This team-by-team 2023 season summary is long overdue, but still important in recording the efforts of the young men who took to the baseball diamond this past spring. With most of the teams loaded with youth, the 2024 season should shape up to be an interesting one for the LebCo baseball programs.
As part of the recaps, there are six key contributors listed for each team. The selection was a tedious process where it did not seem that five was enough, yet listing the whole starting nine was not in the cards (this year). For more on the all-stars selected by each league, check out the previously published list.
Stay tuned for LebCoSports All-Star Voting in the very near future.
Annville-Cleona Dutchmen
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4
Final Record: 12-10 overall, 8-7 in Section 4
District Power Ranking: #7 – 3A (top 7 qualified)
District 3 Qualifier
Summary: Following a frustrating 3-6 start to the season, the Dutchmen began to turn their season around in game #10. In a on Friday night game on the road, Annville-Cleona shocked Northern Lebanon with a 1-0 win. Following that victory, they won 7 of their last 10 games. This included going 6-2 over the course of 12 days to finish the season. With a win in their final regular season game, Annville made it into the District 3 Playoffs as the final seed. In the first round, they were matched up against Lancaster Catholic, a team they had lost to three times in League play. In those three games, they had been outscored 29-4. The Dutchmen did not let those earlier losses affect them and they shook things up by defeating the Crusaders by a score of 5-3 (read article). Their underdog run finished with a semifinal loss to Trinity.
Key Contributors:
Julian Biondollo (Sr.): Posted a.328 batting average and team leading .466 OBP on his way to also leading the Dutchmen with 19 hits. He also recorded 10 walks, scored 10 runs, stole 10 bases, and drove in 9 runs. On the mound, Biondollo was a key starter for Annville, recording a 3-3 record with a 3.99 ERA with 33 Ks in 33.1 IP. The wins included a 1-0 shutout of Northern Lebanon and the District 3 upset of Lancaster Catholic.
Gavin Keller (Sr.): On the mound, pitched his way to a 3-2 record with a 3.46 ERA, striking out 33 in 32.1 IP. Two of his outings were complete games and he also got credit for a save. At the plate, Keller was 2nd on the team in hits with 18, while collecting 12 RBI.
Jack Getty (So.): Led the team with a .349 batting average with a .378 OBP.
Noah Morcom (So.): Was a tough out with his .312 batting average and .421 OBP. Drove in 13 runs, while scoring 10.
Colton Shaffer (So.): 3.61 ERA in 33 IP, striking out 45 on his way to a 2-4 record. He converted a save situation in the District win over Catholic.
Zac Frentz (Fr.): Hit .245 with 13 hits that included 5 doubles and a triple, many of which came late in the season in clutch situations.
Cedar Crest Falcons
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1
Final Record: 8-12 overall, 6-9 in Section 1
District Power Ranking: # 14 – 6A (top 12 qualified)
Summary: Something that was mentioned several times in the preseason was that the Falcons were going to struggle to replace many key pieces lost to graduation. This proved to be very true as Cedar Crest started the season 1-5. On April 12, the Falcons won against McCaskey and then followed it up two days later with a tough 4-2 challenge of Warwick, the defending PIAA State Champions. From that point on, Crest would win four of their next six games, including a wild 18-15 win over Warwick. They were able to finish the season with eight wins, something that seemed unlikely with their early season struggles and facing three rotations through the Section 1 schedule. This unit overcame the odds by exhibiting constant improvement, with players maturing in their roles quickly, making the team more competitive as the season progressed. While Cedar Crest will have lost several players to graduation when they begin the ’24 season, there is not doubt that the returning players will be prepared.
Key Contributors:
Logan Baerg (Sr.): Hit .320 with a .397 OBP. Had 16 hits, 7 of them for extra bases that included 2 home runs.
Nolan Groff (Sr.): Led the team with a .390 batting average, .471 OBP, and 23 hits.
Colden Rambler (Sr): Pitched his way to a 3-3 record with a 3.63 ERA. In 34.2 IP, he amassed 36 Ks and only issued 13 free passes.
