Check out Todd Thorpes preview capsules for SOL baseball teams competing in the District 1 Tournament.
Class 6A
#3 Pennridge - First-Round bye
16-4 overall
13-2 SOL Colonial, champions
Key Players:
Tim Croyle (SS), .407 AVG 20 RBIs
Tommy Ginnetti (C), .326 AVG .579 OBP 3 HRs 18 BB/10Ks
Oliver Olson (P), 34 IP, 42 Ks, 1.03 ERA
Ryder Olson (P), 31.1 IP, 58 Ks, 2.23 ERA
Connor Murray (P), 27.1IP 35 Ks, 0 .77 ERA
Key wins: After losing their league opener to Souderton, the Rams won 13 of their next 14 league games to run away with the Colonial title. They took two of three over Souderton and CB West and were 6-1 in one-run games.
Coach Dan Long: "We are excited to host a playoff game. Every team is a quality opponent once you get in the playoffs."
Next up: Pennridge will play the winner of #19 Council Rock North and #14 Downingtown East in the second round on Wednesday.
#4 Pennsbury - First-Round bye
18-2
13-2 SOL Patriot champions
Key Players:
Keller Bradley (Sr. P)
Owen Hawkes (Jr. P)
Quinton Shaffer (Jr. P)
Carlton Crane (SS)
Pierce Perry (DH)
Brandon Zuckerman (1B)
Ty Lee (C)
Michael Sogness (2B)
Key wins: The Falcons won their first 11 games, lost one, then won six in a row. After losing to Neshaminy in the first game of their series to decide the division title, Pennsbury won the last two by a 20-5 margin to win the championship. Pennsbury also defeated #3 Pennridge and Class 4A power Pope John Paul II in late non-league games.
Next up: Pennsbury hosts the winner of #13 Wissahickon and #20 Great Valley in a second-round game on Wednesday.
#8 Neshaminy - First-Round bye
14-5 overall
12-3 SOL Patriot, second place
Key Players:
Matt Gryn (OF/P), .471, 14 RBIs, 12 R, 9 SB
5-1, 1.75 ERA, 35 K, 7 BB, .226 BAA
Chase Bonner (SS/P), 440, 6 doubles, 1 HR, 15 RBIs, 19 runs, 20 BB, 8 SB
5-2, 2.26 ERA, 32 K, .125 BAA
Brandon Lall (3B), .434, 5 doubles, 19 RBIs
Noah Wallace (1B), .412, 1 HR, 19 RBIs, 19 runs, 14 BB,
Mike Sassano (2B), .355, 8 RBIs, 21 run, 8 BB
Jared Kligerman (P) 4-1, 2 saves, 33k, 11 BB, 3.32 ERA, .280 BAA
Key wins: Neshaminy scored 100 runs in an 8-1 start in the SOL Patriot. Against playoff teams, it went 1-2 against #4 Pennsbury, 2-1 against CR North and swept CR South.
Coach Dan Toner: “Both Souderton and Avon Grove are very good teams. We have played both in the playoffs but have faced Souderton multiple times. Whoever wins the game will be a very tough opponent. We will have to be on our ‘A’ game.”
Next up: Neshaminy will host the winner of #9 Souderton and #24 Avon Grove in the second round on Wednesday.
#24 Avon Grove at #9 Souderton
Souderton
13-7 overall
11-4 SOL Colonial, second place
Key Players:
Evan Divens (SS), .372
Trent Lutz (P/1B), 5-0, 72 Ks; .385 batting average
Johnny Byrwa (P), 4-1, 62 Ks
Souderton coach Mike Childs:
“Avon Grove's record is not the greatest, but their No. 1 pitcher is a PSU commit who we can't sleep on. He throws 90-plus, but it is nothing we have not seen before playing in our league, which has some of the top pitchers in the area.”
Key wins: Souderton played well late, sweeping CB West as part of an 8-1 stretch. The Indians also beat #3 Pennridge early in the season, and they went 7-2 in games decided by one or two runs.
