Repeating is hard to do

Of the eight teams to set foot on the field at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona last June 13, not even half qualified for this season's state playoffs.

Only Camp Hill and Carmichaels in Class A and Loyalsock in Class AA have a shot to return to the state finals. The other five teams had anywhere from ugly seasons in 2009 to not-so-bad campaigns. Below is a look at where last year's finalists finished this season:

Class AAAA

Champion: Canon-McMillan

This year: Finished with a 9-9 record and missed the District 7 playoffs.

Runner-up: Spring-Ford

This year: Lost to Great Valley, 9-4, District 1-AAAA second round.

Class AAA

Champion: Berwick

This year: Beat North Pocono, 13-0, in 2-AAA first round; lost to eventual district champion Abington Heights, 16-6, in quarterfinals.

Runner-up: Somerset

This year: Top seed in 6-AAA field and beat Forest Hills, 7-5, in semifinals before falling to Bellefonte, 9-4, in championship.

Class AA

Champion: Loyalsock

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 4 champion with a 20-3 record.

Runner-up: Burrell

This year: Lost to Beaver, 2-1, in District 7-AA first round.

Class A

Champion: Camp Hill

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 3 champion with a 19-3 record.

Runner-up: Carmichaels

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 7-A runner-up with an 18-3 record following a 7-1 loss to Serra Catholic on Friday.

(Pictured: Canon-McMillan celebrates its PIAA Class AAAA title at Blair County Ballpark last June. Photo courtesy of Tom Elling.)

PIAA Class A bracket now complete

Northern Bedford won its fourth straight District 5 Class A baseball title today with a thrilling 7-5 win over Fannett-Metal to lock up one of the two final spots in the PIAA Class A field. As of 4 p.m. we're still waiting on a result from the District 11 final between Pius X and Williams Valley.

Below is the Class A bracket with Monday's sites and times. District seed and record in parenthesis:

GAMP (12-1, 9-10) vs. Camp Hill (3-1, 19-3)
Christopher Dock (1-1, 17-3) vs. Williams Valley (11-1, 19-3) at Stump Stadium, Pine Grove 5
Sayre (4-1, 17-5) vs. Old Forge (2-1, 9-8) at Pittston, 3
Berks Christian (3-2, 9-5) vs. Northern Bedford (5-1, 15-7) at McConnellsburg, 4:30
Homer Center (6-2, 15-4) vs. Serra Catholic (7-1, 20-2) at Mt. Pleasant, 4
Clarion (9-2, 14-2) vs. Villa Maria (10-1, 13-7) at Jack Critchfield Park, Slippery Rock, 3:30
Neshannock (7-3, 20-4) vs. Coudersport (9-1, 16-4) at Berwyn Park, St. Marys, 4:30
Carmichaels (7-2, 18-3) vs. Bishop McCort (6-1, 17-4) at White Twp. Park, Indiana, 4

The profile: GAMP

We've been asked more than once around the yard, what is GAMP? The short answer is that GAMP is the next opponent Camp Hill will need to beat in order to repeat as the PIAA Class A champions.

GAMP, or Girard Academic Music Program, has never won a state playoff game in four appearances. In 2005 and '06 the Pioneers lost in the first round of the Class AA playoffs and followed that with shutout losses over the next two years in the Class A field.

GAMP (9-10) grabbed the lone Class A bid offered to District 12 with a run in the top of the seventh to down Masterman, 5-4, May 15.

The team has suffered through losing streaks of four and three games and is coming in off a 9-7 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of Philadelphia Public League playoffs on May 18.

The south Philadelphia school finished fifth in the eight-team Division A of the Philadelphia Public League with a 5-8 record.

Check back tomorrow afternoon for more updates on the teams that have clinched PIAA playoff berths.

Carmichaels, Serra broadcast online

If you're bored at work today and need something to listen to, the District 7 (WPIAL) baseball championship game between Carmichaels and Serra Catholic at Consol Energy Park is being broadcast live on the MSA Sports Network.

In the PIAA Class A final last June, Camp Hill downed Carmichaels, 2-0. Both teams return a slew of players and could be on course to meet again. Camp Hill destroyed Berks Christian, 15-0, in four innings Thursday to claim the 3-A title.

Carmichaels is seeded second in 7-A behind Serra and boasts an 18-2 record.