Owen Brown (Jr.): Led the team in runs scored with 14 and his 11 stolen bases. Overall, he hit .308 with a .429 OBP. Of his 16 hits, 3 were doubles and 2 were triples.
Caleb Dorshimer (Jr.): Drove in 19 runs with his 16 hits, including 4 doubles, a triple, and 3 home runs. Overall, hit .276 with a .354 OBP.
Conner Lane (Jr.): In 8 appearances, he pitched 39.1 innings, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.20 ERA, striking out 29 along the way.
ELCO Raiders
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Final Record: 6-14 overall, 3-12 in Section 3
District Power Ranking: # 18 – 4A (top 10 qualified)
Summary: The ELCO Raiders started out the season in a very competitive mode that resulted in a 5-2 record out of the gate. Unfortunately, their fortune began to change after the first leg of the season. After losing a couple of close games, the Raiders seemingly lost their edge, struggling to get reoriented to right the ship. This resulted in a twelve-game losing streak, with four of those games being decided by one run. While the pressure continued to mount, making it more difficult to win, the Raiders were able to end the season with a win over Tulpehocken. The win in the final contest sent ELCO into the off-season ready to start a winning streak when they hit the diamond in ’24.
Key Contributors:
Gavin Bicher (Sr.): Hit .351 with 11 RBI. Also hit a home run.
Colin Bogart (Sr.): Pitched his way to a 3.67 ERA.
Nick Pagano (Sr.): Posted a .300 batting average and was credited with 5 RBI.
Kody Boyer (Jr.): Had a .316 batting average while driving in 4 runs.
Dallas George (Jr.): Led the team with a .412 batting average, with 9 RBI and a home run.
Morgan Shannaman (Jr.): Pitched his was to a 3-1 record, while hitting .321 with 9 RBI.
Lebanon County’s League All-Stars
Lebanon Cedars
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2
Final Record: 3-17 overall, 2-13 in Section 2
District Power Ranking: # 19 – 6A (top 12 qualified)
Summary: While the record indicates that the Cedars had a rough go of it in ’23, they were actually more competitive than most realize. Where losing would have eroded the confidence of a lesser group, Lebanon carried an 0-6 record into their contest with Annville. The Cedars put together a tremendous outing and won the game 9-0. They would win two more games on the season, both against Solanco. While they lost more games then they would have liked it is important to note that they were in several other games, losing three of them by two runs or less. While the Cedars did have several seniors playing the role of contributors, the team also relied on several players who will be back next year, better prepared for the challenges offered by the Section 2 in the Lancaster Lebanon League.
Key Contributors:
Ander Duran (Sr.): Batted .209 with a .306 OBP, driving in 6 runs. Pitched 29.1 innings, striking out 15.
Griffin Gonzalez (Sr.): Led the team with a.302 batting average, .464 OBP, 16 hits, 12 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He also had 3 triples on the year. As a pitcher, he went 3-1 with a .88 ERA with 13 Ks in 16 IP.
Jordy Polanco (Sr.): Limited by injury, but made 6 appearances on the mound and compiled a 2.07 ERA. In 4 starts at the end of the season, he gave up 2 earned runs over the course of 23 innings.
Yostin Guerrero (Jr.): Batted .300 with a .323 OBP, leading the team with 18 hits and 8 RBI. He also swiped 10 bases.
Noah Brandt (So.): Had a .320 OBP with a batting average of .190. He scored 6 times and drove in a run.
Ben DiScuillo (So.): Compiled a .204 batting average, but drew 14 walks for a OBP of .391. Pitching he was 0-4, but in 24.2 IP he struck out 20 while registering a 3.69 ERA. In the 6-5 win over Solanco, he pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning to earn the save.
Northern Lebanon Vikings
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4
Final Record: 17-9 overall, 10-5 in Section 4
District Power Ranking: # 7 – 4A (top 10 qualified)
District 3 Qualifier
Summary: Following a 7-13 record in 2022, there was hope that Northern Lebanon would see an improvement as several key players were returning under first year head coach Travis Thome. Starting in the dead of winter, the young men began putting in the work, something that was seen immediately when the Vikings started the season winning their first three games while scoring 31 runs in the process. Following their first loss to Lancaster Catholic, they rallied to defeat Camp Hill, the eventual Class AAA PIAA State Champion. Over the course of regular season, Northern Lebanon’s offense continued to sizzle, being shutout only once. As a team, they recorded 200 hits while boasting a .294 batting average. They scored 183 runs, while only surrendering 122 (+61 run differential). To make matters even more difficult for opponents, the Vikings stole 68 bases to move runners closer to home.