Avon Grove
7-13 overall
7-11 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Logan Nelson (SS), .438
Wyatt Holdren (1B), .346
Ian Schwing (2B), .400
Ryan Fuller (P) 75 Ks in 42 innings
Key wins: The Red Devils were up and down most of the season, but do own 5-4 win over #6 Downingtown West in the regular-season finale. They also own wins over #14 Downingtown East and #20 Great Valley.
Next up: Winner plays at #8 Neshaminy in the second round on Wednesday.
#23 Lower Merion at #10 Plymouth Whitemarsh
Plymouth Whitemarsh
14-5 overall
10-5 SOL Liberty Division, first place
Key Players:
Bobby Pasquarello (So. P), 5-1, 1.52 ERA, 36.2 IP, 41 K, 16 BB,
Brody Stump (Jr. 1B), .528, 3 HR, 23 RBIs, 12 doubles, single season school-record 38 hits
Mason Eagland (Jr. OF), .357, 3 HR, 15 RBIS, 0.544 OBP
Lucas Fresta (So C), .345, 18 RBIs
Max Eagland (Jr. DH/P), .345, 1 HR, 11 RBIs
Key wins: A seven-game win streak to close the regular season gave the Colonials the division title. They won two of three over Wissahickon, Quakertown and Upper Dublin.
Coach Chris Manero: “Winning a league title and getting a home game in the playoffs were two of our goals from the start of the season, so we are proud of our guys for getting to this spot to open the postseason. Lower Merion plays a tough Central League schedule that has a lot of similarities to our league- competitive games all season and a lot of parity from week to week. We will need to fire on all cylinders to advance past the first round.”
Lower Merion
9-11 overall
7-9 Central League
Key Players:
Brendan O’Gara (OF)
Aiden O’Quinn (3B)
Charlie Parsons (OF)
Brian Heck (P)
Justin Heck (P)
Key wins: The Aces beat the teams they needed to in the Central League, and own a win and a one-run loss against #12 Garnet Valley
Next up: Winner plays at #7 Owen J. Roberts in the second round on Wednesday.
#20 Great Valley at #13 Wissahickon
Wissahickon
12-8 overall
9-6 SOL Liberty, second-place tie
Key Players:
Nate Hammond (2B/P)
Thomas Puerzer (P)
Charlie Ajemian (SS/P)
Josh Stonesifer (C)
Giulio Carbo (1B)
Key wins: A late-season surge pushed the Trojans to a key series with PW for the division title at the end of the regular season. They lost two of three to the Colonials (both by one run), however. Wissahickon also had two wins over Quakertown and Upper Dublin, and swept Hatboro-Horsham,
Great Valley
12-9 overall
11-5 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Ty Callahan (P/1B), .463, 2-2, 1.95 ERA
Brady Hounsell (SS), .413
Colton Manning (OF), .324
Nate Taylor (P) 2.28 ERA
Nilesh Narayanan (P) 3-1, 2.85 ERA
Key wins: A 7-6 win over #2 Coatesville on April 8 was Great Valley’s biggest win of the season, and the Patriots also beat #18 West Chester Henderson, but it went 2-4 to close the regular season.
Next up: Winner will play in the second round Wednesday at #4 Pennsbury.
#18 West Chester Henderson at #15 Quakertown , 6:30 p.m.
Quakertown
11-9 overall
9-6 SOL Liberty, tied second place
Key Players:
Lochlan Everitt (P), 2-2, 1.89 ERA, 29.2 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 27 K
Colin Tenney (P), 2-3, 3.13 ERA, 31.1 IP, 28 H, 16 BB, 31 K
CJ Peacher (2B), .417, 21 R, 25 H, 9 RBIS, 5 doubles, 4 triples
Carter Tucholski (SS), .369, 18 R, 24 H, 22 RBIs, 2 doubles, 4 H
Justin Hankinson (LF), .292, 17 R, 14 H, 6 RBIs
Key wins: The Panthers were in the Liberty Division title chase all season, before a 2-4 stretch against Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon late. They do own two wins over Upper Dublin, Hatboro-Horsham and a sweep of Abington.