More locked up state spots

Before we trek to downtown York for this afternoon's District 3 Class A final between upstart Berks Christian and Camp Hill, we've compiled a list of teams that have locked up spots in the upcoming PIAA tournament. We posted an in-depth look at Class A last night and since nothing has changed, we're focusing on the other three classes. District seed, record in parenthesis:

Class AAAA
North Allegheny (7-1, 21-2)
Hollidaysburg (6-1, 11-6)
Allderdice (8-1, 16-2)
Pine-Richland (7-2, 19-2)

Class AAA
Selinsgrove (4-1, 18-5)
Upper Merion (1-1, 13-7)
Bellefonte (6-1, 17-6)
Grove City (10-1, 17-5)

Class AA
New Hope-Solebury (1-1, 15-5)
Shady Side Academy (7-1, 22-1)
Franklin (10-1, 17-4)
North Catholic (7-2, 17-6)
South Fayette (7-3, 15-5)

An early look at Class A field

Not many teams have locked up spots in Monday's PIAA Class A tournament but most districts are set to crown district champions today and tomorrow. Below is a district-by-district look at who is in the running for the PIAA playoffs. All district advance one team unless noted.

Click here for a blank PIAA bracket.

District 1
Bristol or Christopher Dock
-district final today

District 2
Old Forge or Lackawanna Trail
-district final today

District 3
Champion and runner-up
Berks Christian and Camp Hill
-district final today

District 4
Sayre (17-5)

District 5
Northern Bedford or Fannett-Metal
-district final Friday

District 6
Champion and runner-up
Bishop McCort and Homer Center
-district final today

District 7
Champion, runner-up and third-place
Carmichaels and Serra Catholic have clinched spots
Neshannock vs. Chartiers Houston for district's third bid
-district final and placement game today

District 9
Champion and runner-up
Coudersport and Clarion
-district final Friday

District 10
Villa Maria (13-7)

District 11
Nativity BVM, Marian Catholic, Pius X or Williams Valley
-semifinals today; district final Friday

What's down the road

With the washout Tuesday and an ugly forecast for Wednesday comes a backlog of games that need to be played over the next few days to fill out the PIAA baseball brackets.

For brevity's sake, we're going to focus on the situation that faces defending PIAA Class A champion Camp Hill.

The top-seeded Lions (17-3) head back to Wenger Field in Fredericksburg on Wednesday to meet No. 4 Lancaster Christian (11-4) in a District 3 Class A semifinal game. With a 70-percent chance of showers and the way Wenger took water this afternoon, it's unlikely that game will be played.

That could push the semifinals to Thursday, when the finals were set. The rain date for the district title games is Friday.

Monday begins PIAA play with the 3-A winner meeting District 12 king Girad Academic Music Program at a site in District 3. The runner-up heads to Bedford County for a tussle with the District 5 champion.

In the event that the district tournament cannot be played out, Camp Hill and Lancaster Christian would gain entry to the state tournament by virtue of being the highest seeded teams remaining in the district field.

Berks Christian and Newport are seeded sixth and seventh, respectively.

'Rocks, Cougers, Barons bust brackets

It's almost not even a surprise any more.

A double-digit seed - possibly lower than 20th - comes out of nowhere and crashes the District 3 Class AAA quarterfinals. Ho hum. What else is knew?

Nothing really, except this year there's a slew of low seeds that have reached the quarterfinal round of the 3-AAA tournament.

Locally, there's No. 13 Trinity. Before this year, the Shamrocks were an average team in Class AA that hadn't won a playoff game since 2005. Suddenly, with a potent offense and a 1-2 pitching punch of A.J. Weaver and Mike Hnatuck, the Shamrocks are the real deal following a 3-2 win over fourth-seeded and defending 3-AAA champion Muhlenberg at George Field in Reading on Monday.

Then there's Palmyra, a 22-seed that has followed the path of last year's 22-seed, West Perry, into the quarters after a shocking 2-1 win over reigning 3-AA king Lancaster Catholic.

Those two are surprising enough but maybe the biggest shock is No. 16 Manheim Central chasing top seed Northeastern. Throw in No. 10 Twin Valley and what we have is a final eight comprised of four double-digit seeds.

It's been wild so far but Thursday's quarterfinal round could be even more insane. A PIAA bracket change effective this year has the top four finishers in 3-AAA advancing to the state tournament. Essentially, a win Thursday guarantees the semifinalists at least three more games. If that's not reason enough to go full bore, we don't know what is.

Some late night math

The sign heading into town on Route 322 proudly boasts Hershey as, 'The Sweetest Place on Earth.' That may be true, but Memorial Field in Hershey was certainly one of the craziest places on earth Friday during the preliminary round of the District 3 playoffs.

