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League has several strong contenders vying for title
By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call
For years, when you
thought about high-scoring amateur baseball in the Lehigh Valley area,
you thought Blue Mountain League first.
But with the BML
going to wooden bats this year, there's a feeling that the highest
scores on the summer circuit will now come from the Tri-County League.
Tri-County's 53rd
season began Saturday with 12 teams and just one change among franchises --
Bushkill is out and Silver Creek is in.
The Silver Creek
Raiders bring the Tri-Co back to Springtown for the first time since 1997
and the new team is filled with lots of familiar faces that could make it an
instant champion.
Other perennial
powers like Tri-City, ICC, Gabelsville and two- time defending champion
Lehigh Township figure to be as strong as ever.
The teams will play
a 33-game schedule (teams play each other three times) with the top seven
advancing to the playoffs. The top finisher will get a first-round bye and
an automatic berth into the best-of-five semis.
The last date of the
regular season is set for July 23 with the playoffs to begin a week later.
Who will still be
standing in late July?
Here's a
team-by-team look:
CETRONIA LONGHORNS
Manager: George Horn
(28th year, 394-412).
2004: 22-16 overall,
20-13, fifth place in regular season. Beat Gabelsville 2-0 in first-round
playoff series, lost 3-0 to Lehigh Township in semis.
Home field:
Cedarbrook Park.
Offensive leaders:
Darrin Lenhart (.407, 8 HR, 38 RBIs, 30 runs); Kyle Peters (.323, 23 RBIs,
22 runs); Chris Peters (.410, 25 RBIs, 21 runs); Ryan Zimmerman (.395, 20
runs); Derek Miller (.352, 25 runs); Brian Polaha (.343, 34 runs).
Pitchers: Jeff
Hurley (3-1, 1.35 ERA); Jon Kensecki (3-1, 4.16 ERA); Jacob Feist (3-0, 4.45
ERA).
Outlook: Other than
the retired Billy Fatzinger, the same nucleus of 2004 is in place. Should
return to the postseason.
COPLAY
REDS
Manager: Steve Smull
(eighth year, 138-79).
2004: 16-19 overall,
16-17, seventh in the regular season. Lost to Lehigh Township in first round
of playoffs.
Home field:
Scherersville No. 5.
Offensive leaders:
Caleb Calarco (.284, 26 runs, 17 RBIs); Brandon Mazzie (.321, 4 HRs, 23
RBIs); newcomers Marshall Garger, J.R. Graver (King's), Mike Venarchick
(King's), Mark Mihalik.
Pitchers: Joe
Grazer, Dan Fassl (2-3, 4.62 ERA), Ryan Boyle (1- 1); John Hartzell (1-0,
2.74 ERA), Joe Wasilewski (5 saves).
Outlook: Lots of new
faces make this a hard club to figure.
GABELSVILLE OWLS
Manager: Doc Moyer
(13th year, 310-75).
2004: 24-11 overall,
24-9, fourth in regular season. Lost to Cetronia 2-0 in first round of the
playoffs.
Home field:
Gabelsville A.A.
Offensive leaders:
A.J. Bohn (.475, 22 runs); Jason Irey (.403, 22 runs), 2004 Rookie of the
Year Jon Kaletja (.476, 30 runs, 23 RBIs), Mitch Schueck (.330, 26 runs, 23
RBIs); Kyle Hoffman (.339).
Pitchers: Ryan Bown
(4-1, 0.89 ERA), Justin Konnick (4-2, 3.22 ERA), Todd Stapleton (3-2, 4
saves, 1.62 ERA), Jon Eidle (4-0, 1.75 ERA).
Outlook: Jeff Evans
and Greg Gilbert are gone, but Shawn Betz may be returning. If he does, the
Owls will be at the top of the regular season standings again. Roster
bolstered by several members of the Boyertown legion team that finished
third in nation in 2004. Since 1984, the Gilbertsville/Gabelsville franchise
has never gone more than three years without a title and the Owls are
0-for-3 over the last three years.