West Chester Henderson
13-8 overall
10-8 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Zach Ward (OF), .346
Sam Prior (2B), .353
Gage Wilding (C)
Jackson Ciarmello (P), 4-0, 3.33 ERA, 54 Ks in 42 innings
Anthony Barthol (P), 3-1, 1.95 ERA, 36 Ks in 32.1 innings
Key wins: The Warriors have wins over playoff teams Avon Grove, Strath Haven, Bayard Rustin and knocked off No. 1 Haverford in a non-league game at the end of the season.
Next up: Winner plays at #2 Coatesville in the second round on Wednesday.
#17 Cheltenham at #16 Boyertown
Cheltenham
13-7
9-6 SOL Liberty, third place
Key Players:
Jack Haugen (SS)
Nate Leary (2B)
Emile Chanoine (OF)
Finn Kopp (3B/P)
Sean Trainor (OF/P)
Eamon Ivory (3B/P)
Key wins: An early season sweep of Class 4A #4 Springfield Township got the Panthers off to an impressive start. They also took one of three against Class 2A #3 New Hope-Solebury, and have impressive non-league wins over Wissahickon, Abington and Methacton.
Boyertown
14-6 overall
10-6 PAC
Key Players:
Cole Neiswinder (C)
Gavin Trainer (OF)
Luke Hagan (1B/P)
Tilman Henley (OF)
Key wins: The highlight win over the season for the Bears came on May 4 against #5 Spring-Ford.
Next up: Winner plays at #1 seed Haverford High in the second round on Wednesday
#19 Council Rock North at #14 Downingtown East
CR North
13-7 overall
9-6 SOL Patriot, third place
Key Players:
Kyle Book (OF), .517
Jude Hamilton (SS/P), .338
Ryan Bukowski (OF), .327
Noah Furman (OF), .328
Preston Martin (2B/P), .322
Ben Hinderberger (P), 5-1, 0.44 ERA
Key wins: The Indians won eight of their last nine games to close their league season. They also won their league opener against #8 Neshaminy, before a five-game losing streak.
Coach Matt Schram: “Downingtown East is our first-round opponent, and we have always found the teams in the Ches-Mont are well-coached, execute well, and expose you if you are not fundamentally sound. Downingtown East has a tradition as a solid team in a difficult league, so we are hoping our league schedule and the last five weeks have prepared our guys for this battle on Monday.”
Downingtown East
13-7 overall
11-7 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Caleb Miles (C)
Chris Murray (SS)
Will Roth (P/2B)
Noah Macneal (P)
Key wins: The Cougars have quality playoffs wins over the likes of West Chester Henderson (twice), Downingtown West, Great Valley and Avon Grove. They also beat #1 Haverford in a non-league game.
Next up: Winner will play at #3 Pennridge in the second round on Wednesday.
#21 Central Bucks West at #12 Garnet Valley
CB West
11-8 overall
8-7 SOL Colonial, third place
Key Players:
Jack Hogenauer (3B)
Kellen O’Connor (1B)
Jacob Greer (P/2B)
Stephen Verdolini (P/OF)
Key wins: The Bucks picked up some big non-league wins over playoff games Spring-Ford, Cheltenham and #8 Neshaminy early in the season, and when it beat #3 Pennridge 10-0 on April 13, they were 8-0 and 4-0 in the league. They slipped in the rankings with a four-game league losing streak to end the regular season.
Garnet Valley
14-6 overall
11-5 Central League
Key Players:
Cole Lombardo
Zach Gordon
Harrison Maull
Ryan McGhee
Key wins: The Cougars #23 Lower Merion Class 5A #4 Radnor, #7 Springfield (Delco)
Next up: Winner plays at #5 Spring-Ford in a second-round game on Wednesday.
