Check out Todd Thorpe’s comprehensive preview capsules for the SOL baseball teams in action in the upcoming District One Tournament that begin on Monday.
Class 6A
#2 North Penn (opening-round bye)
16-4
13-3 SOL Colonial, first place
The Knights clinched the SOL Colonial early, with two quality wins over #14 CB West and going 6-0 in crossover play against the SOL Patriot, including #7 Pennsbury, #16 Neshaminy, #18 CR North, #20 Harry S. Truman, and #24 CR South.
North Penn has excellent starting pitching and a few solid arms out of the bullpen too, and offensively it has put up big numbers against quality pitching.
Key Players:
1B Ben Farley .400, 20 H, 8 RBIs, 4 2B
DH/P Jack Picozzi .367, 22 H, 15 RBIs, 9 2B, 2 HR
3B Justin Egner .317, 19 H, 14 RBIs, 2 2B, 1 HR
2B Chase Jones .333, 19 H, 12 RBIs, 4 2B, 1 HR
Top Pitchers:
Trevor Lugara 7-0, 1.00 ERA, 42 IP, 5 BB, 29 K
Jack Picozzi 4-0, 2.21 ERA, 44.3 IP, 15 BB, 47 K
Next up: North Penn will host the winner of CR North and West Chester Henderson in the second round on Wednesday.
#4 Abington (opening-round bye)
13-6
12-4 SOL Liberty, tied for second place
On April 11, the Galloping Ghosts were 0-3 in the SOL Liberty and 1-5 overall. But that was definitely the turning point of their season, as they went 12-1 the rest of the way in the league, including at one point an eight-game winning streak, which helped them vault all the way up to the fourth seed and a first-round bye.
Abington has done it with quality pitching and timely hitting. The pitchers gave up four runs total in their last four games, led by ace LJ Wolff, who threw a no-hitter against #13 Wissahickon in his last start. The team has two wins over both Wissahickon and #23 Quakertown and one win over #5 Plymouth Whitemarsh and 5A #7 Hatboro-Horsham.
Key Players:
C Alex Dardaris .396, 21 H, 14 RBIs, 9 2B, 1 HR
1B Logan Moss .379, 22 H, 15 RBIs, 4 2B
3B Matt Worek .358, 24 H, 9 RBIs, 5 2B, 2 3B
SS Chase Goodson .351, 20 H, 17 RBIs, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR
Top Pitchers:
LJ Wolff 5-0, 2.31 ERA, 30.3 IP, 19 BB, 56 K
Calvin Judge 4-2, 2.45 ERA, 40 IP, 9 BB, 31 K
Next up: Abington hosts the winner of #13 Wissahickon and #20 Harry S. Truman in the second round on Wednesday.
#5 Plymouth Whitemarsh (opening-round bye)
14-6
12-4 SOL Liberty, tied for second place.
The Colonials started quickly jumping out to a 10-1 record before struggling a bit, going 2-3, the second time through the Liberty Division. They do own wins over #4 Abington, #13 Wissahickon and twice over both #23 Quakertown and 5A #7 Hatboro-Horsham.
PW has some pop with sluggers Johnny Giordano and Lincoln Sharpe and a No. 1 starter in Dylan Robinson who was dominant for most of the season.
Key Players:
RF Johnny Giordano .396, 19 H, 16 RBIs, 5 2B, 4 HR
C Chase Olszyk .345, 19 H, 12 RBIs, 2 2B
3B Gavin Rocks .333, 20 H, 14 RBIs, 3 2B
DH Lincoln Sharpe, .308, 16 H, 14 RBIs, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR
Top Pitchers:
Dylan Robinson 7-1, 2.12 ERA, 49.6 IP, 5 BB, 36 K
Matt Krawitz 5-1, 4.20 ERA, 28.3 IP, 20 BB, 32 K
Next up: PW hosts the winner of #12 Ridley and #21 Souderton in the second round on Wednesday.
#7 Pennsbury (opening-round bye)
16-4
12-4 SOL Patriot, first place.