ICC
PIRATES
Managers: Luke Pile
and Scott Stewart (first year).
2004: 33-8 overall,
28-6, first place in regular season. Beat Limeport 3-0 in semis, lost to
Lehigh Twp. 3-2 in finals.
Home field:
Bethlehem Twp. Park.
Offensive leaders:
Erik Ruff (.446, 9 HRs, 42 RBIs, 40 runs); Dave Stauffer (.321, 5 HR, 24
RBIs, 27 runs); Brian Martin (.325, 4 HRs, 23 RBIs); Brent Bowman (.368);
Pile (.323, 34 runs, 26 RBIs).
Pitchers: Pile (5-3,
4.00 ERA, 40 Ks, 49 IP); Stewart (7-2, 3.26 ERA, 58 Ks, 621/3 IP, Brett
Vroman (10-0, 3.29 ERA, 34 Ks, 49 IP).
Outlook: Mike
Brosious has left the franchise to become league president. Even with that
change, one of league's premier franchises should remain strong.
JORDAN
CREEK GATORS
Manager: Fabian
Acevedo (first year).
2004: 13-19, eighth.
Home field:
Scherersville No. 1.
Offensive leaders:
Shawn Cadden, who played with team in 2003, returns. Julio Lebron (.307, 17
RBIs); Acevedo (.3 HRs, 15 runs, 13 RBIs).
Pitchers: Acevdo
(1-1); Tom Golden (2-1, 4.50 ERA); Lebron (1-1, 4.29 ERA).
Outlook: Gators may
lack bite without Jose Guerrero and Jose Medina and with Jedi Gonzalez
possibly concentrating on his BML team.
LEHIGH
TOWNSHIP BREWERS
Manager: Shawn
Andrews (10th year, 178-113).
2004: 35-9 overall,
27-7, second in regular season; beat Coplay 2- 0 in first round, beat
Cetronia 3-0 in semis and ICC 3-2 in finals.
Home field: Bryfogle
Park in Berlinsville.
Offensive leaders:
Brandon Leslie (.458, 37 runs, 29 RBIs, 3 HRs, 12 2B); Steve Unger (.330. 36
RBIs, 7 HRs); Dan Borden; newcomers Jeff Mazalewski (.397), Pete Balstar
(.342) and Ben Behler (.297) from Milford and Greg Williams (.328) from
Tri-City.
Pitchers: Leslie
(2-1, six saves, 2.03 ERA); Brian Boylan (7-1, 1.28 ERA, 53 Ks, 491/3 IP);
Jeff Erschen (2-1, 2.42 ERA).
Outlook: The
two-time defending champs, officially known as the Curtis Brewers of Lehigh
Township, have lots of new faces, but same talent level.
LIMEPORT BULLS
Manager: Chris
Parsell (third year, 37-27).
2004: 18-20 overall,
16-16 sixth place in regular season. Beat Tri-City 2-1 in the first round;
lost to Limeport 3-0 in the semis.
Home field: Limeport
Stadium.
Offensive leaders:
Joe Pochron (.563, tied Tri-Co record); Kevin Kershner (.388, 23 runs); Mike
Gill (.363, 21 runs); Dave Ross (.326, 32 runs); Jon Vito (.311); Glenn
Kushma (.267); Jim Ernst (.379)
Pitchers: Zach
Kepczysnki (4-0, 1.81 ERA); Pat Toner (3-2, 2.89 ERA).
Outlook: The Bulls
always field a competitive team and have the pitching to return to the
postseason.
MILFORD
PIONEERS
Manager: Don
Rosenberger, Sr. (15th year, 72-371).
2004: 4-29, 11th
place.
Home field: Lower
Milford M.S.
Offensive leaders:
Bobby Pierfy (.350), Andy Rineheimer.
