Teams to Watch
Here is The Inquirer's baseball top 10, with last year's record and final area ranking in parentheses.
1. Council Rock North (23-3, No. 2). The headliners include shortstop Ryan Hartley (Delaware), outfielders Dan Denton (Bloomsburg) and Mike Tentilucci (Haverford), and ace righthander Darren Lauer (Elon).
2. Downingtown East (18-7, No. 10). In addition to Matt Ternowchek, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound righthander bound for Notre Dame, outfielder Jeff Boorman, shortstop Luke Alba, and second baseman Ryan O'Connell are back.
3. Malvern Prep (27-9, not ranked). Chris O'Brien, Joe Ravert, and Sean O'Keefe head a strong pitching rotation. The offense is sparked by outfielders Nick Bateman and Joe Lubanski and second baseman Drew Hayes.
4. West Chester East (14-7, not ranked). There's a lot to like about the Vikings. Ace hurler Bill Krebs gets support from second baseman Greg Corialos, first baseman/pitcher Derek Prucnal, and centerfielder Bobby Atwell.
5. Germantown Academy (29-3, No. 7). The Patriots' bid to dethrone Inter-Ac League champ Haverford School is led by first baseman Greg Guers, outfielder Aaron Novak, infielder Dan Hoy, and catcher Chris Harvey.
6. Archbishop Wood (21-3, No. 6). The key returnees for the Vikings are shortstop Kyle McCrossen, first baseman/pitcher Jeff Courter, third baseman/pitcher Larry Brittingham, and second baseman Brady McNab.
7. Owen J. Roberts (25-5, No. 3). Back for the Wildcats, who were PIAA Class AAAA state runners-up, are ace Tim Ponto, catcher Dave Raifsnider (.489, 29 RBIs), and third baseman Rob Patete (.453, 8 HRs).
8. Haverford School (23-4, No. 5). The Fords are sparked by a trio of senior captains: third baseman Vince Rondolone, first baseman Nick Craig, and outfielder Mike Washington. Junior Eric Close is a quality pitcher.
9. Methacton (17-6 , not ranked). The Warriors are solid at the plate. Third baseman/pitcher Joey Casselbury and infielders Nick Strizziere, Dave Toomey, and Andrew Hart are the catalysts for skipper Paul Spiewak.
10. Archbishop Ryan (16-7, not ranked). For the Raiders, who advanced to the Catholic League final, a solid nucleus is made up of shortstop Eric Frain, lefty ace Kevin Mack, and first baseman John Rizzo.
Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Christopher Dock (20-3), Conwell-Egan (12-8), Marple Newtown (18-4), Pennridge (15-7), Spring-Ford (14-8), Strath Haven (15-8).
- Rick O'Brien