If there’s one thing most Montgomery County high school baseball coaches can agree on this spring, it’s that defending Class 4A state champion Gaithersburg is the team to beat in the Class 4A West Region. After that? Well, in a season after which many Montgomery County squads graduated large portions of their respective lineups, any number of teams, including Walter Johnson, Whitman, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Wootton and Blair, could potentially break through.
“There were definitely a lot of graduating seniors across the board,” B-CC coach John Schmidt said. “Gaithersburg, though, I think they have eight or nine players back from their state championship team. It’s them and then everyone else. They’ve got the trophy and everyone has to go after them.”
Montgomery 4A East Division
This division, which includes defending Class 4A North Region finalist Paint Branch and perennial postseason contender Sherwood, is arguably the county’s deepest.
Blair (14-5) graduated 10 players from last year’s Class 4A West Region final run—the first regional championship appearance in at least five years, maybe ever. But the Blazers, who only lost 6-3 to Gaithersburg in that game, are in no way lowering their bar, coach Eric Zolkiewicz said. Though Blair only returns three starters, they are two pitchers—senior lefty Bobby Pfefferle and senior righty Ian Donaldson—and a catcher, Ryan Bratton.
“That’s definitely huge for us,” Zolkiewicz said. “Those guys all worked together so much in the last few years. They know one another and really help each other out. That’ll help everyone else work their way in, as we gain experience and gain our footing.”
Walter Johnson might have finished .500 last spring but showed glimpses of its potential with wins over teams such as Blair—the Wildcats handed the Blazers their only division loss. With eight of nine starters back this season, plus a talented transfer from St. Johns to fill in the one position left vacant by graduation, Walter Johnson has a legitimate shot at winning the division and making a deep run in playoffs.
Walter Johnson will rely on a deep pitching staff, led by junior Leo Bucello (from St. Johns), sophomore Kyle Petersen and St. Mary’s recruit Noah Meyers, who also plays third base. They’ll have experience behind the plate in third-year starting catcher, Patrick Jorling. Due to injuries, the outfield was a weakness last year, but with Ben Lake and Hector Taveras back in action, could end up being a strength this year, coach Steve Sutherland said. The Wildcats’ bats have also looked strong in early-season scrimmages, he added.
Reliable pitching and strength down the middle should help keep B-CC (15-7) competitive despite graduating virtually its entire starting lineup. Senior shortstop Elliot Ginns, an Ivy League recruit, tallied a program-record 35 hits last season in the leadoff position. Sophomore Sebastian Mieses returns to center field; his older brother, Alex, and junior Spencer Hacker return to a youthful, but deep pitching staff.
“Our goal is to compete in every game,” Schmidt said. “We want to get past 15 wins and past the section semifinals. We want to one up last year’s guys. If we’re better than when we started, that’s our goal. Everyone wants to win states. I think we’ll be competitive in every game. We have young starters, but don’t look past us.”
Whitman (13-8) fell to Blair in last year’s Class 4A West Region Section I final and returns six starters. The Vikings will again look to rely on their traditionally stingy defense, coach Joe Cassidy said. Senior right-handed pitchers Sean Cook and Max Palermo are Whitman’s Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers, respectively and have looked strong early, Cassidy added. Their success on the mound will help Whitman compete against anyone. Backing them up down the middle is returning starting shortstop, junior Ian Atkinson. Junior center fielder and leadoff batter Eric Wayman also started last year as a sophomore and provides great speed and strength in the outfield.
“That’s the reason our pitching does so well, because of Ian, and Eric gets to a lot of balls other kids don’t get to.”
The Vikings have consistently made it to the region semifinals during the course of Cassidy’s nine-year tenure, but he said one of the Vikings’ main goals is to make it at least a step further this spring.
A year ago, the majority of Churchill’s (5-12) lineup was new to varsity. With most of those players back, Scott Blackwood said he expects to see that extra year of experience pay off.
“We had a lot of guys who came up who had never played varsity before,” Blackwood said. “It was a lot of getting used to the speed of the game, the different level of play from junior varsity.”
Finishing games, making plays at critical times and closing out opponents, was a struggle for last year’s young team, Blackwood said. If the Bulldogs can improve on that, they should be right in the thick of the division race. And while wins and losses aren’t necessarily a top priority, they will be a byproduct of the Bulldogs’ ultimate goal of taking care of those little things needed to be competitive.