Top to bottom, led by three Division I college commits at the top of the order, the Falcons have one of the top lineups in the district. They’ve scored six runs or more in 10 of their league wins. And on the mound, they have five league shutouts.
Pennsbury has two wins each over #16 Neshaminy, #20 Truman and #24 CR South and one over playoff teams in #18 CR North and #21 Souderton.
Key Players:
SS Ryan Zuckerman .479, 34 H, 22 RBIs, 6 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR
3B Joe Tiroly .431, 28 H, 28 RBIs, 10 2B, 4 HR
2B James Schaffer .311, 23 H, 13 RBIs, 4 2B, 1 HR
C Tyler Boraski .396, 19 H, 8 RBIs, 2 2B
Top Pitchers:
Sr. Kayden Faulcon 7-2, 1,56 ERA, 46 IP, 36 BB, 61 K
Jr. Connor McCloskey 4-1, 1.24 ERA, 28.3 IP, 13 BB, 33 K
Next up: Pennsbury plays the winner of #10 Owen J. Roberts and #23 Quakertown in the second round on Wednesday.
#20 Harry S. Truman at #13 Wissahickon, Monday 4 p.m.
Harry S. Truman
11-8
9-7 SOL Patriot, tied for second place
Five straight league wins in April helped turn around the season for the Tigers, who got off to a 1-3 start. The pitching staff was taxed during a late stretch of games, but they rebounded with three straight division wins to end the season, outscoring their opponents a combined 13-1 in those games.
Truman’s top wins this season were over #14 CB West, #16 Neshaminy, #21 Souderton and #24 CR South (twice).
Key Players:
LF Andrew Armstrong .350, 21 H, 16 RBIs, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR
SS Wyatt Spinks .288, 21 H, 11 RBIs, 2 3B, 1 HR
RF Chase Wright .271, 19 H, 13 RBIs, 3 2B, 2 HR
C Gabe Marrero .298, 17 H, 13 RBIs, 3 2B, 1 HR
Top Pitchers:
Andrew Armstrong 3-2, 3.18 ERA, 31 IP, 16 BB, 34 K
Austin Allen 2-2, 3.04 ER, 27.6 IP, 16 BB, 30 K
Wissahickon
13-7
10-6, SOL Liberty, fourth place
A 4-0 win over #5 Plymouth Whitemarsh to wrap up its league schedule on Wednesday helped the Trojans erase the bad taste of a three-game league losing streak. Third baseman Shane Henrick has heated up late in the season and now leads the Trojans in batting average, hits, RBIs and extra base hits.
Wissahickon’s top wins were over PW and #23 Quakertown one time each, and Class 5A #7 Hatboro-Horsham twice.
Key Players:
3B Shane Henrick .419, 18 H, 18 RBIs, 5 2B, 2 3B
CF Blake McClintic .400, 18 H, 13 RBIs
OF/IF Josh Palutis .375, 21 H, 9 RBIs, 3 2B
LF Justin Miller .340, 18 H, 17 RBIs, 5 2B
Top Pitchers:
Adam Hajdak 4-2, 2.80 ERA, 30 IP, 23 BB, 21 K
Gavin Malloy 2-0, 0.37 ERA, 19 IP, 5 BB, 22 K
Next up: Winner plays at #4 Abington in the second round on Wednesday.
#14 Central Bucks West vs. #19 Downingtown West, Monday, 4 p.m.
CB West
14-6
10-6 SOL Colonial, second place
The Bucks were in the SOL Colonial title chase for much of August and were 7-1 in the league at one point, before a rough spell that saw them lose five out of six. But down the stretch, they closed the regular season with three straight wins, and this is a team that has shown the ability to score runs. Shortstop Kevin Bukowski is hitting .692 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in the team’s last three games.
CB West’s biggest win of the season was over SOL Patriot champ #7 Pennsbury, and it also owns wins over playoff teams #21 Souderton (twice), #18 CR North, and #24 CR South.
