SOL Baseball District Preview (5-20-19)

Check out the comprehensive preview capsules for SOL baseball teams in action in the upcoming District 1 Tournament that begins Monday.

Class 6A
# 1 Pennsbury (Opening round bye)

16-4 overall
11-1 SOL National Conference champion
Five senior starters, only one player remains from 2017 state championship team
Won last six SOL National games to claim conference title outright
Notable wins over North Penn (4-0, 5-1), #9 Bensalem (14-4, 3-1), #20 Council Rock South (15-2, 4-3), #7 Neshaminy (6-5)
Top hitters include senior SS Justin Massielo (.429, 14 runs, 13 RBIs, 7 doubles), junior 3B Sam Ruta (.393, 14 runs, 15 RBIs, 7 doubles, 1 HR), senior DH Justin Fogel (.382, 11 runs, 16 RBIs, 6 doubles)
Starting pitchers are senior left-handers Christian Buchler (4-0, 2.38 ERA) and Shane Ostrowsky (5-1, 2.60 ERA). Senior right-hander Sean Hochhausler (4-1, 0.86 ERA), 24 1/3 IP, 32 K, 3 BB) has been outstanding out of the bullpen

Will face: Winner of #17 Central Bucks South at #16 Coatesville in second round on Wednesday.

# 2 Souderton (Opening round bye)

17-3 overall
12-0 SOL Continental Conference champion
First baseball team in school history to complete regular-season unbeaten; allowed just 15 runs in 12 league games with seven league shutouts
Notable wins over #19 Quakertown (7-2, 2-1), #18 Central Bucks South (3-0, 2-0), North Penn (3-0, 2-0), #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-5)
Top hitters include senior 1B Luke Taylor (.354, 10 runs, 5 RBIs), junior SS Conlan Wall (.347, 14 runs, 4 RBIs), junior 3B Jake Horton (.240, 13 runs, 20 RBIs, 4 HR), senior OF/OP Jordan Morales (.293, 5 runs, 14 RBIs)
Starting pitchers are senior left-hander Jordan Morales (6-1, 0.37 ERA, 38 1/3 IP, 19 H, 2 ER, 8 BB, 53 K) and senior right-hander Luke Taylor (5-1, 0.95 ERA, 37 IP, 28 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 50 K). Andrew Curran (3-0, 0.58) and Eric Ritchie (1-0, 0.60) come out of the bullpen

Will face: Winner of #19 Quakertown at #14 Spring-Ford in the second round on Wednesday.

# 6 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. #11 Avon Grove, Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Plymouth Whitemarsh

12-7 overall
11-3 SOL American Conference champions
Notable wins include #10 Hatboro-Horsham (6-0), Upper Dublin (10-0), Springfield (4-0, 9-7)
Top hitters include sophomore SS Joe Jaconski (.351, 18 runs, 6 RBIs, 7 doubles), junior C Kevin Reilly (.404, 11 RBIs), senior OF Mike Orensky (.354, 11 runs, 11 RBIs, 6 doubles)
Junior Ben Mascio (6-2, 1.16 ERA, 54 1/3 IP, 38 H, 9 ER, 13 BB, 70 K) was one of the SOL’s top pitchers and a workhorse for the Colonials. Senior Brett Bottinger (3-2, 2.39 ERA) has been a solid No. 2 starter.

Avon Grove

13-7 overall
12-6 Ches-Mont League
Notable wins include # 8 Downingtown West (4-2 and 8-4), # 5 Downingtown East (6-2)
Top hitters include Bryce Porter (.404, 16 runs, 15 RBIs, 6 doubles, 2 HR), Riley Davis (.345, 11 runs)
Top pitchers are Drew Iaia (6-1, 1.17 ERA), Karl Schmidt (2-5, 2.25 ERA)

#10 Hatboro-Horsham at #7 Neshaminy, Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham

