Years from now, when we look back at the 2015 high school baseball season, the quality of players and teams in the Schuylkill League will certainly stand out.
It was a season to remember for the Schuylkill League on several fronts. Let’s take a look at the highlights:
• Pottsville’s Travis Blankenhorn was the center of attention of MLB scouts all season and was eventually selected with the fifth pick of the third round (No. 80 overall) of the Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins.
That’s the highest a local position player has ever been drafted, with only Pottsville’s Chris Nabholz (No. 49, 1988, Expos), Blue Mountain’s Lance Rautzhan (No. 57, 1970, Dodgers) and Pottsville’s Jeff Yoder (No. 63, 1995) going higher since the MLB Draft started in 1965.
Blankenhorn was the first local player drafted out of high school since Mount Carmel’s Dave Shinskie was taken in the fourth round (No. 118) by the Minnesota Twins in 2003. His selection also marked the second straight year a local player was taken after Williams Valley grad Tyler Herb was picked in the 29th round of the 2014 draft by the Seattle Mariners.
• Blankenhorn’s post-game batting practice for MLB scouts became a fan attraction of sorts, especially after night games at Steidle Field. Players and fans from teams that had played games earlier that day would come just to see the University of Kentucky recruit hit after the game.
So would the scouts, with as many as 12 there at one time. I was standing up on 16th Street the night he crushed a ball that smashed off a parked car on the street above the scoreboard — a monster blast.
• Pottsville became the first team since the Schuylkill League playoffs returned in 2009 to capture back-to-back league crowns, beating Blue Mountain 9-5 in the title game.
The Crimson Tide emerged from an extremely tough Division I that included five NCAA Division I recruits — Blankenhorn, Pottsville’s Eli Nabholz (Penn State) and Connor Hinchliffe (La Salle), Blue Mountain’s Dean Stramara (Towson) and Tamaqua’s Brett Kosciolek (Rider) — and several other seniors who will play at the Division II level, including Tamaqua’s Bo Rottet (Kutztown) and Blue Mountain’s Sean Greenawalt (Bloomsburg) and Adam Hull (Bloomsburg).
When you consider the players in Division II and III also heading to play baseball at the next level, the college recruiters definitely hit the Schuylkill League hard.
That’s great for the league’s underclassmen, as there are countless stories of a recruiter coming to see a senior play and leaving with great impressions of a sophomore or junior on the same team.
• For the first time since 2009, the Schuylkill League crowned three District 11 champions: Pottsville (AAA), Schuylkill Haven (AA) and Tri-Valley (A).
Not only that, but Blue Mountain (AAA) and North Schuylkill (AA) reached the championship game, meaning the Schuylkill League had five teams play in Coca-Cola Park, the most since the playoffs moved there in 2010.
• Pottsville’s District 11 crown was its first since 1998, ending a 17-year drought.
The Crimson Tide also became the fifth Schuylkill League team in five years — Tamaqua 2014, Schuylkill Haven 2014, Pine Grove 2012, Blue Mountain 2011 — to reach the state semifinals.
• Shenandoah Valley qualified for the District 11 playoffs for the first time since 2006, losing to eventual champion Tri-Valley in the quarterfinals.
• Schuylkill Haven’s Nick Behm, who will pitch next spring at NCAA Division II Seton Hill in western Pennsylvania, threw a pair of nine-inning shutouts in playoff games only to get no-decisions.
The Hurricanes defeated Salisbury 2-1 in 12 innings in the District 11 semifinals, then blanked MaST Charter 1-0 in 11 innings in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs.
• Upper Dauphin put together the most amazing postseason run of any local team.
The Trojans won their last three regular-season games to get into the 10-team District 3 Class AA field as the No. 8 seed. UDA then won three straight playoff games to reach the District 3 title game before falling to Camp Hill 1-0.
Upper Dauphin continued its Cinderella run in the PIAA Class AA Tournament, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Quaker Valley.
• Including Upper Dauphin, area teams won five state playoff games, the most since Williams Valley (A), Pine Grove (AA) and Blue Mountain (AAA) combined to win five in 2008.
In 2007, Minersville (A state champs) and Pine Grove (AA semifinalist) teamed to win six.
Looking ahead
The Schuylkill League will have a hard time replacing the level of talent that graduated in 2015. It might be, from top to bottom, the most accomplished and decorated this area has seen in a long while.
That being said, the cupboard isn’t bare after their departure.
Here’s a look at some preseason favorites for 2016:
North Schuylkill — The Spartans return six starters from this year’s District 11 Class AA runner-up squad that finished 16-7 — left-handed pitchers Tevin Murray, Bobby Grigas and C.J. Steinhilber, catcher Chris Burke, shortstop Richie Zahodnick and outfielder Jordan Marlow.
Tri-Valley — The District 11 Class A champion Dawgs do lose ace right-hander Hunter Bordner, but return power-hitting first baseman Hunter Herb, outfielder Tyler Lucas and five freshmen who started this season.
With the possible return of two players who didn’t play this season, the Dawgs will enter as the Division II favorite. Minersville, with Dylan Stephen, Ryan Nettles, Chris Leshko and Jon McBreen returning, will also contend.
Marian — The Colts lose only one senior starter from this year’s squad that went 17-4 and ravaged their Division III opponents.
Right-handed pitcher Joe Nahas, catcher/infielder K.J. Snerr and utility man Dante Salerno head a group that will be heavy favorites to repeat as Division III champs.
The Division I powers — You can never, ever, count out Blue Mountain, Pine Grove, Pottsville and Tamaqua from contending in Division I. And although all four teams took heavy hits to graduation, each team still has a ton of talent remaining.
With the superb level of coaching and the area’s solid feeder programs, Schuylkill League teams traditionally just reload with new names and faces.
It’s what makes covering Schuylkill League baseball a joy every spring.
Burke picked to play
in Carpenter Cup
North Schuylkill sophomore Chris Burke is on the Lehigh Valley roster for the 30th annual Carpenter Cup Classic that’s run by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Burke, who hit .362 (25-for-69) with 12 runs scored, four doubles and three triples for the Spartans, is one of only two catchers on the 25-man Lehigh Valley roster.
He joins Schuylkill Haven’s Collin McGee and Tamaqua’s Brett Kosciolek as Schuylkill League players who have recently played in the Carpenter Cup.
Lehigh Valley opens play in the 16-team, single-elimination tournament at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday against Tri-Cape at the recently-opened Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy Showcase Field in FDR Park.
The June 22 semifinals and June 23 championship will be played at Citizens Bank Park.
The Carpenter Cup kicked off Monday with a Skills Day at FDR Park. Marian’s Dante Salerno represented Lehigh Valley in the Skills Competition.
Cooper steps down
as Panthers’ coach
Panther Valley will have a new coach next spring as John Cooper has resigned.
In 14 seasons with the Panthers, Cooper compiled a 123-168 overall record that included a pair of Schuylkill League Division III titles, a District 11 Class A championship in 2003 and a pair of District 11 runner-up finishes.
Panther Valley was 7-13 overall in 2015, its fifth straight losing season.
All-Area team
The annual Republican-Herald All-Area baseball team will appear in early July, along with the area’s final statistics.
Until then, have a great summer.
(Boyer is sports editor and covers HS baseball for The Republican-Herald. Follow him on Twitter @pubsportsboss)