Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media 2021 Baseball Preview

The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media area baseball teams found plenty of success at the league, district and state level the last time they took the diamond, but, after losing the 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 rosters look a lot different than they did in 2019.

Souderton Area and Plymouth Whitemarsh both won Suburban One League championships in 2019. The Indians went on to win the PIAA-6A state championship while PW reached the District 1-6 semifinals.

Souderton, which returns All-League honorable mention Jacob Horton, moves into the new SOL Colonial Division. The challengers are familiar: Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, Pennridge and North Penn.

Plymouth Whitemarsh brings back senior Joe Jaconski, a North Carolina commit and 2019 first team All-League shortstop, and his brother Jesse, a junior who earned third team All-League honors as a freshman. The Colonials finished one game ahead of Hatboro-Horsham in 2019. Those two will compete with Abington, Quakertown, Upper Dublin and Wissahickon in the SOL Liberty Division. Wissahickon’s Joe Hornig and Jackson Tappen, H-H’s Jimmy Tooley and Upper Dublin’s Kyle Rizzo all bring varsity experience.

Springfield Montco won a district championship in 2019 and will compete with Cheltenham, Lower Moreland, New Hope-Solebury, Upper Moreland and William Tennent in the SOL Freedom Division. Upper Moreland’s Greg Wiley is one of the league’s top returning players.

La Salle College High School and Archbishop Wood both had successful seasons in the Philadelphia Catholic League in 2019. The Explorers won the PCL regular season and tournament championships, but returns just three players with varsity experience. Wood finished tied for fourth in the Catholic League before winning the District 12-5A title and qualifying for states.

Methacton won the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division in 2019 and entered the District 1-6A playoffs as the No. 4 seed. The Warriors reached the district quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Souderton in the playback bracket.

The Bicentennial Athletic League features three District 1 champions from 2019 – Class-A’s Faith Christian Academy, Class-2A’s Dock Mennonite and Class-5A’s Holy Ghost.

Abington

Head coach: Bill Degen (2^nd year)

2019: 4-15; 3-11 SOL American

Key returners: Ryan Van Buren, Henry Tyler

Archbishop Wood

Head coach: Jim DiGuiseppe Jr. (10^th year)

2019: 16-8; 9-4 PCL; District 12-5A champs; state quarterfinalist

Notable losses: Bobby Hennessey, David Linsalata, Sam Reynolds, Antonio Rossillo, Bryce Stock

Key returners: Luke Cantwell, Ryan Albin, Alex Neeld, Aiden Myers, Michael Trommer

Season outlook: “We are young and talented. We expect to compete for the PCL, District, and State Championships.”

Central Bucks West

Head coach: Brian Weaver (3^rd year)

2019: 7-12; 5-9 SOL Continental

Notable losses: Rhys Nichols, Matt McArthy, Tyler Dalzell, Gene McGough, Dan Miller

Key returners: Andrew Kohl, Mike Bukowski, Mike Boyle, Aidan Quinn, Cole Fehrman

Season outlook: “The Bucks will look to ride a balanced attack in all phases of the game this year. A strong group of senior leaders have been a driving force on and off the field throughout the pandemic to keep West together and focused. They’ll look for that cohesion to carry them to the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade.”

Hatboro-Horsham

Head coach: Pete Moore (20^th year)

2019: 13-8, 10-4 SOL American

Notable losses: Benny Wilson, Eric Thron, Anthony Bruno, Brandon Mallon, Jake Bianchini, Jin Lee, Andrew Lastowka

Key returners: Jimmy Tooley, Noah Gremo, Justin Kahrimanian, Trey Porter

Season outlook: “I would expect to compete for a playoff spot this year. We lack experience at the varsity level, but so do most teams unless they had freshmen or sophomores who played a lot in 2019. While we don’t have experience, we do have great team chemistry and hard working and talented kids in our program. Our goal is to teach them how to play winning baseball in a short period of time.”

La Salle

Head coach: Kyle Werman (7^th year)

2019: 18-7; 11-2 PCL; PCL champions

Notable losses: Gavin Moretski, Owen Lawn, David Kratz, Andrew Miles

Key returners: Jake Whitlinger, Kevin Kell, Tim Barrett

Season outlook: “La Salle baseball brings a deep roster to the 2021 campaign with the hopes of defending the PCL crown after missing the opportunity to do so in 2020. However, with only three players returning with varsity experience, they will have to get up to speed quickly to compete in a very talented PCL.”