Let's take a peek inside the numbers from the 3-AAAA doubleheader played in one of the nicer high school baseball venues in the district, if not the state.

In the opener, Mechanicsburg beat Red Lion, 11-6, before Cedar Cliff took out Cumberland Valley, 14-6. The two games combined for a time of 4 hours, 56 minutes. The first game lasted exactly 2 hours, 30 minutes. Keep in mind that in both cases, the home team did not bat in the bottom of the seventh, which kept the combined time under five hours.

All in all there were 37 runs, 53 hits (CV had the lowest hit total with 11; Mechanicsburg the highest with 16), 32 runners left on base (Red Lion and CV stranded 11 and 10, respectively; Cedar Cliff stranded three), nine pitchers used, 28 strikeouts, 14 walks and 580 pitches thrown.

Despite all that, both games were relatively well played. There were zero back-to-back walks and before CV committed three errors over the final two innings, the four teams combined for only two errors. Still, five errors over 14 innings and a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio made for anything but lousy baseball Friday.

Next stop for yours truly is Wenger Field in Fredericksburg on Monday for another doubleheader involving area teams. Northern meets Hershey in a 3-AAA first round matchup at 4 p.m. followed by Mechanicsburg's tussle with Hempfield in the 3-AAAA ranks at approximately 6:30.

Projections Update
Not a good preliminary round in terms of my brackets Friday. In 3-AAAA, I lost Daniel Boone, Red Lion, Ephrata and Governor Mifflin for a 2-4 mark. Good news is all the teams who I lost Friday were not picked to advance past the first round.

Such isn't the case in 3-AAA. I only lost two teams but they were both picked to win Monday. Oley Valley, the Berks County runner-up, was slotted to finish fourth and qualify for the PIAA field. Palmyra had other ideas in a 12-3 win. Susquenita couldn't find any offense before the seventh in losing, 5-3, to No. 26 Eastern York. I had the Blackhawks as district quarterfinalists.

Since there were Internet problems on the Carlisle Pike the night I made my selections, here are my picks in each class (list includes only teams projected to qualify for PIAA playoffs; district seeds in parenthesis):

AAAA
1. Penn Manor (3)
2. Warwick (1)
3. Manheim Twp. (2)

AAA
1. Lampeter-Strasburg (2)
2. Muhlenberg (4)
3. Northern (9)
4. Oley Valley (11)

AA
1. Brandywine Heights (1)
2. Kutztown (3)

A
1. Camp Hill (1)
2. High Point Baptist (2)

Class AAAA will go through L-L ... again

Unless something unforeseen happens over the next two weeks, when the District 3 Class AAAA trophy is awarded May 28, it's likely to go to a Lancaster-Lebanon team.

Since the PIAA implemented a fourth class in baseball for the 2005 season, the L-L has run roughshod over District 3. The only year the league didn't capture district gold was the first and the runner-up that year, Penn Manor, merely won the state championship after falling to Lower Dauphin, 5-3, in the final.

This year doesn't appear to be any different. Warwick, the defending champion, is the top seed. L-L members Manheim Twp., Penn Manor and Hempfield are seeded second through fourth, respectively. While it's true that seeds don't always hold, especially in baseball, the history is too strong to expect anything other than a solid showing from the L-L.

In fact, two of the last four years has seen a 3-AAAA final four involving three L-L teams but there has never been an all L-L final four.

It appears that Hempfield has the toughest road of the L-L top seeds to the semifinals. The Black Knights will likely need to oust Mechanicsburg, a team that has won nine straight and 12 of its last 13, in the first round. The Wildcats (15-5) average seven runs per game and haven't lost since April 17.

A win there sends Hempfield to the quarterfinals opposite the winner of a mini Mid-Penn tournament. The winner of Friday's Cumberland Valley vs. Cedar Cliff game will meet Chambersburg in the first round. Whoever comes out of that bracket potentially faces Hempfield in the quarterfinals.

Any of those three teams can give Hempfield trouble might be the district's sole hope in keeping the 3-AAAA field from becoming a strictly L-L dance.

Mid-Penn championship preview: Mechanicsburg vs. Northern

Here's an in-depth preview capsule in anticipation of Wednesday night's Mid-Penn baseball championship game between Mechanicsburg and Northern. Due to the late weekday deadline this will not appear in The Sentinel.

Mechanicsburg (Keystone champion, 15-5) vs. Northern (Colonial champion (15-6)

Site: Northern

Time: 7 p.m.

Coaches: M - Clay McAllister (4th year); N - Brian Robison (3rd year).

