What's on the agenda

As the calendar begins to flip to July, we're wrapping up our coverage of the 2010 baseball season.

The annual All-Sentinel team has been selected and we're in the process of finishing everything in anticipation of an early-to-mid July publish date. We won't announce who made the cut (as always, expect a first team, second team, player of the year and coach of the year) until the night before the team will be published. You can see the selections at this site first.

Shortly after that is completed we'll post our annual Four for 2011, which is a look ahead at the four teams we will think will make the most the noise when the postseason rolls around next May. This year three of our four selections (Camp Hill, Susquenita and West Perry) advanced to at least the district quarterfinals. Camp Hill made a run to the state quarterfinals.

The only team we missed on was Red Land. The Patriots won their 3-AAAA play-in game before losing to Penn Manor, 1-0, in the first round.

Before you know it, Aug. 16 will be here and high school football camps will be opening across Pennsylvania.

New baseball divisions for 2011

Below is a list of the new divisions that the Mid-Penn Conference will follow for the 2011-12 seasons. The classification that each team will be for the two-year cycle is in parenthesis.

Division I
Carlisle (AAAA); Cedar Cliff (AAAA); Central Dauphin (AAAA); Central Dauphin East (AAAA); Chambersburg (AAAA); Cumberland Valley (AAAA); Red Land (AAAA)

Division II
Bishop McDevitt (AA); Harrisburg (AAAA); Hershey (AAA); Lower Dauphin (AAAA); Mechanicsburg (AAA); Middletown (AAA); Susquehanna Twp. (AAA)

Division III
Big Spring (AAA); Gettysburg (AAA); Greencastle-Antrim (AAA); James Buchanan (AAA); Northern (AAA); Shippensburg (AAA); Waynesboro (AAAA)

Division IV
Boiling Springs (AA); Camp Hill (A); East Pennsboro (AAA); Milton Hershey (AAA); Steelton-Highspire (A); Susquenita (AAA); Trinity (AAA); West Perry (AAA)

Final shot from PIAA Championships

Two days after the fact, the PIAA Class A baseball final is still fresh in our minds.

It had been awhile since the Class A title game was very close. Last season, Camp Hill broke a late tie to beat Serra Catholic, 7-3, but other than that, the small-school showcase had a reputation for being rather one-sided.

On a simmering Friday afternoon at Altoona's Blair County Ballpark, that all changed. Serra Catholic was the overwhelming favorite but failed to put Christopher Dock (right) away even when it was down to its last strike and had no one on base.

It was easily the best finish in the six years that the games have been contested at Blair County Ballpark and had to go down as one of the best ever. Honestly, it was that good.

A few other opinion pieces from Friday

• Conrad Weiser was the most complete team of the eight in the finals. The Scouts, who won the Class AAA title with a 6-2 victory over Hershey, are the real deal. Weiser is strong in pitching, offense and defense. This team shut down a Hershey squad that scored 44 runs in three PIAA games before Friday.


• The Class AAAA final between District 1 opponents West Chester Henderson and Owen J. Roberts was the worst of the four games. The teams, who both traveled close to four hours from suburban Philadelphia, stranded 18 total runners and the 7-0 final was as lopsided and as hard to watch as it appears.


• Martinsburg Central was the surprise team of the finals. The Scarlet Dragons came in with 10 losses and had been beaten by the mercy rule three times this year. Despite playing sub-par defense with four errors, Central was in the Class AA final against Bermudian Springs but those errors were the difference. Bermudian scored three unearned runs in a 5-3 victory.


• Speaking of Central, the fans from the Martinsburg/Roaring Spring area were one of the larger groups of fans to see the games since 2005, when Altoona first hosted the finals. The only fan bases to rival that following was Punxsutawney's in 2007 and Somerset's in 2008.


• The finals should remain in Altoona. The Curve expressed interest in retaining the finals and, really, have done nothing to provoke the PIAA to move the games. Three years ago, we figured the games might be better somewhere else but the Curve have improved as hosts since 2005 and deserve to have the finals another four years.

A different assignment for Monday

It's rare that I'll use this blog to talk about myself.

One reason is that most people could really less about what I'm doing. Another is that, as a high school beat writer, this site is used to promote the players and teams in The Sentinel coverage area.

But with all of our area teams knocked out of the PIAA Baseball Championships, I'll be stepping out of my day job with The Sentinel and covering the PIAA Class AAAA semifinal between District 7 champion Pine-Richland (right) and District 1 runner-up West Chester Henderson for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review at Greene Township Park, the home of the Chambersburg Trojans, in Scotland on Monday at 3:30 p.m.