Lower Moreland

Head coach: Tony Martino (6^th year)

2019: 14-6

Notable losses: Connor Duddy, Emmett Cousins

Key returners: Matt Haggerty, Jack Doneker, Kenny Wieczorek

Season outlook: “We look forward to our first year in the S.O.L. and competing against some of the best teams in the area.”

Methacton

Head coach: Paul Spiewak (18^th year)

2019: 16-6; 12-4 PAC; PAC Liberty champs

Notable losses: Ben Boyle, Nick Ahlum, Danny Carr, Robert Maloney, Nathan Shin, Ryan Eckman

Key returners: Kevin Trafford, Nolan McCloskey

Season outlook:  “Given the number of starters that graduated from the last two seasons, especially on the mound, we have great opportunities for players to be competing with each other for starting positions all over the field. Our seniors have been doing a great job of leading this group towards doing the right things towards success, and we have a tremendous group of underclassman that are working hard every day.  The 2021 team is very much looking forward to the challenge of proving to ourselves and to our opponents that we can compete at a high level in one of the toughest baseball conferences in the state of Pennsylvania. We hope to work towards another great regular season in 2021, and will look to build off of 2019 and prepare ourselves to play our best baseball in May!”

North Penn

Head coach: Kevin Manero (10^th year)

2019: 9-10; 6-6 SOL Continental

Notable losses: Kolby Barrow, Chris McLean, Colby Chan, Nicky Koch, Joey Christian

Key returners: Dylan Brown, Gavin Mikulski, Evin Sullivan, Sean Brennan, Chris Stevens, Steven Corrado, Quinn Holt, Colin Orndorff, Mike Lennon, Colby Seelig, Jadon Dormer

Season outlook: “The 2021 season will not only be tough and competitive in the SOL as it always is, but with it comes the challenge of minimal on-field experience for much of the roster, due to last year’s lost season. Every team in the SOL is talented on the mound, so our success will depend upon our ability to throw strikes, win the Free 90’ war, and execute consistently. Getting people out, playing with situational awareness, and stringing together quality at bats will need to be consistent from game to game in the SOL. We are excited about our depth around the diamond and on the mound, and feel good about a mix of hungry seniors and excited underclassmen who will fill out the lineup each day. While largely untested in real baseball, this is nonetheless a fiercely competitive and dedicated team whose season goals and physical abilities are clear. We are lucky to be healthy and back on the diamond and grateful for the opportunity to do so in 2021.”

Pennridge

Head coach: Craig Whitten (2^nd year)

2019: 5-12; 1-11 SOL Continental

Notable losses: Sean Clayton, Raymond Knight, Paul Croyle, Nick Christ, Kyle Moran, Alex Podraza, Sean Lerro, Derek Morgan, Stephen Nace

Key returners: Carson Wells, Timmy Mastrogiovanni, Bobby Croyle, Matt Dubyk, Shea Grourke, Joey Calabretti, Ryan DeHaven, Harry Haeflein, Aidan Fretz, Jaden Morgan, Ashton McCloskey, Conor Flynn

Season outlook: “We have a very solid group of starting pitchers in Matt Dubyk, Aidan Fretz, and Ryan DeHaven as well as a deep bullpen with pitchers able to spot-start and throw relief innings. Timmy Mastrogiovanni is one of the best defensive catchers in the league and is a very tough out at the plate. Carson Wells is just an outstanding baseball player, and Bobby Croyle is easily the most athletic player on our roster. A solid Junior group led by Joey Calabretti and Harry Haeflein will contribute and sophomores Ashton McCloskey, Conor Flynn, and Matt Campione will all see Varsity time this year.

“We are still sorting out our lineup to see which combinations complement each other the best, and with the loss of the 2020 season, we only have three players with Varsity experience. “

Plymouth Whitemarsh

Head coach: Chris Manero (9^th year)

2019: 16-9; 11-3 SOL American champs; District 1-6A semifinals; state second round

Notable losses: Kevin Reilly, Ben Mascio, Dylan Strunk, Emerson Abromavage, Quin Dye, Zach Redican

Key returners: Joe Jaconski, Jesse Jaconski, Joe Rauscher

Season outlook: “Our goal as a program is always to compete for a conference title and advance to the postseason. But, building from previous seasons has certainly led to high expectations within and from the outside. These expectations, along with a ton of talent across the American Conference and new opponents due to league realignment, will pose some definite challenges to us returning to where we left off.”

