Perfect Game High School will releasing previews for each region in the coming weeks. The previews will be released two weeks prior to first regional rankings. The schedule is as follows:
Florida - Week of March 3
Southeast (AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, TN)- March 10
Pacific (CA, HI)- March 11
Texahoma (TX, OK)- March 17
Southwest (NM, AZ, NV, UT)- Week of March 28
Great Plains (CO, MO, IA, MN, NE, KS, ND)- Week of April 18
Northwest (WA, OR, ID, AK) - Week of April 25
Top Storylines
1.Don Bosco
The Ironmen look to be the undisputed top team in the Northeast with a chance to go undefeated. Don Bosco has rolled through their eight games so far, including a Michael Gomez six-inning perfect game in their latest contest. They feature one of the deepest rosters in the region, featuring eight division one players. Matchups with traditional power Bergen Catholic and out-of-state foes St. John’s (DC) and Georgetown (MD) will give us a good idea of how good the Ironmen are. They currently sit #9 in the National Top 50 Rankings.
2.Top Mass Arm
It is a good year for arms in Massachusetts with nine of the top twelve draft prospects in our 2011 State Follow Lists being pitchers. 2010 AFLAC All-American RHP Tyler Beede from Lawrence Academy is the top-rated arm, but he will have lots of competition. St. John’s Prep RHP Pat Connaughton, a Notre Dame commit, is tall and athletic as well as throwing 91 at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, and RHP John Magliozzi from the Dexter School has quite possibly been the best pitcher at PG events over the last 4 years, showing a fastball up to 94 and some of the best control and pitchability in the nation. Other top pitchers include Lincoln-Sudbury RHP Adam Ravenelle, BB&N LHP Andrew Chin and RHP Devin Perry, Ashland RHP Barrett O’Neill, Cathedral RHP Robert DeCosmo, and Tewksbury RHP Matt Luppi.
3. Northeast Dynasties
In the preseason, we highlighted the 14 high schools in the country that had won three or more titles. Three of those came from the Northeast: Portsmouth (NH), Bishop Hendricken (RI), and Leland and Gray (VT). The three again look to be favorites in their respective classes with Hendricken having a good chance to be a fixture in the NE Regional rankings with top 2012 grads C Billy Walker and OF/LHP Thomas Pannone.
4.George Washington, NY
The Trojans received bad news a couple of weeks before the season when longtime coach Steve Mandl was suspended by the PSAL for alleged recruiting violations. Mandl had won two city championships and in his 27 years at the helm had 25 division titles. Interim coach Nick Carbone has big shoes to fill but a lot of talent to work with. The Trojans have started the year 6-0 and will be a likely destination for MLB scouts this year and next as GW features the two top 2012 grads in the Northeast in C Nelson Rodriguez and OF Fernelys Sanchez.
5.Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
The two Pennsylvania cities are a little over 300 miles apart is distance but even further apart in every other way with Pittsburgh being the Eastern-most city in the Midwest, embodying the characteristics of Rust Belt towns Cleveland, Detroit, and Indianapolis, while Philadelphia is more akin to East Coast metropolises Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
There is always a battle in sports, as well, whether it is Steelers vs. Eagles, Penguins vs. Flyers, or Pitt vs. Villanova basketball. The battle also wages in HS baseball with both teams rich with top teams and prospects. The top team in the Pittsburgh-area looks to be Pine-Richland with competition from North Allegheny while Philadelphia boasts the early favorite for top team in the state, Germantown Academy, along with William Penn Charter and Neumann-Goretti.
The state’s top two prospects, OF Derek Fisher and C Cameron Gallagher, are from the middle of the state, Rexmont and Lancaster, respectively. The Pittsburgh-area has North Carolina commit SS Zac LaNeve from Pine-Richland and Peters Township OF Justin Bianco, a Pittsburgh commit. Philadelphia has two of the top 2012 grads in the state in C Chris Harvey and SS Joe DeCarlo.
Top Teams (alphabetical order)
Browne Buckingham and Nichols (MA)- One of the most successful schools in the state across all sports, the baseball team went 22-0 last year and look to be strong again led by the duo of LHP Andrew Chin and RHP/OF Devin Perry.
Council Rock North (PA)- The defending District 1 champs have a strong squad returning and look to be very strong again. Players to watch are RHP Patrick O”Leary, OF Daniel Denton, and LHP Jake Drossner.
Don Bosco Prep (NJ)- The Ironmen are loaded. Their 2011 class features LHP Jordan Gross and OF Nick Bruno, among others. Their 2012 might be even better with SS George Iskenderian, 1B Matthew Dacey, and 3B Grant Van Orden.
George Washington (NY)- A team to watch for the next two years. Most known for producing recently retired OF Manny Ramirez, also Hall of Famer Rod Carew.
Germantown Academy (PA)- School has produced SS Sean Coyle (Red Sox), SS Tommy Coyle (UNC), and RHP/OF Kennan Kish (Florida). Next product looks to be a catcher, Chris Harvey, a potential early pick in the 2012 draft.
Gloucester Catholic (NJ)- The Rams won their 14th title last year and return six potential division one players, including East Carolina commit 2B Joe Brooks and a 2013 to watch in RHP Michael Schwaryn.
