Four for 2012 Part I

Here is our annual look at the four teams we think we make deep runs in next year's postseason. Please check back tomorrow morning for the second half of our list.

Northern (23-5 in 2011; PIAA Class AAA champions) – Out of all of our selections, this one is clearly the easiest because the Polar Bears return most of their starters from this year’s state championship team.

Joe Tuschak (sixth-round pick of the New York Mets), Andrew Keirn (playing in college at Pitt-Johnstown) and Dom Apicella will leave sizeable voids, but if coach Brian Robison can find a solid pitcher to back up ace left-hander Vince Apicella, this team will be hard to beat again next spring.

Cody McLaughlin (.471), Jon Mayer (.423) and Dylan Tamekci (.423) will pace what is sure to be a scary offense next year.

Northern is also set at all but second base with Anthony Salomone (third), Tyler Betz (shortstop) and Tamecki (first) back.

Vince Apicella (right) was absolutely lights out this year with a 0.86 ERA in 81 1/3 innings. The junior struck out 126 and walked only 18 in compiling a 12-1 record. He has a little more eight months to get even batter. That’s hard to believe.

But, there is bad news.

Keirn, who also played second, was 7-1 this year with a 1.26 ERA in 49 2/3 innings pitched. If the Polar Bears can’t find someone to fill that role, they’ll have a difficult time escaping what is arguably the deepest Class AAA district in the state.

Camp Hill (2-18 in 2011; failed to qualify for District 3 Class A playoffs) – The Lions had a year to forget in 2011 with six losses via the 10-run mercy rule.

Camp Hill also failed to score a run in eight games.

So, why is coach Brad Shover’s team on this list again? Because his youngsters will make serious noise in the District 3 Class A playoffs if they qualify next May.

Consider: Reading Central Catholic grabbed the district’s 10th and final bid this year with a 4-13 record, won the district title and advanced to the PIAA Class A final before losing to Serra Catholic, 4-0.

Had the Lions gotten in, who’s to say it wouldn’t have been them at Medlar Field playing for another state title? Camp Hill’s schedule is that tough: Nothing the Lions would have seen in the playoffs would have been near the competition they annually face in the big-school Mid-Penn Conference.

It’s easy to forget that Camp Hill is awfully young and that Chad Bronson, despite an 0-10 record this year, finished ninth in the area with 55 strikeouts.

Plus, Robbie Thompson (he’s the younger brother of L.K., who plays at West Virginia University), will be back for his sophomore year after batting .220 in his first season of varsity baseball.

Bronson (.400), Kevin Chrenick (.380) and Ben Eppley (.290) will power the offense.

Plus, Cameron Resuta and Cameron Ward, two solid pitchers who suffered through a myriad of injures this year, are back. If the Lions stay healthy and cut down on the errors, they’ll be on the short list of district-title favorites next year.

Kyle Friend to Temple

Kyle Friend, who will be a senior this fall at Cumberland Valley High School, recently committed to continue his college football career as an offensive lineman at Temple University.

Friend was a first-team All-Sentinel selection as a defensive lineman last year. The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder recorded 95 total tackles and six sacks for the District 3 Class AAAA champions.

"That's been a goal of mine ever since I start playing high school football," Friend said about competiting at an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision school. "I'm glad I finally reached it. I'm ready to move on and keep working hard."

In the winter, Friend was one of the leaders of a young CV wrestling squad. The heavyweight, who was a first-team All-Sentinel pick, barely missed qualifying for the PIAA Class AAA Championships after he finished fourth in the District 3/Southcentral Region tournament.

Friend plans to wrestle as a senior.

"I think wrestling is one of the best things you can do to complement football with the conditioning and hands and feet," Friend said. "It's such a great sport to complement football."

For the complete story, see Wednesday's edition of The Sentinel.

2011 All-Sentinel Baseball stories

The high school baseball season is now complete.

We released the 17th Annual All-Sentinel Baseball team in today's edition of the newspaper. The complete team can be found on our Web site and on Inside the Red Zone.

Here are links to the stories that ran with the selections.

Joe Tuschak, player of the year

Brian Robision, coach of the year

East Pennsboro continues to improve on the diamond (opinion)

Continue to check Inside the Red Zone this week for our Four for 2012.

