burkes, 2017, LHP, Montour (Youngstown State)
16. Bryce Harper, 2020, C, Franklin Regional
17. Joey Craska, 2020, IF/RHP, Mars Area
18. Konnor Corchado, 2018, OF, Chartiers Valley
19. Logan Vietmeier, 2018, C, Montour
20. Burke Camper, 2019, C, Hampton

A trio of physically imposing college-bound seniors -- 6-foot-1, 220-pound Trent Vietmeier (whose fastball will reach into the low-90s), 6-foot-2 Dunn and 6-foot-7 Burkes, project to be a strength for Montour this spring as the Spartans look to make a state tournament appearance for the second time in three seasons. The younger Vietmeier will join his first baseman cousin with the same last name, fleet-footed junior outfielder Cam Pies, and senior infielder Zachary McGowan in powering the offense for coach Glenn Vietmeier.

Greater Latrobe should lean on a trio of senior two-way performers this spring, each of whom logged at least 26 innings last season while also pacing the Wildcats in offensive production. Kokoska is a toolsy, 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete with plus wheels and big power potential, along with an upper-80s fastball. Kollar returns as the staff ace who also brings power production, while Chatham-bound RHP/IF Ryan Shawley is back as the third member of the triumvirate.

Perennial contender West Allegheny welcomes back seven position player starters and two of its three most-used pitchers from last spring. Crawford, a lanky, projectable 6-foot-1, 170-pounder who exhibits good pitchability, will team with California (PA)-bound LHP Steve Twardy atop the rotation. Alderson Broaddus-bound catcher Chasen Claus and senior shortstop Nick Ross, a starter since his freshman season, will anchor the middle of the diamond for coach Bryan Cornell. Hendrick is a special talent with big raw power from the left side of the plate and will contribute heavily on the mound as well.

A North Hills line-up that has just two holes to fill could see one of them plugged by 6-foot-3, 235-pound first baseman Garret Barto, who transferred in from 2016 class 1A state champion Vincentian Academy. He would join the Indians' returning fleet-footed keystone combo of Miller and Denison-bound Anthony Ruggieri. A rebuilt pitching staff will feature Welsh, senior RHP Zayle Apodaca, and junior RHP Joey Pusateri looking to fill two significant departures.

Chartiers Valley sent four major contributors off to college baseball, but still returns a solid core from last season's WPIAL 3A championship squad. The athletic Corchado and senior first baseman Dante Panucci will power coach Curt Cairns line-up, along with the double play combo of junior second baseman Zack Pilossoph and senior shortstop Robbie Baumgarten. The senior RHP duo of Ross Wilkerson and Tristen Zimmer will each step up a rung on the pitching ladder, while RHP Corchado's role should grow as well.

Franklin Regional could lean on an experienced line-up early in the season as its pitching staff jockeys to replace two members, including the staff ace, who are now playing college baseball. The offense will be paced by a quartet of seniors in shortstop William Constantin, corner infielder Noah Weiner, physical left-handed hitting Haley, and Grove City-bound C/OF Alex Christie. On the mound, coach Robert Saddler will hand the ball to a capable group that includes Haley, Weiner, and junior LHP Alex Frey.

Mars Area might be a year away from contention, but could find itself in the mix if a talented group of underclassmen forces its way onto the field and adapts quickly to the varsity level. More than half of the offense returns, led by the physical Anderson, Gannon-bound outfielder Brandon Wetherholt, junior infielder Anthony Michalski, and senior outfielder Isaiah Johnson. The pitching staff will be largely rebuilt, with Alderson Broaddus-bound RHP Dylan Rotz assuming the role of ace and the physical, live-armed Frankie Craska slotting in behind him.

A majority of the 11 players back for Gateway have multiple years of varsity experience. Gannon-bound Mason Boehm will front a rotation that will also feature the junior duo of Mike Vojnik and Kris Dick. Coach Bill Stoops' veteran line-up will be powered by La Roche-bound outfielder Dylan Urban, junior outfielder Brady Walker, junior catcher Caleb Lehman, and infielder Boehm.

Brashear will attack its new section following some roster turnover with junior RHPs Josh Booth and Matt Bishop fronting the rotation, and junior infielder Tommy Sposito and freshman outfielder Nick Roell sparking the offense for coach Brian Matts.

Season Preview Content