Senior Dylan Cohen, who played his freshman and sophomore year but was out of state last season, is back as a middle infielder/pitcher. Four-year starting catcher Jacob Storch is back behind the plate; senior center fielder Matthew Lipson and junior middle infielder John O’Lone should all be impact players for Churchill.
Montgomery 4A West Division
This division isn’t as up for grabs. Gaithersburg is the clear favorite until someone knocks the Trojans off their current pedestal. Northwest and Quince Orchard have historically strong programs. But Wootton seems to have as good a chance as any other team to make a run at the Trojans. Consistency, coach JD Marchand said, will be the biggest key to the Patriots’ success.
“We have eight seniors this year, but there are a lot of guys starting for the first time,” Marchand added.
Senior Max Shapiro, who was strong for the Patriots in 2015, will likely lead Wootton’s pitching staff this season. Senior outfielder Will Jones and junior first baseman Anthony Vondas also produced solid performances a year ago.
Much of Wootton’s success will hinge on the ability of new starters to adjust quickly to the speed of the varsity game.
“I think everyone holds Gaithersburg on a pedestal,” Marchand said. “Usually there are a couple teams you know are really strong and dominate and we always are hopeful we can be one of those top teams. It’ll be an interesting year.”
Montgomery 3A Division
Defending Class 2A West Region Section II finalist and 2014 state semifinalist, Poolesville might be the favorite to take the division but parity runs deep among the majority of teams. Blake (6-11) expects, and has a legitimate opportunity to make a run at the title. Down from Class 4A, the Bengals return six starters, including senior shortstop Jared Lowry. A four-year starter, who also pitches and plays first base, Lowry, an NCAA Division II recruit, has never batted below .375 since he was a freshman and finished 2015 with a .450 batting average.
With four returning infielders and varsity-level experience in the outfield and behind the plate, as well as six versatile pitchers, coach Steve Murfin said he expects pitching and defense to be a strength for Blake.
“We have plenty of experience on defense,” Murfin said. “And we have six pitchers who can both start and relieve, including four with varsity experience. …Our expectation is to win the Montgomery 3A Division and to advance deep into the 3A South Region playoffs.”
Private Schools
After winning the Interstate Athletic Conference regular season banner, Landon (16-9, 9-3 in IAC) fell in the league’s championship game to crosstown rival Georgetown Prep. Though the Bears graduated nine players, including six starters, coach Bill Reed said Landon still intends on putting itself in position to contend for the title and championship again this spring.
Versatility should be a strength this season; eight players pitch, seven of whom can also play another position. The Bears will rely on the strength of four returning starters: junior pitcher/center fielder and University of Maryland recruit Randy Bednar Jr., Marist College recruit and senior Patrick Lightner, senior pitcher/third baseman Zach Wiener (being recruited by University of Chicago) and senior third baseman Matt Brady (Carleton College recruit).
At Bullis, Juniors Chris Mavrikes (second base/pitcher) and Raffy Baumgardner (shortstop/pitcher) and sophomore Richmond University recruit Sammy Senders (center fielder/pitcher) lead a young squad.
No starters graduated from The Heights (13-12), which reached the Old Line Conference final before losing to Avalon. The Cavaliers, who defeated Landon a year ago and have already notched their first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference victory in six years, 4-1 over Bishop McNamara early this spring, should be able to benefit from continuity and confidence in each other, coach Jonathan Fritts said.
“I think we do a lot of the little things well,” Fritts added. “This group has been playing together for a long time. There are things we can do without making a real loud call. We can make a call with just a look across the field or a certain glance. There’s a lot of confidence in one another.”
Another main strength is 6-foot-2 senior pitcher Guy Patrick DeSanctis. DeSanctis is still unsigned but Fritts said he has full confidence DeSanctis can compete at the collegiate level.
Senior catcher Charles Tsintolas (George Washington University) became the program’s first NCAA Division I signee in at least a decade.
“We have a pitcher who we feel like can beat anyone,” Fritts said. “And that’s a big strength. …I think as a program, there’s a chip on our shoulder. We’re unique. We’re a small school, with small-time facilities that don’t match up with the Georgetown Preps of the world. But we expect to compete and we’ve been doing a decent job of that. Our end game is to be able to send guys on to college and then our reputation will precede us. People will know they can come here for a great education and still go on to play in college.”