2011 All-Sentinel Baseball

The 17th Annual All-Sentinel High School Baseball Team will be available Sunday, June 26 in hard-copy form.

Before the team hits newsstands early tomorrow morning, we're offering a look at this year's first- and second-team players.

Congratulations to those who made the squad.

FIRST TEAM
Player of the Year: Joe Tuschak, sr., outfielder, Northern

Catcher: Jon Mayer, jr., Northern

Infielders: Blaine Bower, sr., Cedar Cliff; Mike Palkovitz, sr., Cumberland Valley; Jeff Scaramuzzino, sr., Red Land; Dakota Smith, sr., West Perry

Outfielders: Alex Bates, soph., Trinity; Quinn Bower, sr., Cedar Cliff; Aaron Rahn, jr., West Perry

Designated hitter: Jimmy Spanos, sr., Mechanicsburg

Pitchers: Vince Apicella, jr., Northern; Alex Card, jr., East Pennsboro; Taylor Nace, sr., Susquenita

SECOND TEAM
Catcher: Bobby Kohl, sr., Susquenita

Infielders: Brian Goodling, soph., Carlisle; Andrew Keirn, sr., Northern; Justin Malehorn, sr., Susquenita; Tyler Orris, jr., Cedar Cliff

Outfielders: Hunter Kotzmoyer, soph., Big Spring; Josh Kimmel, jr., Carlisle; Matt Luebbers, sr., Boiling Springs

Designated hitter: Cody McLaughlin, jr., Northern

Pitchers: Jordan Lawson, jr., Cedar Cliff; Eric Sawyer, sr., Cumberland Valley; Jade Wilson, sr., West Perry

National football rankings

They're starting to trickle out already.

MaxPreps recently released its Preseason Top 25 football early contenders.

Just like the final high school baseball national rankings, there isn't a Pennsylvania school to be found.

Don Bosco Prep, a private school in New Jersey, tops the list.

Sad news out of Pittsburgh

Gateway High School's football season will be out more than wins and losses this year.

Thursday night, one of coach Terry Smith's players was killed and another injured in a shooting in Durham, N.C.

The story from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is here.

Gateway opens the season at home against Bishop McDevitt on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. Last year, McDevitt beat Gateway, 21-0, in the season opener on Market St.

All-Sentinel date finalized

This Sunday, we will release the 17th Annual All-Sentinel baseball team. The selections will officially be released on this blog tomorrow afternoon.

Included in the season-ending package is the following:

• Feature on our Player of the Year

• Feature on our Coach of the Year

• First and second team selections

• Past award winners

Nice story on Fisher

While scouring the Internet the other day for high school baseball stories, we came across a good one on Cedar Crest center fielder Derek Fisher.

The story is from ESPN Rise and was published in March, but it's worth reading.

Fisher was a sixth-round pick of the Texas Rangers earlier this month. He also holds a scholarship offer to play for the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

Final national rankings

Thanks to Northern, there aren't any Pennsylvania teams in the final Powerade Fab 50 ESPN Rise baseball rankings.

Elizabeth Forward, the previously undefeated District 7 Class AAA champion, was ranked No. 48 in the last poll. The Warriors dropped out thanks to a 6-4 loss to Northern in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals last week.

Speaking of Northern, the Polar Bears (23-5) are one of three Pennsylvania teams listed as On The Bubble. Northern dumped Tunkhannock, 6-3, in the state final Friday morning at Penn State's Medlar Field.

PIAA Class AAAA champion Conestoga (22-4) and the team the Pioneers beat, Spring-Ford (25-5), are also On The Bubble.

Tuschak's plans

Now that the high school baseball season is complete, Northern center fielder Joe Tuschak is ready to focus on the next phase of his life: playing baseball for a career.

Tuschak, who was drafted by the New York Mets in the sixth round of this year's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, will sign with the Mets and report to the club's rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Florida either the end of this month or early next month.

"One day, I hope to play in the big leagues with all those great players," Tuschak said. "I'm just really excited. I'm still kind of speechless about it."