Key Players:
SS Kevin Bukowski .426, 26 H, 15 RBIs, 7 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR
RF Will Hogenauer .338, 22 H, 18 RBIs, 6 2B, 1 HR
2B Quinn Illig .328, 21 H, 23 RBIs, 7 2B, 3 HR
C Max McGlone .322, 19 H, 9 RBIs, 2 HR
Top Pitchers:
Julio Ermigiotti 4-0, 2.55 ERA, 33 IP, 14 BB, 50 K
Sam Greer 3-2, 3,50 ERA, 38 IP, 14 BB, 60 K
Downingtown West
11-9
10-8 Ches-Mont League, sixth-place
The Whippets own wins this season over #10 Owen J. Roberts, #11 Downingtown East, and 5A #8 West Chester East and #12 West Chester Rustin. Top players include junior catcher Jay Slater, junior third baseman Michael Jaszczak and senior pitcher Brett Alansky.
Next up: Winner plays at #3 Methacton in a second-round game on Wednesday.
#17 Council Rock North at #15 West Chester Henderson, Monday, 4 p.m.
CR North
11-8
9-7 SOL Patriot, second-place tie
The Indians season was pretty much dead in the water a few weeks back, as they were 3-7 in league play, but since they’ve run off six straight wins, clipping playoff teams #7 Pennsbury, #16 Neshaminy, #20 Truman and #24 CR South among others to earn their way into the district playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the bracket.
CR North has ridden the offense of Leor Kedar and Brian Curry, who are each hitting over .600 in the last seven games with a combined 18 RBIs and 10 extra base hits between them.
Key Players:
CF Leor Kedar .438, 21 H, 10 RBIs, 2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR
2B Brian Curry .388, 19 H, 15 RBIs, 5 2B, 1 HR
DH Jadon Tang .310, 18 H, 6 RBIs, 3 2B, 1HR
SS Quinn Erlandsen .295, 18 H, 8 RBIs, 6 2B
Top Pitchers:
Matt Herbert 1-3, 2.23 ERA, 47 IP, 16 BB, 36 K
Patrick Dougherty 5-3, 2.50 ERA, 42 IM, 14 BB, 39 K
West Chester Henderson
11-9
10-8 Ches-Mont League, fourth place
Henderson own wins this season were over #11 Downingtown West, #6 Coatesville, 5A #3 Strath Haven and #8 West Chester East. Top players include junior outfielder Marcus Gustafson, senior catcher/pitcher Ethan Giangiulio and junior pitcher Eric Lintelman.
Next up: Winner plays at #2 North Penn in a second-round game on Wednesday.
#16 Neshaminy vs. #17 Lower Merion, Monday, 4 p.m.
Neshaminy
13-7
9-7 SOL Patriot Division, second-place tie
An up-and-down season ended with a one-run win over Truman and then a one-run loss to CR North, Neshaminy’s 10th game decided by two or few runs. Top league wins included over #14 CB West, #18 CR North, #20 Truman (twice), #21 Souderton and #24 CR South.
Key Players:
CF Anthony Trommer .373, 25 H, 5 RBIs, 3 2B, 2 3B
2B Rob DelBuono .359, 23 H, 10 RBIs
LF Joel Bonner .345, 19 H, 10 RBIs, 5 2B
C Robert Harrison .324, 16 H, 8 RBIs
Top Pitchers:
Steve Martin 5-1, 2.87 ERA, 36.6 IP, 34 H, 12 BB, 37 K
Evan Krippel 3-3, 2.98 ERA, 40 IP, 37 H, 16 BB, 35 K
Lower Merion
11-9
9-7 Central League, fifth place
The Aces own win this season over #12 Ridley, #22 Garnet Valley (twice), and Class 5A #4 Marple Newtown. Top players include Jack Scholz and Drew Hollowell at the plate and pitcher Van Willner.
Next Up: Winner earns a second-round date at #1 Spring-Ford on Wednesday.
#21 Souderton at #12 Ridley, Monday, 4 p.m.
Souderton
10-10
8-8 SOL Colonial, third place
The Indians had a ton to replace from their 2022 squad and injuries held them back a little too, but they’ve been able to avoid long skids with several huge wins, including a pair of one-run thrillers over SOL Colonial champ #2 North Penn. Overall, they’ve played eight games decided by two or fewer runs.