14-7 overall
10-4 SOL American Conference, second place
Went 2-3 in league games down the stretch, including 6-0 loss winner-take-all season-finale against Plymouth Whitemarsh
Only 2 senior starters
Notable wins over #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-2), Upper Dublin (8-1), Springfield (6-1)
Top hitters include junior C Anthony Bruno (.404, 12 RBIs), junior 2B Bradan Mallon (.302, 9 runs, 10 RBIs, 7 extra base hits), junior OF Jimmy Tooley (.305, 16 runs, 12 RBIs)
Starting pitchers are sophomore right-hander Benny Wilson (6-2, 1.40 ERA, 45 IP, 21 H, 9 ER, 16 BB, 62 K) and junior left-hander Jackson Treski (4-1, 1.93 ERA, 29 IP, 15 H, 8 ER, 21 BB, 35 K). Relievers include junior left-hander Jimmy Tooley (1-1, 3.77) and junior right-hander Ram Krishnamoorthy (0-2, 1.91 ERA)

Neshaminy

12-6 overall
7-5 SOL National Conference, tied for 3^rd
After going 6-0 through the first half of league schedule, went 1-5 over the second half
Six senior starters
Notable wins over #1 Pennsbury (7-4), #2 Souderton (4-3, 4-2), #9 Bensalem (5-2), #19 Council Rock South (14-2)
Top hitters include senior C Joe Kaleck (.440, 12 RBIs, 4 doubles), senior SS Cory Joyce (.364, 19 runs, 15 RBIs, 5 doubles), junior 2B Matt Yauger (.319, 10 runs), junior 1B Dalton Turner (.310, 10 runs, 15 RBIs, 2 HR)
Starting pitchers include senior right-hander Jake Fehrle (3-2, 1.93 ERA), 29 IP, 34 H, 8 ER, 7 BB, 19 K), junior right-hander Dan Errigo (4-1, 3.89 ERA, 27 IP, 23 H, 15 ER, 18 BB, 31 K). Junior Max Temple (3-1, 2.83 ERA, 34 2/3 IP, 32 H, 14 ER, 14 BB, 20 K) has been used out of the bullpen and late in the season as a starter.

# 9 Bensalem at #8 Downingtown West, Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Bensalem

15-3 overall
9-3 SOL National Conference, second place
Defending District One Class 6A champion and state runner-up, three returning starters from 2018 team
Notable wins over #7 Neshaminy (5-4), #19 Council Rock South (10-3 and 4-1), Central Bucks East (5-0 and 10-5)
Top hitters include senior 2B Nick Dean (.524, 20 runs, 28 RBIs, 10 extra base hits), junior 1B Damon Lavender (.311, 16 RBIs), senior OF Austin Shay (.367, 15 runs, 11 RBIs), junior SS Matt Silano (.321, 18 runs, 12 RBIs).
Senior Dom Grady (5-1, 3.01 ERA) has been the team’s No. 1 starter and he’s got the postseason experience from a year ago. Sophomore Ryan McLaughlin (5-0, 2.30 ERA) and junior Logan Young (3-2, 3.34 ERA) have also been key for the Owls on the mound. Watch out for Dean, who has pitched sparingly to play a bigger role in the postseason.

Downingtown West

13-5 overall
12-5 Ches-Mont League
Notable wins over #16 Coatesville (4-3), #5 Downingtown East (7-1)
Players to watch include senior pitcher Adam Grintz, who went 7-0 on the season, has 25 career wins. Offensively, look out for 3B Evan Williams, C Eric Grintz, SS Tommy Eliason and 2B Stephen Posner.

#17 Central Bucks South at #16 Coatesville, 4 p.m.

Central Bucks South

12-6 overall
7-5 SOL Continental Conference, tied for second place
Notable wins over #19 Quakertown (10-3, 11-1), #1 Pennsbury (6-3), #10 Hatboro-Horsham (7-5)
Top hitters include senior DH Jake Trachtenberg (.473, 9 runs, 17 RBIs, 7 doubles), senior OF/P Brock Veit (.377, 18 runs, 9 RBIs), senior OF Jake McKeown (.375, 19 runs, 9 RBIs), senior SS Joey Loynd (.308, 3 runs, 6 RBIs)
Senior left-hander Ryan Rieber (4-2, 1.74 ERA, 40 1/3 IP, 42 H, 10 ER, 10 BB, 39 K) has been the workhorse of the pitching staff. Brock Veit (2-1, 3.50), Owen Petrich (1-3, 2.54) and Joe Martino (2-0, 0.96) could all play an important role in the Titans are to go deep in the playoffs.