Returning Mid-Penn All-Stars

The following players were named Mid-Penn Baseball All-Stars this spring and will be back for at least one more year. The player's year is what they will be for the 2011-12 school year.

Commonwealth Division
Carlisle - Brian Goodling, junior; Jed Thorson, junior

Cedar Cliff - Jordan Lawson, senior, Tyler Orris, senior

Cumberland Valley - Ben Eppley, senior

Red Land - Shawn Anderson, senior; Ben Snyder, sophomore; Sam Sorenson, senior

Keystone Division
Mechanicsburg - Matt Miller, senior; John Thompson, junior

Colonial Division
Big Spring - Hunter Kotzmoyer, junior; Tom Swartz, senior

Northern - Vince Apicella, senior; Jon Mayer, senior; Cody McLaughlin, senior; Dylan Tamecki, senior

Shippensburg - Marshal Witmer, senior

Capital Division
Boiling Springs - Derek Hart, junior, Jon McKain, junior

Camp Hill - Chad Bronson, junior

East Pennsboro - Alex Card, senior; Jesse McAllister, senior

Susquenita - Mike Weldon, junior

Trinity - Dan Resavy, senior; Mitch Weaver, senior

West Perry - Ryan McMillen, soph; Aaron Rahn, senior

History made Friday night

Not many people were on hand to witness history at Penn State's Medlar Field on Friday.

Conestoga and Spring-Ford, a pair of District 1 teams, played a 10-inning game in the PIAA Class AAAA final. Prior to that game, there had never been a PIAA baseball final go into double-digit innings.

Conestoga ultimately won the game, 6-3, when the Pioneers scored three runs in the top of the 10th and held the Rams scoreless in the bottom half. The official game time was 2 hours, 58 minutes.

It was Conestoga's first state baseball title. Earlier in the day, Northern (Class AAA) and Serra Catholic (A) won their first state baseball titles.

Extra story for Monday

In Monday's edition of The Sentinel will be a story wrapping up Northern's baseball season.

The Polar Bears capped an fantasic year by winning the PIAA Class AAA championship Friday morning at Penn State's Medlar Field with a 6-3 victory over District 2 champion Tunkhannock.

We'll also have a short notebook with interesting facts from the other three state championship games.

Signing off from Medlar Field

The PIAA Class A final is in the sixth inning and Serra Catholic leads Reading Central Catholic, 4-0.

After nearly three months of covering high school baseball, it's time to become a fan and head down to the stands to catch the Class AA and Class AAAA title games.

We'll have an extra story about Northern in Sunday's paper. Keep checking Inside the Red Zone over the next few weeks as the All-Sentinel Team is finalized.

We'll also be posting our Four for 2012 (hint: Northern will be one of those teams).

Once again, congratulations to the Northern Polar Bears, the new PIAA Class AAA baseball champions.

Polar Bears capture title

Joe Tuschak belted a grand slam in the fourth inning to give Northern a 6-2 lead and junior pitcher Vince Apicella was solid in a complete-game performance to lift the Polar Bears past pesky Tunkhannock, 6-3, Friday morning at Penn State's Medlar Field.

Northern's title is the school's first state baseball championship and the Polar Bears are the first team from The Sentinel's coverage area to win a big-school title since Red Land won the 1990 PIAA Class AAA tournament.

Apicella struck out eight, didn't issue a walk and scattered six hits to improve to 12-1.

Tuschak, Cody McLaughlin and Mark Stetts finished with two hits each for Northern (23-5).

Tunkhannock travels well

If there was a question whether the early start time for today's PIAA Class AAA final would affect the crowd, the answer is a resounding no.

Northern has a decent crowd but the orange-clad Tunkhannock faithful is packing the third-base side of the grandstand.

And yes, they are very vocal.

Unless a couple charter buses are on the way from Dillsburg, the Polar Bears will be playing in front of a pro-Tunkhannock crowd this morning.

Weather, field conditions

So far, so good in terms of rain today in State College.

The sky is filled with clouds and there are dark ones to the west, but we haven't seen rain yet.

The good news is that the field crew is putting the cover on the tarp on the right field.

The playing surface looks to be in great shape, so unless a steady shower moves through, the PIAA Class AAA final between Tunkhannock (the visitor) and Northern will be starting on time.