Pitchers: Jeremy
Steigerwalt (2 wins).
Outlook: With many
of the best players from last year's team leaving for Lehigh Township, some
figure the Pioneers may struggle for a single win, but Rosenberger, a cagey
veteran, always finds a way to get a couple.
NORTHERN YANKEES
Manager: George
Hutson (first year).
2004: 9-22, 10th
place.
Home field:
Scherersville No. 5.
Offensive leaders:
Hutson (.419, 8 HR, 29 RBIs, 23 runs), George Kressley (.390, 8 HR, 31 RBIs,
24 runs); Howard Kressley (.361, 20 runs); newcomers John Blazusiak (.431)
from Gators, Dan Repsher (.370) from Bushkill.
Pitchers: Jeremy
Smith (2-3, 5.46 ERA), Andrew Dottery (3-3), Matt Goldman, Dave Goldman.
Outlook: Yanks
crashed after a 3-1 start in 2004. Losses on the pitching staff may keep
Northern going south.
SILVER
CREEK RAIDERS
Manager: Dylan Dando.
Home field:
Springtown A.A.
Offensive leaders:
Jeremy Bartha (.397, 6 HR, 38 runs, 33 RBIs); Pat Higgins (.425, 28 runs, 25
RBIs); Eric Schmitt (a lifetime .424 hitter) -- all from Lehigh Township;
Mark Nicholas; Nolan Neiman, Ian Burley and Pat Hollander (a former NCAA
Division I batting champ).
Pitchers: Jose
Medina (5-6, 4.11), Paul Garber, Paul Giovanolli, Jeff Brennan, Rob Medlock.
Outlook: Dando
expects big year, maybe 30 wins, but it'll be interesting to see if all of
the stars align.
TRI-CITY FLEETWINGS
Manager: Bob
Fatzinger (seventh year, 149-47).
2004: 26-10 overall,
25-8 third in the regular season. Lost to Limeport 2-1 in the first round of
playoffs.
Home Field:
Scherersville No. 1.
Offensive leaders:
Ben Swatsky (.443, 14 HRs, 52 RBIs, 45 runs); Matt Marcks (.416, 5 HRs, 21
RBIs and league-record 49 runs), Matt Godusky (.474, 29 RBIs, 29 runs),
Jeremy Arner (.380, 15 2Bs, 26 RBIs, 22 runs); Scott Garger (.333, 25 runs);
Tom Williams (.328); Matt Swatsky (.333); newcomer Nick D'Amico (.391 at
Lehigh Twp.).
Pitchers: Steve
Rothermel (2-1), Ryan Palos (3-0, 3.75 ERA), Scott Bolasky (5-1, 2.45 ERA),
Dan Hemberger (3-2, 3.82 ERA), Ray Ganser (4-1, 4.20 ERA ), Matt Hlay (2-0).
Outlook: The
Fleetwings have been hovering near the top of the Tri-Co standings for six
consecutive years, but don't have a title to show for it. All of the
ingredients are in place for yet another run at a crown.
UPPER
PERK CHIEFS
Manager: Matt Rush
(fourth year, 39-62).
2004: 12-21, ninth
place.
Home field: Upper
Perk H.S.
Offensive leaders:
Matt Rush (.373, 23 runs), Jeff Moyer (.323, 26 RBIs), Scott Gehringer
(.369, 6 3Bs, 21 runs), Ryan Mark (.379), Jason Butler (.313).
Pitchers: Jeff Moyer
(1-0), Tom Pletcher (4 wins, 842/3 IP, 4.71 ERA), Chris Threadgill (3 wins)
and Rush (2 wins).
Outlook: Chiefs had
just seven home runs last season and need to boost power and get improved
pitching (had same number of walks as strikeouts in 2004) to make a run.
keith.groller@mcall.com
610-820-6740
From The Morning Call --
May 15, 2005
Copyright
© 2005,
The Morning Call
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