Lincoln-Sudbury (MA)- Off to a 2-2 start, the team is traditionally very strong and this year is led by one of the best pitchers in the state, Vanderbilt commit Adam Ravenelle.
Pine Richland (PA)- An early favorite for top team in the Pittsburgh area, SS Zac LaNeve is a UNC commit, and 2012 C Russell Clark is a prospect to watch, as well.
Seton Hall Prep (NJ)- The school has produced two first round picks, 3B Eric Duncan and RHP Rick Porcello, along with 2008 AFLAC All-American OF Steven Brooks. The Pirates went 27-5 last year and return OF John Norwood, a Vanderbilt commit.
Xaverian (NY)- The Brooklyn school has two of the city’s top catchers in Elvin Soto and Kevin Matir. The Clippers have the talent to be one of the best teams in the city, but will have to move on without coach Dennis Canale, who resigned in December.
Notable Matchups
April 21- Don Bosco Prep (NJ) @ St. John’s (DC)
One of the biggest tests of the year for Don Bosco, the player to watch for St. John’s is 3B/RHP Nick Howard.
April 22- Avon Old Farms (CT) @ Salisbury School (CT)
Two Connecticut powers that look to be strong again in 2011, OFs Chris Madera (Avon Old Farms) and Michael White (Salisbury School).
April 27 – Pine-Richland (PA) @ North Allegheny (PA)
Two of the top teams in the Pittsburgh area face off with Coastal Carolina commit RHP Tanner Wilt likely on the mound for NA.
May 2- Dexter (MA) @ Browne Buckingham &Nichols (MA)
If RHP John Magliozzi (Dexter) and LHP Andrew Chin (BB&N) face off it will attract a number of scouts and feature two pitchers with the best control in the country.
May 3/5- Douglass (NY) vs./@ Washington (NY)
Douglass will try to prove themselves as a NYC team to follow this year, a player to watch is SS Morgan Phillips.
May 5 – Cranston West (RI) @ Bishop Hendricken (RI)
Hendricken has won three straight state titles, Cranston West is one of the teams with a chance to unseat them this year.
May 7 – Malvern Prep (PA) @ Germantown Academy (PA)
Two top prep schools face off, Malvern has OF Joe Lubanski, brother of former Royals first round pick, Chris.
May 9 – Manheim Township (PA) @ Cedar Crest (PA)
The top two draft prospects in the state and maybe the entire region face off. Manheim Township features C Cameron Gallagher and Cedar Crest counters with OF Derek Fisher.
May 21- South Plainfield (NJ) @ Toms River South (NJ)
Both teams look to compete for the state title this year. South Plainfield OF Brandon Downes is a Virginia commit, while Toms River South has Wake Forest commit RHP Connor Kaden.
May 28 - Gloucester Catholic (NJ) vs. Bishop Eustace Prep (NJ)
Another interesting New Jersey matchup, Eustace has eight titles in their history, while Gloucester is coming off their 14th in 2010.
PG High School Northeast Dream Team
C- Cameron Gallagher, Manheim Township (PA), Sr.
1B- Matt Dacey, Don Bosco Prep (NJ), Jr.
2B- Mike Zolk, Neumann Goretti (PA), Sr.
3B- Danny Rosenbaum, Chesnut Hill Academy (PA), Jr.
SS- Zac LaNeve, Pine-Richland (PA), Sr.
OF- Derek Fisher, Cedar Crest (PA), Sr.
OF- Carl Thomore, East Brunswick (NJ), Sr.
OF- Fernelys Sanchez, George Washington (NY), Jr.
Util- Mike Papi, OF/RHP, Tunkhanoock Area (PA), Sr.
P- Tyler Beede, RHP, Lawrence Academy (MA), Sr.
P- John Magliozzi, RHP, Dexter (MA), Sr.
P- Kevin Comer, RHP, Seneca (NJ), Sr.
P- Adam Ravenelle, RHP, Lincoln-Sudbury (MA), Sr.
P- Patrick Connaughton, RHP, St. John’s Prep (MA)
Regional Best Tools
Best Hitter For Average: Derek Fisher, OF Cedar Crest (PA), Sr.
Best Hitter For Power: Nelson Rodriguez, C, George Washington (NY), Jr.
Best Baserunner: Justin Bianco, OF, Peters Township (PA), Sr.
Best Defensive Catcher: Elvin Soto, Xaverian (NY), Sr.
Best Defensive Infielder: Morgan Phillips, Douglass (NY), Sr.
Best Defensive Outfielder: Andrew Velazquez, Fordham Prep (NY), Jr.
Best Infield Arm: Kenny Koplove, William Penn Charter (PA), Jr.
Best Outfield Arm: Mike Papi, OF/RHP, Tunkhanoock Area (PA), Sr.
Best Fastball: Tyler Beede, RHP, Lawrence Academy (MA)
Best Offspeed Stuff: Barrett O’Neill, RHP, Dexter School (MA), Sr.
Best Command: Kevin Comer, RHP, Seneca (NJ), Sr.
Best Pitchability: John Magliozzi, RHP, Dexter (MA), Sr.
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