PIAA Baseball Picks

Despite the fact that we told Cedar Cliff's coaching staff we weren't publishing any more predictions, we're making one exception for Friday's PIAA finals at Medlar Field in State College.

Predictions are listed in the order the games will be played. If you don't like our picks, remember that we've been wrong more often than not since the start of the District 3 playoffs.

Class AAA (10:30 a.m.)
Tunkhannock 5, Northern 3 -- Do the Polar Bears have it in them to bring a state title back to Dillsburg? Absolutely. The fact that Tunkhannock pitcher Mike Healey has had nearly a week of rest will swing the result in favor of the District 2 champs.

Kurt Bopp's pick: Northern 3, Tunkhannock 2 -- Vince Apicella will be the difference in this one. If he can keep the Tigers at bay, Northern offense should be able to score just enough off Mike Healey for the win.

Class A (1 p.m.)
Serra Catholic 9, Reading Central Catholic 0 -- Pitcher Alain Girmin has a 23-0 career record and wants to erase last year's bad memories of the shocking loss to Christopher Dock. After two near misses, the Eagles get it done.

Class AA (3:30 p.m.)
Salisbury Township 7, Riverside 6 -- We picked Salisbury Township from the start. Don't ask us why, we just had a feeling. Riverside is strong and could be considered a slight favorite.

Class AAAA (6 p.m.)
Conestoga 6, Spring-Ford 4 -- Remember when these teams last met? Of course you don't. If you read this blog, you probably only follow District 3. Well, in the District 1-AAAA final, the Rams scored a 22-11 win in six innings. Conestoga hasn't forgetten and exacts revenge.

New way to follow the game

If you can't make the trip to State College on Friday, we'll be blogging live from Medlar Field during the PIAA Class AAA championship game between Northern (22-5) and Tunkhannock (19-2).

Kurt Bopp will be the man keeping you updated with the Cover it Live system, which is an improvement over how we've live blogged events in the past. If you've seen over news outlets use Cover it Live, you no doubt find it an enjoyable way to follow an event.

Kurt will start bloggin around 10:15 a.m. on our site.

Ugly weather is back

In a baseball season marred by a host of postponed and suspended games, it's only fitting that there's a good chance of ugly weather in State College on Friday for the four PIAA championship games.

The finals have not been interrupted since 2003 when they could not be played Friday or Saturday. All three games took place the following Monday at Harrisburg's Riverside Stadium.

There's good news and bad news for Northern fans. Because the Class AAA game is the first of the day (it's scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. start), it's unlikely that weather will wash the game out. If tomorrow is like today, there should be a window to get at least one game in.

Now for the bad news. Because Tunkhannock's commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday night, the game probably cannot start any later than noon. Remember, the original start time for this game was 1 p.m.

That means there likely needs to be a 90-minute window of good weather in State College on Friday. If that doesn't happen, find a hotel and stick around until Saturday.

Reputation on the line

The winner of Friday morning's PIAA Class AAA championship game will wrap up bragging rights for its district.

Either District 2 or District 3 will stake its claim to being the most dominant in Class AAA.

Last year, a pair of District 3 teams, Hershey and Conrad Weiser, played for it all. If Northern beats Tunkhannock, it'll be two straight state titles for District 3.

On the other hand, if Tunkhannock emerges as the winner, it will be the third PIAA Class AAA title that District 2 has won in the last four years.

Berwick (2008) and Abington Heights (2009) easily won state gold in recent years for District 2.

ALERT: Time change official

The PIAA Class AAA baseball final will now begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday at State College's Medlar Field.

The change was officially announced by the PIAA this afternoon to accomodate Tunkhannock's commencement ceremony.

Northern (22-5) and Tunkhannock (19-2) are making their first appearance in a state baseball championship game.

The Class A final between Reading Central Catholic (11-13) and Serra Catholic (20-2) is now set to begin at 1 p.m. in State College.

ALERT: Time change possible for Northern game

Due to scheduled commencement ceremonies Friday night for the Tunkhannock seniors, the PIAA Class AAA final between Tunkhannock (19-2) and Northern (22-5) at Medlar Field in State Colleg could see a change in times.

