Four for 2009 take two

Here's the final two teams we should should make some noise and have a good shot to go deep into the District 3 playoffs.

Northern
All-Sentinel first-team pitcher Cam Richardson and second-team shortstop Tyler Follmer are gone but the Polar Bears, who made a run to the 2006 PIAA semifinals, should have a solid team in 2009.

Middle infielder/pitcher Sam Crater, who will be a junior next year, should pace the team. He's been a force since his freshman year and hit .302 with 12 RBIs and three doubles this year. On the mound Crater struck out 34, walked 17 and posted a 3.27 ERA in 33 innings to go 4-2.

Hank Sanders, an All-Sentinel first-team first baseman, will be back for his senior year after hitting .390 with 10 RBIs this spring.

Pitcher Quintin Taylor will be expected to improve his 6.00 ERA and 3-3 record as he steps into a more prominent role in the rotation.

Trinity
The biggest loss coach Al Hobby will have to deal with his All-Sentinel second-team outfielder Brooks Watts, who hit .458 with 14 RBIs.

On the mound the Shamrocks return their top two pitchers, Mike Hnatuck and A.J. Weaver. Either one is capable of being the team's ace, which means Trinity's No. 2 will be better than most its opponents'.

Plus, Ted Spinelli and his .333 average, 16 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits is back to anchor the offense.

The bad news is that the team should have been better than its 9-10 mark in 2008. Worse is that Trinity moves from Class AA to the ultra-competitive Class AAA for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Bottom line: Trinity will have pitching and that goes a long way in high school baseball.