Quakertown

Head coach: Jon Pallone (8^th year)

2019: 13-7; 8-6 SOL Continental; District 1 qualifier

Notable losses: Dennis Pierce, Mason Hicks, Sam Rice, Matt Ciarrocchi, Cody Barberio, Matt Tuley, Cole Mehrman, Adam Ritter, Nolan Byrnes, Griffin Kelley, Ben Eichorn, Brad Bryan, Sean Brennan

Key returners: Justin Butler, Trevor Hurst, Jack Qualteria, Anthony Rostick, Brandon Pierce, Ty Everitt

Season outlook: “After qualifying for District Playoffs the last three seasons it will be a new challenge to continue the streak from a new conference this year.”

Souderton

Head coach: Mike Childs (17^th year)

2019: 24-4 ;12-0 SOL Continental champs; PIAA-6A state champs

Notable losses: Jordan Morales, Luke Taylor, Conlan Wall, Frank Pollack, Billy Norbeck, Hogan Despain, Moses Clemens, Dylan Kummery

Key returners: Jacob Horton, Erik Ritchie, Matt Benner, Isaac Frye

Season outlook: “As always, our goals are set high to win the league, make playoffs, and compete with the best in playoffs. We are aware the SOL is loaded with talent and going to be tough, but we are up for the challenge. We are fighting some injuries right now and are confident some guys will step up and fill their shoes.”

Springfield Montco

Head coach: Dennis Primavera (9^th year)

2019: 10-14; 6-8 SOL American; District 1-4A champs; state quarterfinals

Notable losses: Morgan D’Amico, Max Perry, Kevin Keown, Mitch McCann, Sean Cornerly, Brian Murphy, Ethan Hamilton, Jackson Campbell, Ryan Deal

Key returners: Gabe Franczyk, Nathan Dennis, Joe Smith, Tyler Whatley, Alex Wynne, Nick Kirby, Jack O’Malley

Season outlook: “I expect the squad to be solid defensively with good speed and arms in the outfield. If the seniors can step up, we will be strong offensively with excellent speed on the bases. We have a couple of good young pitchers but I suspect we will pitch by committee.”

Upper Dublin

Head coach: Ed Wall (15^th year)

2019: 11-10; 8-6 SOL American; District 1-5A qualifier

Notable losses: Sean Curran, Elijah Peck, Brian McPeak, Alex Goldenberg

Key returners: Karan Acharya, Tyler Lizell, Tristan Cairnes, Nick Lombardo, Justin Richman, Kyle Rizzo, David Sharp

Season outlook: “The new divisions and crossover games are going to make things interesting and we’re looking forward to playing against some teams we’ve never seen before. The competition in our schedule is pretty strong and we are ready for the challenge. The boys have worked hard over the last year to get ready for this moment and are ready to get after it.  We feel like if we take care of the baseball we’ll be in great shape.  We are looking forward to playing on the diamond again and wish everyone a safe and healthy 2021 season.”

Upper Moreland

Head coach: Dan Heiland (5^th year)

2019: 8-9; 6-8 SOL American

Notable losses: Ben Paul, Jake O’Connor, Luke Ciliberto, Garrett Garafalo, Tyler Obbitson

Key returners: Greg Wiley, Kevin Davis, Josh Henderson, Connor English, Ryan Lennox, Sean McAfee

Season outlook: “We have a strong senior core returning in 2021, with a very solid hard working group of young players eager to compete and earn their time. Our goal as a program is always to compete for a conference title and advance to the postseason and make a deep run.”

Wissahickon

Head coach: Andy Noga (4^th year)

2019: 7-13; 6-8 SOL American

Notable losses: Andrew Booth, Andrew Buck, Giovanni D’Amore, Teague DiNicola, Joe Liotta, Mike Gorman, Dylan Maltin, Sam Junker, Brian Menhardt, Brian Hynes, Shane Walsh, Josh Unipan

Key returners: Joe Hornig, Jackson Tappen, Seth Floyd, Grayson Lovitz, Ben Junker

Season outlook: “Losing a lot of key players in the 2020 class, the Trojans will look to lean on the leadership of senior captains Joe Hornig and Jackson Tappen. The Trojans will have a younger pitching staff that is eager to compete at the varsity level in the SOL.”