Early indications are, if a switch is needed, the Class AAA final will be played at 10:30 a.m. with the Class A final to follow at 1 p.m.

As it stands, the Class A game is set to kickoff the quadruple header Friday at 10:30 a.m. with the Class AAA final set for 1.

Please continue to monitor the PIAA site for any updates regarding the time change.

Stories about Tunkhannock

Below a few game stories from Tunkhannock's 9-0 victory over Blue Mountain on Monday in a PIAA Class AAA final. In the game, Mike Papi and Chase Knott combined on a no-hitter.

On Friday at Medlar Field in State College, the Tigers (19-2) battle Northern (22-5) for the state championship at 1 p.m. Both teams are making their first appearance in the state baseball finals.

Game story from the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice

Sidebar from the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice

Blog from Blue Mountain-Tunkhannock game

Want to start reading about Tunkhannock?

If so, we offer a link to a live blog from the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice.

SPOILER ALERT: Tunkhannock slammed Blue Mountain, 9-0, in Monday's semifinal.

Questionable call by PIAA

In the end, it all worked out.

And we're still not sure how.

Thursday afternoon, Northern and Punxsutawney met at Replogle Field in New Enterprise for a PIAA Class AAA baseball quarterfinal at 4 p.m.

After three innings were played, the umpires spotted lightning on the horizon and pulled the players from the field at 4:32 p.m.

Rain didn't hit the area until after 5 p.m. and there was minimal lightning, if any, the rest of the day.

In our opinion, the game could have safely continued, but the umpires erred on the side of caution and stopped the game.

Luckily, the nasty weather system moved out of the area and play resumed at 6:17. The game was played in its entirety.

But, this could have turned into a mess for all involved.

Consider what would have happened if the game could not have been restarted: the two teams likely would have been summoned back to New Enterpriese -- a two-hour drive for each team and their fans -- the next day. A lot of time and money would have been wasted.

In our opinion, there are two things the PIAA could have done to prevent what looked like a sure disaster.

1 -- Play the game at a site with lights. Sure, Replogle Field was a great choice in terms of distance between schools, but the lack of lights meant the game needed to be over by 8 p.m. When a game involves teams that are traveling such a far distance to reach a field, the PIAA should put the game at a location that can wait out a lengthy delay.

2 -- Start the game earlier. Let's face it, summer weather is here and that means thunderstorms roll in during the late afternoon. Why not schedule first pitch for 2 p.m.? Look, everyone from Punxy and Northern likely missed a day of work anyway to get to the game, so there's no reason to start when potential storms could arrive and wreak havoc.

Don't take this the wrong way, we like the fact that some traditional east teams play through the west and vice versa to even things out, but when these matchups occur, the PIAA should do all it can to ensure that a game is played in its entirety when both teams are at a field.

That means finding a site best suited for such a game that's as close to equal distance between participating schools as possible.

We don't think Replogle Field fit that description. Not when there are two better choices in Altoona and two more in State College.

Read up on the powerful Warriors

At Inside the Red Zone, we are big proponents of summer reading.

So, in anticipation of Monday's PIAA Class AAA baseball semifinal between Northern (21-5) and Elizabeth Forward (23-0), we offer a few articles about the Warriors, who are trying to become the first WPIAL baseball team to finish as undefeated state champions.

Game stories from Elizabeth Forward's quarterfinal win over Grove City:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Note: We hoped to post the Sharon Herald's story but, unfortunately, the site requires a payment to read the entire article.

Here's another story on Elizabeth Forward:

Feature on the Warriors prior to the quarterfinals from the Post-Gazette

Unique field awaits Northern, EF

It seems every year, a high school football field replaces its grass with a synthetic arifical surface.

But, not many baseball do that.

Somerset did prior to the 2010 season and, for the first time, the completely renovated facility is hosting a PIAA playoff game.

Northern (21-5) meets Elizabeth Forward (23-0) at Somerset on Monday in a PIAA Class AAA semifinal at 4 p.m.

To read about upgraded baseball field, click here.

Polar Bears off to Somerset

Northern continues its quest for a PIAA Class AAA baseball championship Monday with a trip to Somerset Area Senior High School to meet District 7 champion Elizabeth Forward (23-0) at 4 p.m.