Mechanicsburg key players: Ben Anderson, sr., CF (.448, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBIs); Aaron Jones, sr., UTL-RHP (Batting: .421, 5 2B, HR, 12 RBIs. Pitching: 4-3, 40.1 inn, 2.66 ERA, 48 hits, 35 SO, 18 BB); Ryan Mentzer, sr., 1B (.391, 5 2B, HR, 14 RBIs); Jake Burkholder, jr., DH (.345, 3 2B, HR, 10 RBIs); Jimmy Spanos, soph., INF (.333, 4 2B, 8 RBIs); Devon Hensel, sr., OF (.321, 2 2B, 5 RBIs); Russell Woleslagle, jr., 3B (.320, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs) Andy Nauss, jr., RHP (6-0, 31.1 inn., 1.35 ERA, 34 hits, 23 SO, 14 BB).

Northern key players: Jake Warner, jr., INF (.475, 3 2B, 3B, 13 RBIs); Sam Crater, jr., SS-RHP (Batting: .434, 5 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 18 RBIs. Pitching: 8-0, 48 inn., 2.17 ERA, 37 hits, 71 SO, 28 BB); Joe Tuschak, soph., OF (.391, 4 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBIs); Quin Taylor, sr., 1B-RHP (Batting: .382, 2B, 3B, 16 RBIs. Pitching: 42 inn., 3.16 ERA, 35 hits, 49 SO, 17 BB); Hank Sanders, sr., C (.382, 7 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBIs); Ryan Steele, jr., DH (.369, 6 2B, 3B, HR, 16 RBIs); Eric Junkins, sr., 3B (.354, 2 2B, 7 RBIs).

Mechanicsburg notes: Utilized three fifth-inning runs to clip Camp Hill, 6-5 in the Mid-Penn semifinals Monday. ... Nauss will get the start Wednesday. ... won nine straight and 12 of its last 13. ... needed eight innings to beat Hershey on April 24 and nine innings to beat Gettysburg on April 29. ... started the season 3-4. ... Anderson (above) is fifth in the area in batting average (minimum 50 at-bats). ... with pitchers of at least 30 innings pitched, Nauss leads the area in ERA. ... opens play in the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs against Red Lion at 4 p.m. Friday at Memorial Field in Hershey.

Northern notes: Trailed Red Land, 1-0, after one inning Monday before cruising to an 11-2 win. ... lost its last two games of season to Waynesboro and Susquenita. ... prior to those two losses had won 11 straight games. ... 3-1 record in one-run games. ... two of last three games went eight innings. ... has reached double digits in 11 games and unbeaten when achieving that feat. ... Warner leads the area in batting average (minimum 50 at-bats). ... Crater leads the area in strikeouts by 13 over second-place Matt Spiegel of Camp Hill. ... Taylor is fourth in the area in terms of strikeouts. ... opens District 3 Class AAA playoffs against ELCO on Friday at 4 p.m. at Manheim Twp.'s Westfield Park.

Bottom line: Look for a pitching split from Northern between Sanders and Taylor. Mechanicsburg threw Matt Koveleski and Jones on Monday and probably won't use either in the championship. Nauss has nice numbers but hasn't faced an offense quite like Northern's. If the Polar Bears get to the junior and Mechanicsburg piles up runs the way it has been we could be in for an explosive final.

Looking back: The four for 2009

A few weeks after Camp Hill had won the PIAA Class A title, we decided to take a peek ahead to the spring of 2009. Taking a page from Baseball America's 'Eight for Omaha' feature (the monthly magazine picks the top eight teams it thinks will reach the next year's College World Series) we decided to do the same in terms of our area baseball teams.

These are the teams we said had the best shot to make a dent in the District 3 tournament and possibly reach the state field. Here are the teams we picked and an update on where they stand:

Camp Hill
What we said: We liked the experience returning as only one player was lost to graduation but worried about a No. 2 pitcher. Filling in nicely is Matt Boyd, a senior right-hander is who 6-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 37 innings of work.

Where they stand: The Lions, at 16-2, will be the top seed when the District 3 Class A brackets are released. But it's not all joy in Brad Shover's camp. Leadoff hitter and speedy outfielder Matt Robertson is out for an unknown time with an injury to one of his arms. That's a big hole, especially for a team that doesn't score a ton of runs.

How far they'll go: If the offense does just enough, the pitching will take this team far. The stumbling block will probably be the state quarterfinals where Boyd will be tested. If health isn't an issue, look for a return to the state final. If the offense goes cold and more bodies fall, it could be an early end for the defending champions.

The verdict: PIAA Class A quarterfinalists.