Coatesville

13-7 overall
11-7 Ches-Mont League
Notable wins over #11 Avon Grove (4-2, 11-2), #8 Downingtown West (13-4)
Top hitters include SS Anthony Boccio (.383, 27 runs, 9 RBIs, 5 extra base hits), C/OF R.J. Rickabaugh (.339, 5 runs, 15 RBIs), 1B Ryan Weaver (.333, 8 runs, 26 RBIs, 4 doubles, 2 HR), OF/C Caleb Hershey (.317, 12 runs, 16 RBIs, 5 doubles)
Junior Cam Trego (6-0, 1.12 ERA, 43 2/3 IP, 35 H, 7 ER, 6 BB, 21 K) has been the ace of the pitching staff. Derek Seagreaves (4-2, 2.60 ERA) is the team’s other primary starter.

#19 Quakertown at #14 Spring-Ford, 4 p.m.

Quakertown

13-6 overall
7-5 SOL Continental Conference, tied for second place
Notable wins over #20 Council Rock South (8-7), North Penn (9-7 and 4-3), #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-3), Upper Dublin (5-4)
Top hitters include senior 3B/P Dennis Pierce (.429, 14 runs, 16 RBIs, 10 doubles, 5 HR), senior C/1B Mason Hicks (.262, 11 runs, 20 RBIs, 3 doubles, 4 HR), senior 2B Adam Ritter (.364, 16 runs, 5 RBIs), sr. DH Nolan Byrnes (.344, 15 runs)
On the mound, Dennis Pierce (4-1, 2.14 ERA) has mostly worked out of the bullpen. Matt Ciarrocchi (3-0, 5.53) and Cody Barberio (1-2, 5.37) have been the primary starters.

Spring-Ford

13-9 overall
11-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference, lost in conference title game to Phoenixville
Notable wins over #4 Methacton (9-2), #13 Boyertown (5-4), #12 Owen J. Roberts (3-1), #18 Perkiomen Valley (12-5, 2-1)
Top hitters include OF Ben Wilchacky (.355, 14 runs, 6 RBIs, 4 doubles), OF Chase Simmons (.318. 16 runs, 13 RBIs, 4 triples), SS Mark McNelly (.344, 17 runs, 12 RBIs, 8 doubles), OF David McCurry (.324, 12 runs, 12 RBIs, 4 doubles)
Top pitchers for a deep Rams’ pitching staff include Zach Male (3-1, 0.63 ERA, 33 2/3 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 10 BB, 39 K), Cooper Webb (4-1, 1.86) and Jake Skrocki (2-1, 1.24 ERA)

#20 Council Rock South at #13 Boyertown, 4 p.m.

Council Rock South

11-6 overall
7-5 SOL National Conference, tied for third place
Went 9-3 after Spring Break trip
Notable wins over #19 Quakertown (6-5), #7 Neshaminy (5-3)
Top hitters include senior OF Jared Ennis (.381, 15 runs, 20 RBIs, 9 doubles, 3 HR), junior 3B Emilio Pallante (.412, 19 runs, 5 RBIs, 4 doubles, 3 triples), senior 2B Trey Obarowski (.288, 13 runs, 16 RBIs, 6 doubles), junior C Luke Gregory (.278, 10 runs, 12 RBIs)
Junior right-hander Michael Rabayda (3-0, 2.36 ERA) emerged as the team’s top starter late. Deep staff includes junior left-hander Drew LaPolice (2-1, 3.23), senior right-hander Jake Barder (1-3, 3.99) and sophomore right-hander Joe Purcell (3-2, 3.92).