This run is the furthest for Northern baseball since 2006 when the Polar Bears dropped a 2-1 decision to Sun Valley in the state semifinals.

The winner of Monday's game in Somerset will play either Blue Mountain (20-4) or Tunkhannock (18-2) at Friday in the state championship at Medlar Field in State College at 1 p.m.

The keys to winning

There are certain things we feel the Mechanicsburg and Northern baseball teams must do Thursday if they hope to advance to the semifinal round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

Here are the keys for each team.

Mechanicsburg (vs. Thunkhannock at Parkland High School, 6:30)
A return to the Sal of old: Mechanicsburg will score runs against the Tigers, but if senior right-hander Sal Purpura (the likely starter) isn't on his game, Mechanicsburg's season will end. Purpura wasn't sharp at all against Twin Valley in 3-AAA final last week, but his offense picked him up and Joey Bishop was efficient in relief. Plus, the Raiders helped by committing nine errors, something the District 2 champion Tigers probably won't do. If the Wildcats dig an early hole due to walks and hit batsmen, they might not crawl out of it this time.

Northern (vs. Punxsutawney at Replogle Field, New Enterprise, 4)
Everyone contributes: At one point in Monday's game against the Somerst, the bottom four batters in Northern's order were a combined 1 for 8. They finished the game 4 for 16. The first five batters in the order went 10 for 17 and had eight of the team's 10 RBIs. We know the Polar Bears have some youngsters down below and are dealing with injuries, but this is the time those players need to step up. To beat District 9 champion Punxsutawney, the Polar Bears need all nine of their batters to contribute.

Stories about Tigers, Chucks

Below are links to game stories from Monday's PIAA Class AAA playoffs involving Tunkhannock and Punxsutawney.

Mechanicsburg plays Tunkhannock in Allentown and Northern meets Punxsutawney in New Enterprise on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Tunkhannock 11, Jersey Shore 7

Scranton Times-Tribune

Wilkes-Barre Citizen's Voice

Williamsport Sun Gazette

Punxsutawney 11, Hampton 1 (5)

Punxsutawney Spirit

Methacton displays District 1 power

The fifth-place team from District 1 is one of the final eight Class AAAA baseball teams alive in the state tournament.

And that team, Methacton, beat a District champion to get there.

Such is life in big-school Pennsylvania baseball.

Annually, District 1 flexes its collective muscle in June.

This year, four of the five qualifiers won their state opener and the other team, third-place Council Rock North, lost to a Nazareth team that has a legitimate chance to win it all.

Last season, the suburban Philadelphia district placed three teams in the state semifinals and two in the championship game. West Chester Henderson, the second-place team, beat third-place finisher Owen J. Roberts, 7-0, for state gold.

Something similar could happen this year.

Two quarterfinals are all-District 1 affairs, but the winners won't be guaranteed a spot in the state finals.

Then again, if history is any indication, at least one of those teams will make it to State College. In the six years of Class AAAA baseball, only two title games have been played without a District 1 team.

In 2009, North Penn won the state title as the district's fifth-place team.

We don't think Methacton has the tools to make a run quite that long, but one of the four remaining teams no doubt will.

Tuschak goes in sixth round

Northern outfielder Joe Tuschak was selected by the New York Mets in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday.

Tuschak, a Coastal Carolina recruit, was taken with the 192nd overall pick.

Tuschak is batting .469 this year with six doubles, eight home runs and 30 RBIs. The four-year starter has a career average of .397 with 17 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Look for Kurt Bopp's story in Wednesday's edition of The Sentinel.

Directions to Replogle Field

It took some research, but we tracked down detailed directions to Replogle Field in New Enterprise, where Northern plays Punxsutawney on Thursday in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals.

The directions, courtesy of Northern Bedford County High School, are below.

From Westbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike:

Take the Breezewood exit

Follow Route 30 West for approxiately 8 miles

Turn onto Route 26 North for approximately 8 mles

Turn onto Route 36 North for approximately 4 miles

Turn onto Route 869 East

Make a left on Replogle School Road (look for a big stone church); field is on the right

If you're making the drive Thursday, have a safe trip.

