By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
LANCASTER, Pa. – The Pennsylvania High School Baseball Coaches Association (PHSBCA) recently announced its 2008 All-State baseball teams.
The teams were broken into two groups – Large School (Class AAAA and Class AAA) and Small School (Class AA and Class A) – and each group was further divided by position, including designated hitter.
In the Large School Division Hempfield (Lancaster) and Canon-McMillan each had two players on the team, while in the Small School Division Schuylkill Haven had two players on the team.
Large School (Class AAAA-AAA) PHSBCA All-State Team
Pitchers
Ricky Ott – Senior – Shippensburg High School
Ott pitched in 11 games for Shippensburg with eight starts. He was 8-0 with a 0.78 ERA and had 100 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 63 innings of work. He led Shippensburg to its first division title since 2005, a trip to the Mid-Penn Conference Championship game and the District 3 Class AAA semifinals. Ott was named the Mid-Penn Colonial Conference MVP and the Chambersburg Public Opinion Player of the Year. He has a scholarship to the University of New Orleans.
Brett Houseal – Junior – Hempfield (Lancaster)
Houseal pitched in 14 games for Hempfield with nine starts. He was 10-3 with a 1.22 ERA. In 81 innings of work he struck out 95 while walking 28. He tied for third in school history in strikeouts and opponents batting average (.195). A great hitter as well, Houseal hit .369 with 22 RBIs while helping his team to a third-place finish in District 3 Class AAAA and a spot in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals.
Catchers
Joe Maloney – Senior – Sun Valley
Maloney hit .373 (22 of 59) with two home runs, 18 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. He also threw out 22 of 32 would-be base stealers and was named a first-team All-Delaware County and first-team All-Delaware Valley selection. He helped his team to a 21-2 record and the District 1 Class AAA title. He is a Limestone (SC) recruit.
Jon Steele – Senior – Williamsport
Steele hit .468 (22 of 47) with five home runs, 23 RBIS and four stolen bases for Williamsport. He led his team to a 17-7 record and the District 4 Class AAAA championship.
First Base
Ryan Geffert – Senior – Wyoming Valley West
Geffert hit .547 (35 of 64) with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. He added five doubles, two triples and 34 runs scored while also stealing four bases and drawing 22 walks to just five strikeouts. He was named the Wyoming Valley Conference MVP while leading his team to the District 2 Class AAAA championship and a runner-up finish in the PIAA District 2/4 title game.
Second Base
Austin Wulf – Junior – Blackhawk
Wulf hit .533 (40 of 75) for Blackhawk with two home runs, 14 doubles, two triples and 23 RBIs. He stole 10 bases and scored 33 runs while putting together a 21-game hitting streak. His 40 hits and 14 doubles were school records, and he helped Blackhawk to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals and the PIAA playoffs while being named a Beaver County Times All-Star and an All-Section 1 Class AAA choice.
Shortstop
Matt Pierpont – Junior – Canon-McMillan
Pierpont hit .471 (40 of 85) with three home runs, 28 RBIs, 10 doubles and 29 runs scored while leading Canon-McMillan to the PIAA Class AAAA title after a third-place finish in the WPIAL. He was an all-section selection.
Third Base
Jarrod Kramer – Senior – Blue Mountain
Kramer hit .413 (15 of 46) with three home runs, four doubles, 24 RBIs and 14 runs scored while helping Blue Mountain to the District 11 Class AAA championship and the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. He was named a first-team All-ABCA Division I player and a first team All-Area player.
Outfielders
Chris Dittmar – Senior – Canon-McMillan
Dittmar hit .432 (41 of 95) with six home runs and 26 RBIS while also scoring 33 runs for the PIAA Class AAAA title champion Big Macs who also took third in the WPIAL.. He also had a .491 On-base percentage and a .684 slugging percentage while being named a first-team all-section member.
Jon Moser – Senior – Hempfield (Lancaster)
Moser hit .434 (33 of 76) for Hempfield while hitting eight home runs and driving in 30 runs. He also added 25 runs scored while helping the Knights a third-place finish in District 3 Class AAAA and a spot in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals. His eight home runs set a single-season school record. He also finished fourth in school history in RBIs and was named the team MVP.
Rocco DelPriore – Junior – Southern Lehigh
DelPriore hit .440 (37 of 84) with four home runs, nine doubles, a tripe and 22 RBIs while scoring 32 runs and stealing 22 bases. He led Southern Lehigh to a 16-7 record and a second-place District 11 Class AAA finish. He was named a first-team Allentown Morning Call All-Area team member and a first-team All-Colonial League selection.
Designated Hitter
Tyler Wingard – Sophomore – Punxsutawney
Wingard, the lone sophomore on either of the All-State teams, hit .405 (17 of 42) with seven home runs and 24 RBIs while delivering an on-base percentage of .500. He helped lead Punxsutawney to its fifth straight District 9 Class AAA title and the PIAA Class playoffs.