#22 Council Rock South at #11 Methacton
CR South
11-9 overall
7-8 SOL Patriot, fourth place
Key Players:
Caleb Dubas (Fr. P/OF), .370, .423 OBP, .858 OPS, 17 H, 10 RBIs
19.1 IP, 19 H, 14 BB, 12 K, 4.71 ERA
Logan Kolimaga (Sr./OF), .352, .426 OBP, .908 OPS, 19 H, 5 doubles, 15 RBIs, 11 SB
Reed Curtier (Sr. P/1B), .345, .467 OBP, .949 OPS, 20 H, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 14 RBIs;
35 IP, 22H, 13 BB, 49 K, 1.80 ERA
Owen McLean (Sr. SS), .302, .526 OBP, 1.073 OPS, 16 H, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 18 RBIs, 23 runs
Jack Reynolds (Sr. OF), .295, .469 OBP, .813 OPS, 18 H, 3 doubles, 19 runs
Landon White (Sr. DH), .269, .433 OBP, .798 OPS, 14 H, 2 triples, 13 RBIs
Gavin Day (Sr. P), 22 IP, 16 H,12 BB, 20 K, 3.82 ERA
Nick DiSalvio (Sr. P), 17.2 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 20 K, 3.56 ERA
Key wins: An early season win over Pennsbury was a key early-season one for the Golden Hawks. A late-season sweep of Harry S. Truman and then taking the middle game of its season-ending series with rival CR North helped secure this spot in the playoffs.
Coach Greg Paprocki: “We are getting a Methacton team that plays in a very competitive PAC league. That conference always seems to produce a lot of quality teams in the District 1 playoffs. With them going 9-3 in league play, we should expect a quality ball club. We are excited for the opportunity to compete on Monday.
Methacton
12-7 overall
11-5 PAC
Key Players:
Liam Greenberg (OF)
Pat Getzfread (C)
John Dzedzy (OF)
Chris Sandner (P)
Key wins: The Warriors had quality league wins including over #7 Owen J. Roberts, #16 Boyertown (twice), and Class 5A #9 Upper Merion.
Next up: Winner plays at #6 Downingtown West in the second round on Wednesday.
Class 5A
#2 Upper Moreland - First Round Bye
18-2
13-2 SOL Freedom champion
Key Players:
Luke Sword (Sr. OF/P), .407, .961 OPS; 21.1 IP, 25 K, 0.66 ERA, 0.891 WHIP
Chase Rampulla (Sr. 2B), .369, .083 OPS
Jackson Townsend (Sr. C), .369, 1.020 OPS
Chase Moore (Jr. SS), .348, 0.797 OPS
Zach O’Connor (Sr. OF), .340, 0.787 OPS
Nick Simons (Sr. P), 41 IP, 71 K, 1.71 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
Gavin Shaffert (Jr. P), 26 IP, 29 K, 2.42 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
Key wins: The Golden Bears were undefeated through April 28, before dropping games to Springfield Township and New Hope late. But they did win two of three against those playoff teams, swept Class 6A #17 Cheltenham, and own non-league wins over the likes of Council Rock South, Methacton, and Hatboro-Horsham, all playoff teams.
Coach Jim Fasano: “Regardless of who we play it will be a great challenge. UD is the reigning district and state champion, Springfield has good teams year after year.
“As I said to the boys on Thursday, and as Ric Flair so eloquently stated, in order to be the man, you have to beat the man.”
Next up: UM will host the winner of #10 Upper Dublin and #7 Springfield (Delco) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
#10 Upper Dublin at #7 Springfield (Delco)
Upper Dublin
11-9 overall
7-8 SOL Liberty Division, fourth place
Key Players:
Eddie Stoffel (2B)
Luke Caron (P/3B)
Matthew Logerstedt (OF)
Gavin Litten (1B)
Chase Greiner (P)
Key Wins: The defending District One and Class 5A state champs, Upper Dublin does own wins over Class 6A playoff teams Wissahickon and Plymouth Whitemarsh, and Spring-Ford in a non-league game, as well as a three-game sweep of #12 Hatboro-Horsham.
Springfield (Delco)
13-7
10-6 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Danny Meakim (SS), .369
TJ Valletti (1B), 333
Owen Keough (OF), .414
Nick Corse (OF), .379
John Hopkins (OF), .339
Jake Lennon (2B), .319
Drew Kraus (P), 4-4, 2.89 ERA, 38 Ks in 36.1 innings
Key wins: Two wins over #4 Radnor were huge for Springfield, was a 4-3 nine-inning win against Class 6A #23 Lower Merion.