PIAA baseball sites and times

Earlier today, the PIAA announced the sites and times for the quarterfinal round of the state baseball playoffs.

District 3 Class AAA champion Mechanicsburg (19-5) heads to suburban Allentown to meet District 2 champion Tunkhannock (17-2) at Parkland High School at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, District 3 runner-up Northern (20-5) continues its trek through the western half of the Class AAA bracket with a game in New Enterprise at 4 p.m. against District 9 winner Punxsutawney (15-7).

Complete PIAA baseball brackets

Here are links to the complete state baseball brackets with sites and times. Area teams playing in each classification are listed after the link in parenthesis.

Class AAAA (Cedar Cliff)

Class AAA (Mechanicsburg and Northern)

Class AA

Class A

PIAA baseball trends

If history is any indication, the Cedar Cliff baseball team would have been better off losing to Manheim Township on Thursday in the District 3 Class AAAA championship game.

Why?

Well, in the expanded era (2005, when the PIAA adopted a fourth class for baseball, to present) the 3-AAAA champion has an underwhelming 1-5 record in PIAA first-round games.

The only team to win its state opener was Manheim Township in 2006 when the Blue Streaks pounded Methacton, 11-4, and eventually finished as state runner-up to Delaware Valley.

Other than that, the first round has a been a graveyard for 3-AAAA champions, who lost three of those five games by two runs or fewer.

On the other side of the coin, the 3-AAAA runner-up is a stellar 5-1 in first-round state playoff games. The lone loser over the last six years was Central Dauphin in 2008.

In Class AAA, both Mechanicsburg and Northern have a 50-50 chance to qualify for the quarterfinals. Since 2005, the 3-AAA champion and third-place team are both 3-3 in the first round.

In reality, Mechanicsburg clearly has the better draw. The Wildcats play close to home, at Northern, against a team, District 12 runner-up Franklin Towne Charter, that has as many wins (five) as Mechanicsburg has losses.

Northern is forced to make the long trip to Altoona's Blair County Ballpark to meet District 5-6 winner Somerset, which comes in with a solid 18-5 record.

Remember, historical numbers have absolutely no bearing on what happens Monday. The fact that 3-AAAA champions have been awful in state playoff openers will not affect how Cedar Cliff does against Methacton. If the Colts come out and play as well as they did in storming to the 3-AAAA title, there's a good chance we'll be seeing Cedar Cliff again on Thursday.

But, if they make mistakes and don't play well, it will be Methacton that beats them, not history.

PIAA sites announced

Two of the three area baseball teams will be close to home Monday afternoon in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. The third team is traveling a couple hours away.

Cedar Cliff and Mechanicsburg will play a doubleheader at Northern on Monday in Class AAAA and Class AAA action, respectively.

Northern will hit the road for its Class AAA game at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.

Cedar Cliff (16-9), the 3-AAAA winner, meets District 1 fifth-place team Methacton (16-10) at 3:30 p.m.

Mechanicsburg (18-5), the 3-AAA champion, opens state play at 1 p.m. against District 12 runner-up Franklin Towne Charter (5-15).

Northern (19-5) defeated Palmyra on Thursday to qualify for the state tournament as the third-place team out of District 3. That's why the Polar Bears are heading more than two hours away for their game against District 5-6 winner Somerset (18-5).

Stories from around the state

Interested in reading about the teams Cedar Cliff, Mechanicsburg and Northern will play in next weekend's PIAA baseball playoffs?

Below are links to stories from each team's last game.

Methacton 7, West Chester East 3 (Cedar Cliff will play Methacton on Monday)

Neumann-Goretti 6, Franklin Towne Charter 1 (Mechanicsburg will play FTC on Monday)

Somerset 7, Indian Valley 3 (Northern will play Somerset on Monday)

Mechanicsburg vs. Twin Valley updates

Please check back here for inning-by-inning updates from the District 3 Class AAA championship game at Sovereign Bank Stadium in downtown York between fourth-seeded Mechanicsburg (17-5) and second-seeded Twin Valley (23-3).