It's an exciting opportunity to cover a state playoff game between teams that aren't in the Mid-Penn Conference. But it's also a credit to the strength of the teams in our area that this is the first time since I've been with The Sentinel (2007) that I don't have an area team still playing.

Another reason I'm posting this is to let our readers know that a game of this caliber will be right down the road in Scotland. Yesterday, I wrote about how great it was that two minor league facilities will host games Monday and I still believe that.

But if you're like me and enjoy watching big schools, try and make the short trip down Interstate 81 and take this game in. If you can't, please come back to Inside the Red Zone on Monday night to find a link to the story in the Trib.

Great move, PIAA

The sites and times for the semifinal round of the PIAA Baseball Championships were released Friday afternoon and three games will be contested at two minor league parks Monday.

Altoona's Blair County Ballpark, the site of the state finals, has a doubleheader Monday as Hershey battles Elizabeth-Forward in a 4 p.m. Class AAA game and District 6 Class AA rivals Central and Mt. Union square off at 7.

FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading plays host to a Class AAA semifinal as Berks County rivals Twin Valley and Conrad Weiser meet for an unprecedented fifth time.

This is an outstanding decision that will help high school baseball in Pennsylvania. Due to scheduling conflicts with the minor league teams that call the facilities home and the distance between teams playing, we understand it's not always feasible to have a minor league park host a game before the finals.

But when the opportunity is there, as it was for this year's semifinals, it should be taken advantage of. Again, kudos to the PIAA for making an outstanding decision.

To throw this out there, we have to wonder if these parks are opening their doors because the PIAA is accepting bids from sites that are interested in hosting the PIAA finals from 2011-2014. We'll have a story about this that will run June 19. The Altoona Curve has changed ownership since we last checked with them about being the host site in 2007. That group loved having the finals at Blair County Ballpark.

While we haven't talked to the Curve brass yet (an interview date and time is being work out) the fact that they are hosting games Monday makes us believe they would like to keep the state finals in Altoona.

Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, which has hosted the finals in the past and had 3-A title game in May*, went through a renovation over the winter and should be considered a contender for the games. As far as if the Senators want them or not, we're unsure. The Senators have yet to respond to an e-mail from The Sentinel asking whether they are submitting a request for proposal to the PIAA.

Stay tuned.

*-Metro Bank Park was supposed to host the 3-AAAA final but a strong thunderstorm rendered the field unplayable and the game was moved to Memorial Field in Hershey.

Area Leaderboard: Pitching

Earned run average: Eric Sawyer (CV) 1.86; Jordan Lawson (CC) 2.58; Nick Chester (RL) 2.87; Sal Purpura (M) 3.03; Bobby Sunkel (CC) 3.11; Taylor Nace (Sus) 3.22; Sam Crater (NoY) 3.31; Cody Richard (WP) 3.72; Heath Singer (BiS) 4.22; Justin Malehorn (Sus) 4.90.

Strikeouts: Crater 68; Singer 66; Nace 66; Sawyer 58; Chester 57; Malehorn 57; John Riddle (BoS) 53; Purpura 51; Colin King (T) 48; L.K. Thompson (CH) 45.

Innings: Chester 76.1; Crater 62; Sawyer 60; Singer 56; Nace 55; Purpura 53; Richard 52.2; Sunkel 50.1; Malehorn 49.2; Thompson 49.

Area Leaderboard: Batting

Average: Jeff Goyette (T) .540; Joe Tuschak (NoY) .540; Ryan Steele (NoY) .493; Quinn Bower (CC) .486; Jake Warner (NoY) .481; Michael Palkovitz (CV) .481; Sam Crater (NoY) .461; Jimmy Spanos (M) .452; Joe D'Agostino (CV) .441; Bobby Kohl (Sus) .435.

Doubles: Warner 11; Tyler Carns (BiS) 10; Tyler Weary (C) 9; Goyette 9; Kyle Zimmerman (RL) 9.

Triples: Q. Bower 6; Jake Weber (WP) 5; Kyle Fake (CC) 4; Miles Campbell (CC) 4; Dalton Viering (RL) 4.

Home runs: Goyette 8; Crater 6; Steele 6; Cody Casey (BiS) 5; Kevin Chrencik (CH) 5; Tuschak 5.

RBI: Goyette 38; Steele 37; Kohl 32; K.C. Robinson (CC) 27; Tuschak 26; Spanos 24; Andrew Keirn (NoY) 24; Cody Leitzel (NoY) 24; Mike Magaro (Sus) 24; Justin Malehorn (Sus) 24; Brad Medellin (RL) 22.

District 3 leads the pack

After the first round of the PIAA Baseball Championships, the district with the best winning percentage is that of our very own District 3.