Susquenita
What we said: The team lost a few key people but had more than enough back to make a run, which they have done in staying in the Mid-Penn Colonial race until the end and beating rival West Perry three times.

Where they stand: The Blackhawks finished third in the Colonial behind pitchers Taylor Nace (6-0, 1.67 ERA) and Justin Malehorn (5-2, 5.13). With a 13-5 record, Susquenita will likely be a top 10 seed in the District 3-AAA field.

How far they'll go: That depends on the draw. The team will probably play, and win, in the preliminary round. From there, it's unknown as Class AAA is very deep this season. With only one senior, any prolonged playoff run will help next year, when this team should be very, very good.

The verdict: District 3 Class AAA quarterfinalists.

Northern
What we said: Quin Taylor had to step up and improve as a pitcher. Consider that mission accomplished. Taylor is 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA for the Mid-Penn Colonial champion Polar Bears. We also thought Sam Crater and Hank Sanders would be two of the better players on the team in terms of stats and they haven't disappointed.

Where they stand: With an offense that can mash the ball, Northern (15-6) has again found its stride after two late-season losses that nearly cost it the division. Still, in the Mid-Penn semifinals, the P-Bears crushed Red Land, 11-2, to reach the championship against Mechanicsburg on Wednesday night. More important is the District 3-AAA field. Just like 'Nita, anything can happen but it looks like Northern will also be a top 10 seed that needs to play through the preliminary round.

How far they'll go: Crater (8-0, 2.17 ERA) and Taylor are a tough 1-2 punch on the mound. The offense, which went silent in a 7-1 loss to Waynesboro on Friday, needs to continue to score runs for this team to survive a minefield of a bracket.

The verdict: PIAA Class AAA first round.

Trinity
What we said: We liked the offense and the pitching but couldn't get past the fact Trinity was moving to Class AAA, which is still a major concern.

Where they stand: A.J. Weaver (5-2, 2.66 ERA) and Mike Hnatuck (4-0, 2.23) have done the job this year while the offense can boast five players batting above .350. Still, it's going to be a chore for the Shamrocks (11-6) to do any real damage in the 3-AAA field. We like Al Hobby and the team but simply think they got a raw deal.

How far they'll go: The great thing about the playoffs is the world play. Last year West Perry was seeded No. 22 and made the quarterfinals. It's not out of the question for Trinity to make a similar run (early indications are the team will be seeded between No. 12 and 15). If it is to happen, the Shamrocks will need great pitching, flawless defense and a potent offense to keep the train rolling.

The verdict: District 3 Class AAA first round.

Games of the Week (May 4-9)

Well, here goes. It's unlikely these games will be played on the days we're listing below thanks to a nasty stretch run lately from Mother Nature. Regardless of how dreary it's been, there's some good races around the Mid-Penn. Only the Colonial Division has a team leading by more than one game heading to the final week of play before the district deadline. Northern is up on Waynesboro by two games.

Red Land and Chambersburg are tied atop the Commonwealth; Mechanicsburg leads Hershey and Lower Dauphin by a game in the Keystone and Greencastle-Antrim holds a half-game lead on Camp Hill in the Capital. Trinity is one game behind the Devils and Lions. Without further ado, this week's top games (any division jargon is as of Friday night):

Cumberland Valley at Red Land, Monday, 4 -- A late rally helped Red Land to a win against the Eagles earlier this season. To keep their hopes for a third-straight division title alive, the Patriots need to win here and if they don't, hope Central Dauphin bounces Chambersburg on Wednesday.

Waynesboro at Northern, Monday, 5 -- A win here clinches the division for the Polar Bears no matter what they do in their final two games. The way these offenses have been ringing up the runs, the good folks in Dillsburg may need to turn those lights on before the Mid-Penn Tournament comes to town.

Susquenita at West Perry, Tuesday, 4:15 -- There's no division title on the line but West Perry needs a win to prevent a three-game sweep from their arch rivals. The Mustangs are depleted but can reach the playoffs with three wins this week.

Lower Dauphin at Mechanicsburg, Wednesday, 4 -- Depending what happens earlier this week, the Wildcats will be close to clinching the division if they can take care of Middletown (Saturday) and Palmyra (Monday). That's not an easy task and neither is a date with the Falcons, who are one game back entering the weekend.

Camp Hill at Trinity, Thursday, 4:15 -- A big rivalry clash with division implications. A loss will likely relegate Camp Hill to a second- or third-place finish. The thought here is that Camp Hill and Greencastle-Antrim will need many tiebreakers to see who goes to the MPT.