Combining the high-powered offense with some key pitching performances, the Vikings completed the regular season 2nd in Section 4. Their finish qualified them for the Lancaster Lebanon League Playoffs, losing a game to Hempfield where they challenged the Black Knights early on before meeting their eventual fate. In the District 3 Playoffs, the Vikings finished 3rd and qualified for the PIAA State Playoffs for the first time in school history (read article). In the first round of States, the Vikings took to the road to play Hopewell in Western PA. Their postseason run ended that day (read article), but there is much reason for the Viking faithful to believe that 2023 is just start of something special.
Key Contributors:
DJ Byerly (Sr.): Batted .318 with a .444 OBP on his way to 21 hits, including 5 doubles and 2 home runs.
Dylan Fegley (Jr.): Went 4-1 with a save in 34.1 IP, striking out 39. At the plate, he hit .324 with a .380 OBP while collecting a team leading 22 RBI.
Moises Gonzalez (Jr.): Led the team with a .338 batting average, .516 OBP, 2 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and 24 runs scored. He also registered 16 RBI.
Xander McQuaide (Jr.): Had 19 hits while batting .288 with a .347 OBP. He was 2nd on the team with 21 RBI, including a 6 RBI game in a meeting against Lancaster Mennonite.
Riley Messinger (Jr.): His OBP was .457 as a result of plate discipline that allowed him to draw 20 free passes, while also being plunked 4 times. He had 19 hits, 8 of which were for extra bases (5 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run). Defensively, he converted 122 out of his 136 chances.
Adrian Gonzalez (Fr.): Went 4-4 while throwing 50.2 innings. Had a 3.48 ERA, striking out 40 and walking 8 with only 1 wild pitch. His 10 starts included 3 complete games. Offensively, he hit .265 with a .413 OBP, driving in 9 on hits that included 4 doubles and a triple.
Palmyra Cougars
Mid-Penn Conference – Keystone Division
Final Record: 8-12 overall, 6-8 in Keystone
District Power Ranking: # 25 – 5A (top 16 qualified)
Summary: After losing their first three games of the season, the Cougars hit their stride and won five of their next six games. That run included two shutouts thrown by their pitchers. In fact, in Palmyra’s eight wins this season, they blanked their opponents an impressive five times. Despite some growing pains,their record as a team does not indicate the level of competition Coach Hileman’s squad performed at over the course of the season. In the final Mid Penn game of the season, they proved just how dangerous they could be when they defeated eventual Mechanicsburg, the eventual District 3 5A champions, by a score of 5-0. While Palmyra graduated a couple of key pieces, many of the main contributors will be back in orange and black when they report for training camp next spring.
Key Contributors:
Chase Blanchard (Jr.): Batted .426 with a .507 OBP on his way to leading the team with 23 hits. Of those hits, 6 were for extra bases and included 3 doubles, a triple, and 2 home runs. He had 9 RBI and scored 15 runs. In terms of plate discipline, he drew 11 walks and in 68 plate appearances struck out only 7 times.
Bronson Coburn (Sr.): 3-1 record with a 5.06 ERA in 38.2 IP. He struck out 45.
Ethan Lodish (Jr.): 2-2 record with a 2.87 ERA in 31.2 IP. He struck out 36.
Owen Mettle (Jr.): Posted a .302 batting average with a .367 OBP. He had 13 hits, 5 of which were for extra bases. He had 6 RBI and scored 9 runs.
Alex Dorta (So.): Had 16 hits while hitting .254 with a .351 OBP. Led the team with 8 stolen bases and tied Blanchard with the team lead in runs scored (15).
Jonathon Strohecker (So.): 2-2 record with a 1.57 ERA in 35.2 IP. He struck out 43.
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