Of the 11 teams that entered state play, eight captured first-round wins. District 7, which had seven of its 11 teams win, is second at .636 and District 1 stands at .625 (8-3).

Not surprisingly, District 5 and District 8 both went 0-for-2 and will watch the remainder of the tournament from home. District 8 hasn't won a state playoff game in 10 years while District 5 continued its mediocre run across the board in the PIAA Championships.

That said, Northern Bedford was competitive in a 4-3 loss to Camp Hill in Class A and Bedford took Redbank Valley to extra innings before falling, 7-6, in Class AA.

Here are the standings after the first round:

1. District 3 (8-3) .727

2. District 7 (7-4) .636

3. District 1 (5-3) .625

4. District 6 (3-3) .500

4. District 9 (2-2) .500

4. District 11 (2-2) .500

7. District 2 (1-2) .333

7. District 4 (1-2) .333

7. District 10 (1-2) .333

7. District 12 (2-4) .333

11. District 5 (0-2) .000

11. District 8 (0-2) .000

Pius X information

Here's are some links to information on the Pius X baseball team, which meets Camp Hill in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals Thursday at Stump Stadium in Pine Grove. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

The notes section will appear with the complete preview tab in Thursday's edition of The Sentinel.

Pius X notes: Did not use ace right-handed pitcher Anthony Casciano Jr., the coach’s son, on the mound in first-round win over Sayre on Monday. ... Casciano went 7-0 last season and has a two-year record of 12-3. ... Coach Casciano has the Royals in the state playoffs for the first time in his 18-year career. ... Anthony Martino tossed a three-hitter against Sayre and Mazza went 2-for-2 at Williamsport’s Bowman Field on Monday. ... riding a six-game winning streak — last was loss 8-6 against Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg, the team Pius eventually beat in the 11-A final, on May 5. ... rallied from a 3-0, first-inning deficit to defeat Williams Valley, 5-3, in 11-A semifinals. Williams Valley returned most of the players who were on last year’s state quarterfinalist team that pushed Camp Hill to extra innings before losing, 2-0. ... scored two runs in the sixth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and deliver a 3-1 win over Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg in district final at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. ... plays an independent schedule. ... 0-2 record in one-run games. ... has scored double-digit runs seven times. ... finished as 11-A runner-up last season thanks to a 15-9 loss to Williams Valley. ... Bittiger is the son of former Major League pitcher Jeff Bittiger, who is now a scout with the Oakland Athletics.

Pius X baseball page on MaxPreps.

A short preview capsule on the quarterfinal game from the Easton Express-Times.

A game story about Pius X's 6-1 win over Sayre in the PIAA first round from the Easton Express-Times.

A game story about Pius X's 6-1 win over Sayre in the PIAA first round from the Sayre Morning Times.

Crystal Ball: PIAA Baseball Championships

It's that time of year to make bold predictions as to which teams will be playing for a state championship June 18 at Altoona's Blair County Ballpark. If you haven't made the trek to BCB in the five years that the Altoona Curve has hosted the finals, you might want to get up there this time around.

The PIAA will accept bids for the next three-year cycle and announce the host sites later this summer. We're working on a story for June 20 about where the finals might move to, if anywhere.

Now, back to the point. Here are the predictions for this year's finals. These predictions are listed in the order the games will be played June 18.

Class AA
Semifinals
Delone Cathlolic over Catasauqua
Mt. Union over Redbank Valley

Final
Mt. Union over Delone Catholic

Class AAAA
Semifinals
Owen J. Roberts over Monsinger Bonner
North Allegheny over Cedar Crest

Final
Owen J. Roberts over North Allegheny

Class A
Semifinals
Christopher Dock over Pius X
Serra Catholic over California

Final
Serra Catholic over Christopher Dock

Class AAA
Semifinals
Conrad Weiser over Twin Valley
Moon over Hopewell

Final
Conrad Weiser over Moon

A new journey begins for Camp Hill

Last year, they were the overwhelming favorites.

This year, that title belongs to Serra Catholic while Camp Hill, looked at as a lock to repeat as PIAA Class A champion in 2009, isn't even a favorite to win today's first-round game against Northern Bedford County (16-6) at McConnellsburg.

Of the 64 teams in four classes that begin play in the PIAA Baseball Championships this afternoon, Camp Hill is one of three teams with a losing record and has the most losses (14) of any team.

The Lions' winning percentage of .363 isn't the worst but it's just barely better than Nueva Esperanza (6-13), which sits at .315.

Despite all of that, Camp Hill has to be confident in itself and what it can do in the remote District 5 outpost of McConnellsburg.

Two years ago, Camp Hill beat NBC, 9-5, a few days after imploding in the 3-A championship game and eventually captured PIAA gold.