Next up: Winner will have a quarterfinal game on Wednesday against #2 Upper Moreland
#12 Hatboro-Horsham at #5 West Chester Rustin
Hatboro-Horsham
6-14 overall
5-10 SOL Liberty, 5th place tie
Key Players:
Shane Mills (P)
Kenny Lutz (SS)
Connor Cataldi (1B)
Chase Canney (P)
Key wins: First-year head coach Andy Fisher’s team needed two big wins over Abington the final week of the season to secure the playoff bid, behind the pitching of Mills and Canney. The Hatters, who lost eight straight before the Abington series, also own two wins over division champ Plymouth Whitemarsh, and one over Quakertown.
West Chester Rustin
13-6 overall
13-4 Ches-Mont
Key Players:
Jackson Roche (2B)
Keegan McShea (1B)
JP Hoffmayer (3B)
AJ Calio (P)
Key wins: Playing against mostly Class 6A teams, the Golden Knights had impressive wins over the likes of Downingtown East, Avon Grove and Great Valley (twice).
Next up: Winner will play at #4 Radnor in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Class 4A
#4 Springfield Township at #1 Holy Ghost Prep
Springfield
9-11 overall
7-8 SOL Freedom, fourth place
Key Players:
Michael Capoferri (SS), .404, 2 HR, 8 doubles, 15 runs
Matt Sokel (2B/P), .383, 12 RBIs; 2-2, 1.97 ERA
Anderson Kerper (C), .357
Nathan Brockmeyer (LF), .353, 11 RBIs, 11 runs
Ryan Trader (P), 3-2, 4.40 ERA
Gus May (P), 2-0, 3.50 ERA
Springfield coach Rob Bond: “Playing against Holy Ghost Prep is definitely going to be a challenge. They are well-coached and execute extremely well. We will compete and see where it goes. We will need to play great defense in this game.”
Key wins: The most impressive performance of the season with a 5-1 win over division winner Upper Moreland on April 30 to salvage Game 3 of the series. Springfield won one league game over Class 2A New Hope, and a non-league game against Class A #1 Dock Mennonite late in the season as well.
Holy Ghost Prep
11-9 overall
Key Players:
Eddie Rosado (OF)
Tyler Bergkoetter (OF)
Matt Evans (OF)
Christopher Schanauffer (P)
Key wins: Playing an independent schedule, Holy Ghost has big wins over the likes of Council Rock North, Dock Mennonite, Penn Charter and CB West.
Next up: Winner will play the winner of #2 Pope John Paul II and #3 Interboro in the championship game on Friday.
Class 2A
#3 New Hope-Solebury at #2 Delco Christian
13-7
10-5 SOL Freedom, second place
Key Players:
JT Bach
Blake McCagg
Lucas Kevorkian
Anthony Whelan (P), 1.93 ERA
Coach Tony Vlahovic: “Delco is a fundamentally sound team that is well coached by Jeff Wisnewski. They play solid defense and run the bases well. We will prepare to compete offensively and defensively.”
Key wins: Beating Upper Moreland 3-2 in the final league game was the highlight of the season of NH-S, especially after giving up 33 runs to the division winners in the first two games of the series. The Lions also took two of three from Class 6A #17 Cheltenham and Class 4A #4 Springfield Township.
Delco Christian
10-10 overall
9-3 BAL
Key Players:
Maden Longley (3B), .446
Nathan Burd (1B), .407
Justin Ma (OF), .328
Josey Lyren (P), .361, 4-1, 1.91, 55 Ks in 33 innings
Key wins: After a 1-5 stretch, the Knights closed strong with three straight, including over Class A #1 Dock Mennonite and #4 Calvary Christian.
Next up: Winner will play the winner of #1 Faith Christian and #4 Calvary Christian in the championship game on Thursday.
- Log in to post comments