Small School (Class AA-A) PHSBCA All-State Team
Pitchers
Joby Lapkowicz – Junior – Carmichaels
Lapkowicz pitched in 10 games with five starts for Carmichaels going 10-0 with a 1.00 ERA. He had 112 strikeouts and juts 24 walks in 63 innings of work while helping his team to the WPIAL Class A championship and a PIAA Class A runner-up finish. His season came to an end a game early, as he suffered a broken leg in the semifinal win over Serra Catholic (he was slated to start the PIAA title game, which Carmichaels ended up losing 2-0 to Camp Hill). He was named a Washington Observer-Report All-WPIAL selection (only 10 selected) and a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-WPIAL selection (only 10 selected).
Brenton Eades – Junior – Minersville
Eades went 8-3 with a 1.75 ERA for Minersville recording 96 strikeouts while walking 24 in 69 inning of work. He was named a first-team ABCA Division II selection and a first-team All-Area choice. Eades helped Minersville to a 15-8 record and a second-place finish in the District 11 Class A championship tournament.
Catcher
Cameron Olsen – Senior – Serra Catholic
Olsen hit .507 (36 of 71) with three home runs and 30 RBIs while scoring 36 runs and stealing 28 bases for Serra Catholic. He also walked 15 times while getting hit with seven pitches and striking out just twice giving him an on-base percentage of .624. He hit .500 in six post-season games while helping Serra Catholic (23-3) to a third-place finish in Class A in the WPIAL and the PIAA semifinals. Defensively, Olsen threw out 15 runners attempting to steal against him and was named co-team MVP. He will be playing baseball at California (Pa.) University next year.
First Basemen
Derrek Boyer – Senior – Schuylkill Haven
Boyer hit .509 (27 of 53) with five home runs, 11 doubles, 35 RBIs and 17 runs scored. He was named a first-team All-ABCA Division II selection and a first-team All-Area choice while helping Schuylkill Haven to a 20-1 record and the District 11 Class AA playoffs.
David McNeill – Junior – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH)
McNeill batted .588 (30 of 51) with four home runs, 10 doubles, two triples and 31 RBIs while scoring 19 runs for OLSH. He was fifth in the WPIAL in batting averaging and tied for eighth in the WPIAL in RBIs while being named All-Section 2 – Class A.
Second Baseman
Cody Montz – Senior – Schuylkill Haven
Montz hit .565 (35 of 62) with two home runs, four doubles, four triples, 33 runs scored and 39 RBIs for Schuylkill Haven. A 2007 PHSBCA All-State selection as well, he was the 2008 All-Area Player of the Year and a first-team All-ABCA Division II selection while helping Schuylkill Haven to a 20-1 record and the District 11 Class AA playoffs.
Shortstop
Mike Devine – Senior – Springdale
Devine hit .475 (28 of 59) this year with two home runs, five doubles, three triples and 37 RBIs while scoring 29 runs and stealing 17 bases. He also drew 19 walks and was hit by one pitch giving him an on-base percentage of .608. He was named the WPIAL Coaches Association Class A Player of the Year, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-WPIAL selection (Only 10 chosen) and the Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year. He helped Springdale to a 14-3 record and the WPIAL Class A playoffs.
Third Base
Cory Johnson – Senior – Sharon
Johnson batted .470 (31 of 66) with five home runs, six doubles, two triples and 31 RBIs while also scoring 32 runs. He was named a District 10 Region One first-team third-base selection and a District 10 All-District Team first-team choice while leading Sharon to the District 10 Class AA title and the PIAA Class AA semifinals.
Outfielders
Zachary Staudt – Senior – Cochranton
Stout hit .491 (27 of 55) with eight home runs, 38 RBIs and 19 runs scored for Cochranton. He also stole 12 bases and led the team in slugging percentage (1.000) while also adding a .957 fielding percentage. He was named the team MVP, a first-team Meadville Tribune “Dream Team” outfielder and a first-team Coaches of Region 2 All-Star outfielder. Staudt helped Cochranton to the District 10 Class A playoffs.
Nathan DeFilippi – Senior – Center
DeFilippi hit .529 (37 of 65) with three home runs, 10 doubles, 27 runs scored and 26 RBIs for Center. A four-year letter winner, he was also a four-year all-conference player and a four-year Beaver County Times Top 20 player. He was selected to play in the WPIAL All-Star game, and will attend Seton Hill University next year. DeFilippi helped Center to 14-6 record and the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals.
Travis Jankowski – Junior – Lancaster Catholic
Jankowski batted .471 (33 of 70) with three home runs, 10 doubles, three triples, 25 runs scored, 24 stolen bases and 20 RBIs for Lancaster Catholic. He was caught stealing just once during the season, and hit .647 in six post-season games including hitting a 3-run home run to clinch the District 3 Class AA title. Lancaster Catholic then went 1-1 in the PIAA Class AA championship.
Designated Hitter
Dustin Pare – Senior – Pius X
Pare hit .492 (31 of 63) with four home runs, 10 doubles, 24 runs scored and 35 RBIs for Pius X. He was named the team MVP, a first-team All-Area Express Times selection and an honorable mention Pocono Record selection. Pare helped Pius X to a 15-6 record and the District 11 Class A semifinals.