Key Players:
C Ethan Warner .404, 21 H, 13 RBIs, 5 2B, 1 HR
SS Chris McKenna .397, 31 H, 10 RBIs, 7 2B, 1 HR
DH Joey Crecca .404, 21 H, 9 RBIs, 2 2B
1B Tyler Lutz .300, 18 H, 13 RBIs, 2 HRs
Top Pitchers:
Jeremy Fallon 2-3, 1.95 ERA, 32.3 IP, 22 BB, 40 K
Tyler Lutz 3-0, 1.51 ERA, 18.6 IP, 11 BB, 30 K
Ridley
9-6
8-5 Central League, fourth place
The Raiders have Central League wins over the likes of #17 Lower Merion, 5A #4 Strath Haven and #11 Harriton. Players to watch include top hitters Jeremy Stranix and Josh Geddes and pitcher Mike Happersett.
Next up: Winner plays a second-round game at #5 Plymouth Whitemarsh.
#23 Quakertown at #10 Owen J. Roberts, Monday, 4 p.m.
Quakertown
9-11
8-8 SOL Liberty, sixth place.
Perseverance pays off, and credit to the Panthers, who were 0-5 to start their Liberty Division schedule. They righted the ship in the crossovers and then went 2-3 the second time through the division too, with wins over Wissahickon and Hatboro-Horsham and one-run losses to Upper Dublin and Abington.
Key Players:
SS Danny Qualteria .377, 26 H, 6 RBIs, 5 2B
RF Cole Reich .375, 18 H, 11 RBIs, 5 2B, 3 3B
OF Cooper Natisin .283, 17 H, 10 RBIs
DH Nate Sheetz .278, 15 H, 13 RBIs, 3 2B, 1 HR
Top Pitchers:
Vinny Pellegrini 4-3, 1.77 ERA, 31.6 IP, 6 BB, 38 K
Matthew Marsten 2-2, 2.29 ERA, 33.6 IP, 11 BB, 48 K
Owen J. Roberts
13-7
11-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference, fifth place
OJR’s top win this season was over #3 Methacton 4-2 on May 1. Seniors Tristan Dietrich and Zach Brockner are the best players at the plate and on the mound.
Next up: Winner faces #7 Pennsbury in the second round on Wednesday.
#24 Council Rock South at #9 Upper Darby, Monday, 4 p.m.
CR South
10-10
7-9 SOL Patriot, fifth place
The District One Tournament has a long history of the last team in causing havoc, and that’s a history the Golden Hawks would love to see repeated. They’ll need to rebound from three straight division losses to end the regular season in which they were outscored 17-5.
CR South has wins over #7 Pennsbury, #16 Neshaminy, #18 CR North and #21 Souderton.
Key Players:
P/DH Chase Ennis .346, 18 H, 7 RBIs, 4 2B
1B Johnny Mendola .323, 20 H, 11 RBIs, 3 2B, 2 HR
P/DH Trey Sajeski .321, 18 H, 7 RBIs, 4 2B
3B Billy O’Neill .319, 15 H, 12 RBIs, 3 2B
Top Pitchers:
Trey Sajeski 5-3, 1.33 ERA, 42 IP, 26 BB, 52 K
Chase Ennis 2-5, 3.13 ERA, 38 IP, 20 BB, 42 K
Upper Darby
11-9
10-6 Central League, third place
The Royals have quality wins this season over #12 Ridley, #17 Lower Merion (twice) and #22 Garnet Valley, as well as 5A #11 Harriton. Watch out for top hitters Brian Fitzpatrick and Drew Kessler, and lights-out No. 1 starting pitcher Chris Zupito.
Next up: Winner plays at #8 Avon Grove on Wednesday.