UPDATE: Neumann-Goretti defeated Franklin Towne Charter, 6-1, today in the District 12 Class AAA championship in Philadelphia. That means the 3-AAA winner will stay close to home vs. Franklin Towne Charter while the runner-up heads to Philadelphia to meet N-G.

After one inning: Twin Valley 2, Mechanicsburg 0 (Northern, Palmyra 2-2 after one)

After two innings: Twin Valley 4, Mechanicsburg 1 (Northern leads Palmyra, 4-2, after three)

After three innings: Twin Valley 4, Mechanicsburg 3 (Northern leads Palmyra, 5-2, after four)

After four innings: Twin Valley 7, Mechanicsburg 5

After five innings: Twin Valley 8, Mechanicsburg 5 (Northern defeats Palmyra, 8-4, will play Somerset on Monday)

After six innings: Twin Valley 8, Mechanicsburg 8

After seven innings: Twin Valley 8, Mechanicsburg 8

Final score: Mechanicsburg 14, Twin Valley 8 (Mechanicsburg's first district baseball title)

Cedar Cliff vs. Manheim Township updates

We won't have rapid updates from today's District 3 Class AAAA final at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York between No. 16 Cedar Cliff (15-9) and No. 10 Manheim Township (16-6), but will provide the score after every inning.

Please check back here for updates.

After one inning: Cedar Cliff 3, Manheim Twp. 0

After two innings: Cedar Cliff 3, Manheim Twp. 2

After three innings: Cedar Cliff 3, Manheim Twp. 2

After four innings: Manheim Twp. 4, Cedar Cliff 3

After five innings: Cedar Cliff 6, Manheim Twp. 5

After six innings: Cedar Cliff 9, Manheim Twp. 5

Final score: Cedar Cliff 9, Manheim Twp. 5 (first baseball title in school history for Cedar Cliff)

3-AAAA final pushed back to 1:30

The field at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York wasn't completely ready for the start of today's District 3 Class AAAA, so the game will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The early start is due to Manheim Township's commencement ceremony tonight.

Mechanicsburg's potential opponents

It took some serious legwork, but early this morning, we finally tracked down which teams Mechanicsburg could see in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Monday.

The Wildcats (17-5) meet Twin Valley (23-3) in the District 3-AAA final today at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York at 4 p.m.

If Mechanicsburg wins its first district title, it will play the District 12 runner-up, either Franklin Towne Charter or Neumann-Goretti at a District 3 site.

A loss and Mechanicsburg will head to Philadelphia to play the winner between the aforementioned teams.

Franklin Towne Charter and Neumann-Goretti play for the 12-AAA title at noon today in downtown Philadelphia.

Northern's potential opponent

If Northern is lucky enough to secure the district's third and final bid to the PIAA Class AAA tournament, it will meet District 5-6 champion Somerset on Monday at a District 6 site.

The Eagles (18-5) cruised to an easy 7-3 win over Indian Valley on Wednesday at Altoona's Blair County Ballpark in the district championship game.

Somerset was the PIAA Class AAA runner-up in 2008. Northern, which will play Palmyra on Thursday in Hershey for third place, hasn't been to the state tournament since 2006.

Cedar Cliff's potential opponents

There's some incentive to win the District 3 Class AAAA championship. If you're the district champion, you're playing close to home Monday in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament against the fifth-place team from District 1.

Lose, and it's likely a trip to Bowman Field in Williamsport to face a district champion.

Awaiting the loser of Thursday's 3-AAAA final between Cedar Cliff (15-9) and Manheim Twp. (16-6) is District 2/4 winner Williamsport (15-4). The Millionaires beat Scranton, 8-3, Tuesday night to win their first district title since 2008.

The 3-AAAA winner will play either Methacton or West Chester East. Those two teams will play for fifth place at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Devon Prep.

Game stories from Tuesday

As much as I'd like to, I can't cover all of our three remaining baseball teams where they're all at different sites. That was the case Tuesday, so two other staff members pitched in and helped to ensure that all three area teams were covered in the District 3 baseball semifinals.

Here are links to the stories

Class AAAA: Cedar Cliff 5, New Oxford 4

Class AAA: Twin Valley 4, Northern 3 (8)

Class AAA: Mechanicsburg 8, Palmyra 2