Boyertown

14-6 overall
11-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference, tied for second Liberty Division
Notable wins over Pope John Paul II (15-0), #14 Spring-Ford (3-2), #12 Owen J. Roberts (4-3), #18 Perkiomen Valley (4-1), Phoenixville (2-0)
Won 7 of its last 8 games to close the regular season
Top hitters include SS Chris Davis (.406, 26 runs, 18 RBIs, 6 extra base hits), CF Derick Basile (.431, 11 runs, 14 RBIs), C Billy Coleman (.362, 3 runs, 12 RBIs, 5 doubles), 3b Shayn Horrocks (.357, 17 runs, 17 RBIs, 4 doubles)
Pitching staff includes three 4-game winners, including Trey Yesavage (4-0, 1.14 ERA), Nolan Kline (4-3, 3.00) and Jared Waldman (4-1, 3.01)

Class 5A

#6 Upper Dublin vs. #11 Bishop Shanahan, 4 p.m.

Upper Dublin

11-9 overall
8-6 SOL American Conference, third place
Notable wins over Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-2), Hatboro-Horsham (4-2), Springfield (6-4, 5-4)
Top hitters include senior OF Elijah Peck (.320, 12 runs, 5 RBIs), senior 2B Brian McPeak (.309, 13 runs, 8 RBIs), freshman OF Kyle Rizzo (.295, 6 runs, 3 RBIs), Jr. OF Jacob Womelsdorf (7 runs, 10 RBIs)
Pitching staff is led by junior Sean Curran (4-3, 1.91 ERA, 40 1/3 IP, 36 H, 11 ER, 15 BB, 42 K) and sophomore Karan Acharya (2-1, 2.13 ERA)

Bishop Shanahan

10-9 overall
9-9 Ches-Mont
Notable wins over Avon Grove (9-4), Coatesville (10-9 and 4-3)
Top hitters include Anthony Bertolami (.347, 7 runs, 7 RBIs), Derek Gibbs (.289, 6 runs, 6 RBIs), Kenny Kunzman (.293, 6 runs, 8 RBIs), Simmi Whitehill (.296, 8 runs, 8 RBIs)
The pitching staff is led by Matt Bertolami (2-0, 2.35 ERA, 38 2/3 IP, 35 H, 13 ER, 3 BB, 33 K), Jake Monaghan (1-0, 3.41 ERA)

Class 4A

# 2 Springfield Township vs. # 3 Pope John Paul II, Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Springfield Township

7-13 overall
6-8 SOL American Conference
Notable wins include Hatboro-Horsham (6-4), Wissahickon (4-3), Upper Moreland (3-0), Cheltenham (3-1)
After starting the league 1-7, it closes 5-1 in its last six games
Top hitters include senior 1B Morgan D’Amico (.385, 6 runs, 7 RBIs, 8 extra base hits), senior OF Max Perry (.327, 13 runs, 10 RBIs, 5 extra base hits), senior 3B/P Kevin Keown (.268, 15 hits)
The pitching staff is led by junior Ethan Hamilton (3-3, 2.66 ERA, 47 1/3 IP, 34 H, 18 ER, 5 BB, 30 K) and junior Jackson Campbell (1-2, 2.40 ERA)

Pope John Paul II

7-10 overall
6-9 Pioneer Athletic Conference
Notable wins include Perkiomen Valley (9-4), Upper Perkiomen (9-5), Upper Merion (13-2, 8-4), Pottsgrove (2-0)
At one point was 2-8 in the PAC-10, won 4 of last 5 games
Top hitters include senior John Wagner (.340, 13 runs, 11 RBIs, 7 RBIs), senior Bryan Bendig (.368, 7 runs, 7 RBIs), senior Brett Leighton (.319, 7 runs, 8 RBIs)
The pitching staff has used a lot of different arms throughout the season, led by senior Bryan Bendig (2-0, 2.47 ERA) and junior Adam Ferdok (1-1, 2.50 ERA)