But, probably a more accurate comparison of teams is this year's to the 2001 club that finished as 3-A runner-up with a similarly bad 9-13 record.

That season, coach Brad Shover's first, the Lions dumped District 11 champion Marian Catholic, 8-4, in the first round before winning an epic 4-3, nine-inning decision over Southern Columbia, the 4-A champion, in the quarterfinals.

Camp Hill then blasted Upper Dauphin, the team it lost to in the district final, 15-2 in five innings to qualify for the state final, where the Lions lost to DuBois Central Catholic, 8-7.

This isn't to say Camp Hill should make plans to be playing baseball at 3:30 p.m. June 18 at Blair County Ballpark in the PIAA Class A final but if the Lions minimize their mistakes and strikeouts, a win this afternoon isn't out of the question.

Northern Bedford information, links

Here are a few nuggets of information on the Northern Bedford County baseball team. The complete capsule will appear in Sunday's edition of The Sentinel.

Northern Bedford notes: Five-time defending District 5 Class A champion. ... gave up three runs to Meyersdale in the top of the seventh inning in Friday’s 5-A title game but responded when Stern singled home pinch runner Matt Sollenberger after an error allowed Joe Risbon to reach base. ... Grace blew the save against Meyersdale but picked up the win thanks to Stern. ... Friday’s win was Burda’s 100th at NBC. ... scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Salisbury-Elk Lick, 7-4, in 5-A semifinals. ... lost to Mt. Union, 7-4, in Inter-County Conference championship game May 20 when the Trojans scored three runs in the top of the seventh. ... produced a 10-game winning streak during the season that was snapped with a 7-6 loss to Southern Fulton on May 13. ... scored double-digit runs seven times. ... has five starters batting at least .350. ... lost to Berks Christian, 3-2, in first round of PIAA play last June. ... lost to Camp Hill, 9-5, in 2008 first round of states. ... advanced to state quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007.

A game story from NBC's win over Meyersdale in Friday's District 5-A final is available here from the Altoona Mirror.

A game story from NBC's district title win over Meyersdale is available here from the Somerset Daily American.

A game story from NBC's thrilling 5-A semifinal win over Salisbury-Elk Lick is available here from the Somerset Daily American.

Complete stats, box scores and game summaries are on the NBC MaxPreps page

Only one can repeat

Friday afternoon, the PIAA officially released the brackets for the 2010 PIAA Baseball Championships.

Of the four teams that won state gold last June, only Camp Hill is alive to reach Blair County Ballpark this season.

What's even more interesting is that the only runner-up to make the state field in any class is the team Camp Hill beat last year, Serra Catholic.

The Eagles and coach Brian Dzurenda, right, have to be considered the overwhelming favorite to win state gold this year. Serra won the WPIAL title with a no-hitter, the second in as many outings, from Alain Girman.

Here's a look at how last year's finalists did:

Class AAAA

Champion: North Penn. This year: Lost to Garnet Valley, 14-0, in District 1 play-in round.

Runner-up: Parkland. This year: Lost to Pleasant Valley, 5-0, in District 11 championship game.

Class AAA

Champion: Abington Heights. This year: Lost to Wilkes-Barre Coughlin, 5-0, in District 2 quarterfinals.

Runner-up: Chartiers Valley. This year: Finished with a 7-11 record and missed the District 7 playoffs.

Class AA

Champion: Brandywine Heights: This year: Lost to Delone Catholic, 14-6, in District 3 semifinals.

Runner-up: South Fayette. This year: Lost to Riverview, 6-4, in the first round of the District 7 playoffs.

Camp Hill will play Northern Bedford

In the opening round of the PIAA Class A baseball playoffs, Camp Hill (8-14) will trek to McConnellsburg High School for a 4:30 p.m. battle with District 5 champion Northern Bedford County (16-6).

The Black Panthers captured their fifth straight District 5 Class A championship on Friday with a 5-4 win over Meyersdale.

NBC has a 2-4 record in PIAA playoff games since 2006 but hasn't advanced past the first round since 2007.

Camp Hill, the two-time defending PIAA champion, hasn't lost a state playoff game since 2005.

Check back later tonight for links to stories about Northern Bedford baseball.

Camp Hill is making the journey west because it finished as District 3-A runner-up after falling to Berks Christian, 4-1, Thursday.

The Lions beat Northern Bedford, 9-5, in the 2008 opening round of the state tournament.

The winner advances to Thursday's quarterfinal round against Pius X (11-1, 15-5) or Sayre (4-1, 19-3).

The Royals upended District 11 heavyweight Williams Valley -- a major nemesis of Camp Hill during its two title runs -- in the 11-A semifinals last week.