Class 5A
#1 Upper Dublin (first round bye)
14-5
14-2 SOL Liberty champions
The class of the SOL Liberty pretty much from the jump, the Flying Cardinals at one point had a 12-league winning streak until losing the finale to Hatboro-Horsham. Not a lot of gawdy stats, but UD has a lot of guys that can hurt you in the lineup and a four quality arms who’ve gotten a lot of innings.
The team has two wins each over Class 6A playoff teams, #4 Abington, #5 Plymouth Whitemarsh, #13 Wissahickon and #23 Quakertown, and one win over 5A #7 Hatboro-Horsham.
Key Players:
CF Eric Berman .419, 18 H, 10 RBIs
SS Jared Levis .279, 17 H, 15 RBIs, 1 HR
DH Austin Dahl .295, 13 H, 10 RBIs, 4 2B
1B Aidan McCarthy .271, 16 H, 13 RBIs, 4 2B
Top Pitchers:
Aidan McCarthy 5-1, 2.54 ERA, 27.6 IP, 16 BB, 23 K
Austin Dahl 3-0, 3 saves, 0.59 ERA, 23.6 IP, 14 BB, 27 K
Next up: The Cardinals host the West Chester East-Unionville winner in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
#7 Hatboro-Horsham vs. #10 West Chester Rustin, Monday, 4 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham
12-8
9-7 SOL Liberty, fifth place
State qualifiers in Class 6A the past two seasons, the Hatters struggled with consistency, at the plate and on the mound, including a May slide that saw them lose five of six league games to go squarely on the Class 5A bubble. But H-H responded with its best win of the season, 8-5 over division champ #1 Upper Dublin on the final day of the regular season to make a huge bump up to #7 and a first-round home game. The Hatters also have quality wins over the likes of #4 Abington (6-5) and #23 Quakertown (1-0).
Key Players:
OF Trey Porter .389, 21 H, 12 RBIs, 3 2B, 2 HR
1B/OF Jaxson Bumpas .361, 22 H, 20 RBIs, 4 2B
2B Kyle Dittus .375, 15 H, 4 RBIs
OF Noah Schlosser .328, 19 H, 10 RBIs, 4 2B, 1 HR
Top Pitchers:
Jamie O’Neill 6-2, 1 save, 0.84 ERA, 50 IP, 19 BB, 39 K
Chase Canney 3-0, 1.62 ERA, 17.3 IP, 8 BB, 23 K
West Chester Rustin
11-9
9-8 Ches-Mont League, eighth place
Rustin has Class 6A wins this season over #22 Garnet Valley, #15 West Chester Henderson, #11 Downingtown East, and #6 Coatesville. Top hitters include Nick Covis and Drew Brown, while Kyle Kearns is the team’s No. 1 pitcher.
Next up: Winner earns a date in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at #2 Chichester
Class 4A
#4 Springfield Township at #1 Pope John Paul II, Tuesday, 4 p.m,
Springfield
7-13
7-9 SOL Freedom Division, second place
A lot had to happen for the Spartans to find a way into the four-team field, and with wins over Lower Moreland and Cheltenham to close the season, they vaulted into the fourth position to earn a trip to play top-seeded Pope John Paul II in the semifinals.
Key Players:
1B Colby Sabin .419, 13 H, 10 RBIs, 2 2B
SS Matt Caruso .386, 22 H, 7 RBIs, 3 2B
OF Brett Smith .370, 17 H, 8 RBIs, 4 2B, 1 HR
OF Ryan Marcino .321, 17 H, 17 RBIs, 4 2B, 2 HR
Top Pitchers:
Will Hastings 3-2, 5.51 ERA, 26.6 IP, 9 BB, 15 K
Nolan Kidwell 1-3, 3.90 ERA, 23.3 IP, 19 BB, 33 K
Pope John Paul II
15-4
13-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference, second place
Top wins this season were over Class 6A #3 Methacton and Class 5A #6 Phoenixville (twice). Players to watch include first baseman Brendan Kenning and outfielder Noah Brandt, while AJ Diaddezio is the team’s No. 1 starter.
Up next: Winner will play the Holy Ghost Prep-Upper Perkiomen winner in the Class 4A championship game on Thursday.
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