We've reached the halfway point of the Schuylkill League baseball regular season.
Mother Nature has put a crimp into scheduling - as evidenced by Tuesday's thunderstorm - but the playoff races in both divisions have taken shape.
Let's take a look at what we know so far and what to look out for over the next three weeks:
Division I
Pottsville (5-0 league) ran the table through the Division I contenders the first time through its league schedule, but the going wasn't easy. After impressive wins over Pine Grove and North Schuylkill, the Tide pulled out come-from-behind, one-run wins over Blue Mountain and Tamaqua.
Tamaqua (6-3, 3-1) sits in second place, but the defending league champion Blue Raiders still have to play both Blue Mountain and North Schuylkill twice.
Tamaqua hosts Blue Mountain today. Starting Monday, the Blue Raiders will play eight games in 10 days, facing Jim Thorpe, NW Lehigh, Pine Grove, Hamburg and North Schuylkill on consecutive days next week.
Blue Mountain (9-4, 3-2) might be in the best situation, having already played 13 games. The Eagles' big stretch comes next week, when they play Pottsville, North Schuylkill and Pine Grove.
Pine Grove (8-3, 4-2) has turned things around since a dismal effort in a loss to Pottsville on April 1, winning 6-of-7 since. The Cardinals' only loss in that span was a 5-4, 10-inning defeat to Tamaqua. They visit Pottsville today.
Look out for the Cards, who have gotten great pitching from underclassmen Kobe D'Agostino and Austin Fick of late.
North Schuylkill (8-3, 3-3) is trying to cope with the loss of Bobby Grigas to an arm injury. The Spartans have yet to beat one of the other Division I contenders, and that will have to change if they hope to earn a playoff spot. Their first chance comes Thursday when they host Pottsville.
Division II
Tri-Valley (9-2, 7-1) has been Division II's best team since a season-opening loss to Minersville in which four starters did not play. The Dawgs have gotten a balanced attack offensively, and have one of the top arms in the division in Hunter Bordner.
If Tri-Valley gets defense and pitching like it did from Devin Masser in Monday's 2-1 win over the Miners, the Dawgs will be tough to beat.
Schuylkill Haven's only league loss was a 4-0 defeat to Bordner and the Dawgs. The Hurricanes (9-2, 6-1) still have two games remaining with Marian, as Tuesday's battle was rescheduled for Thursday.
The Colts (6-2, 6-2) had been right with the Dawgs and Hurricanes until Monday, when Shenandoah Valley shocked Marian 16-14. The Colts now play Tri-Valley today, Schuylkill Haven on Thursday and Minersville on Friday. That's a tough stretch.
Minersville (6-5, 5-3) and Nativity (5-3, 4-3) will need some help and some wins over the teams above them to stay in contention for one of the two Division II playoff berths. The Miners' three league losses have all been heartbreakers, so don't count them out.
Nativity still has two games remaining with Tri-Valley, and the Hilltoppers have played the Dawgs tough over the years. Nativity, however, has a ton of games to make up, so getting strong pitching will be critical.
Williams Valley's chances are slim, but if Brendan Miller returns from injury in May, the Vikings (4-6, 3-5) could be dangerous. Shenandoah Valley, Mahanoy Area and Weatherly are out of the playoff picture, but could still pull off an upset, as evidenced by the Blue Devils' win over Marian on Monday.
There's a lot of baseball still to be played in both division races, and it will all be crammed into a three-week span. Should be fun to watch.
Summer showcases
Tryout dates were announced this week for the Lehigh Valley Carpenter Cup team and the Big 26 Baseball Classic.
The Lehigh Valley Carpenter Cup team will hold tryouts Sundays, May 11 and 18, at 9 a.m. at DeSales University. Area players in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate in the open tryouts, but need a varsity coach's recommendation. Those selected will play in the 16-team, Philadelphia Phillies-sponsored all-star tournament held in June in Philadelphia.
Tamaqua's Brett Kosciolek and Schuylkill Haven's Collin McGee are area players who have competed with the Lehigh Valley team in recent years.
The Big 26 Baseball Classic will be held July 18-20 at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg. High school sophomores and juniors are eligible to play in the three-day showcase against all-stars from Maryland.
The East tryout will be held Sunday, May 18, at 11 a.m. at Lebanon Valley College, Annville. Pottsville's Nick Hair played in the first Big 26 Classic two years ago, while Pine Grove's Steve Zimmerman was a catcher for Team Pennsylvania and Pottsville's Mike Welsh was the head coach last summer.
For more information, visit www.big26.org.
Statistical leaders
Here's a quick look at extra-base hit and pitching leaders through Monday's games:
Doubles - Travis Blankenhorn, Pottsville, 6; Anthony Agosti, Marian, 6; Bo Rottet, Tamaqua, 5; Alec Bailey, Schuylkill Haven, 5; Shane Grapsy, Blue Mountain, 4; Matt Roberts, Minersville, 4; Collin Maurer, Tri-Valley, 4; Devin Masser, Tri-Valley, 4; 24 tied at 3
Triples - Pete Baddick, Marian, 3; Ryan Fink, Schuylkill Haven, 2; 16 tied at 1
Home runs - Jake Damiter, North Schuylkill, 2; Brett Kosciolek, Tamaqua, 2; Pete Baddick, Marian, 2; Luke Stawick, Marian, 2; 19 tied at 1
Pitching victories - Nick Behm, Schuylkill Haven, 5-0; Kobe D'Agostino, Pine Grove, 4-0; Austin Fick, Pine Grove, 3-0; Travis Blankenhorn, Pottsville, 3-0; Connor Hartung, Tamaqua, 3-0; Pete Baddick, Marian, 3-0; Jayme Snyder, Tri-Valley, 3-0; Kyle Glouner, Upper Dauphin, 3-0; 5 others tied at 3-1
Games this week
Today - Blue Mountain at Tamaqua, Pine Grove at Pottsville, Tri-Valley vs. Marian at Middleport
Thursday - Pottsville at North Schuylkill, Nativity at Tri-Valley, Marian at Schuylkill Haven
Friday - Minersville vs. Marian at Middleport, Schuylkill Haven at Nativity
Saturday - East Juniata at Upper Dauphin, the Cardinal Classic at Pine Grove's Stump Stadium
Player of the Week Kobe D'Agostino Pine Grove
The junior played a key role in the Cardinals' big Division I victories over North Schuylkill and Blue Mountain last week.
D'Agostino had two hits in the win over the Spartans, then scattered four hits and struck out 12 in Saturday's victory over the Eagles. He also helped himself with a pair of hits against Blue Mountain.
Saturday's pitching victory improved D'Agostino to 4-0 on the hill this season.
(Boyer is sports editor and covers high school baseball for The Republican-Herald. Follow him on Twitter @pubsportsboss)Power poll
(Through Tuesday's games)
Team Record Pvs
1. Pottsville 6-5 1
2. Tamaqua 6-3 2
3. Tri-Valley 9-2 4
4. Upper Dauphin 8-1 6
5. Schuylkill Haven 9-2 7
6. Pine Grove 8-3 10
7. Blue Mountain 9-4 5
8. North Schuylkill 8-3 8
9. Hamburg 11-2 3
10. Marian 6-2 9
- Compiled by Leroy Boyer