MIKE GROSS | Sports WriterIt’s time for the Lancaster-Lebanon League baseball playoffs, or as Ephrata coach Adrian Shelley put it Monday, “Our first opportunity to kind of feel what it’s like to play in that single-elimination bracket.
“It’s not necessarily fun. It comes down to the teams that are the toughest mentally.”
Shelley’s Mounts are tough enough. They won the league title a year ago and are back as the Section Two champ. But this feels like a field without an obvious favorite in which any of the eight entrants could win it all.
It begins with quarterfinal games Thursday at the home fields of the four section champions at 4:15 p.m.
The semifinals will be played Saturday at Ephrata’s War Memorial Field at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for Monday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
The matchups, in the order in which they appear on the bracket:
Hempfield (15-5, Section One Champ, District 6A third seed) vs. Manheim Central (13-7, Section Three runner-up, 5A 12th seed)
Lot of good ballplayers in this one. For Hempfield, catcher Josh Toole, pitchers/everyday players Logan Harelson, Drew Benchich, Brody Gebhard and outfielder Brayden Hostetter; and for Central, big bats like outfielder Kye Watson (.404 batting average, 1.378 OPS), and brothers Nolan Book (.935 OPS) and Chase Book (.375, .500 on-base percentage).
Four of the Black Knights’ five losses have been by one run. Central has yielded 99 runs, by far the most of the eight playoff teams.
Northern Lebanon (18-2, Section Four champ, 4A third seed) vs. Lampeter-Strasburg (13-7, Section Two runner-up, 5A ninth seed)
The Vikings got bounced from the league playoffs by Hempfield a year ago, but responded to reach the PIAA Class 4A playoffs. Almost everyone is back from that team except Riley Messinger, who is missing this season with an injury.
The Vikes have two legit arms in sophomore Adrian Gonzalez and lefty Brian Bicksler, a deep lineup and, as coach Travis Thome put it: “I think our guys are a lot more comfortable. It’s not going to be as much of a surprise that we’re there. It’s just another game.”
The Pioneers are no surprise at this stage, either. They reached the L-L final last year and in 2021, and the semis in 2022. Their fulcrum is pitcher Anthony Turek (5-1), who has allowed just six earned runs in 39 innings.
Donegal (16-4, Section Three champ, 5A fifth seed) vs. Manheim Township (14-6, Section One runner-up, 6A eighth seed)
The Indians lost two of their first three, which first-year coach Adam Frey said: “Was a wake-up call. Since then we’ve really matured and learned to think about one game at a time.’’
Donegal isn’t loaded with power bats (.358 team slugging percentage). Its pitchers will issue a free pass (78 walks). In all other aspects, the Indians have been as good and consistent as anyone.
They feature one of the league’s best all-around players in pitcher/shortstop Brock Hammaker (5-0, 2.06 ERA, 1.004 OPS).
Township is a dangerous section runner-up. The Blue Streaks have won 9-of-11, in part by controlling the strike zone on offense and defense; they’ve struck out 146, and the team on-base percentage is .459.
On paper, this is round one’s best matchup.
Ephrata (14-6, Section Two champ, 6A 10th seed) vs. Lancaster Catholic (12-6, Section Four runner-up, 3A third seed)
The Mounts are a name brand in this sport, having won the league playoffs a year ago and reached the final in 2022.
They could do it again, as evidenced by a .472 team on-base percentage, 61 stolen bases, and the presence of pitchers Trent Wolf (6-0, 2.03 ERA) and Camryn Simes (6-1, 1.97).
Catholic’s streak of eight straight Section Four titles is over, but the Crusaders have won four straight, a stretch in which they’ve scored 39 runs. Catholic has gotten a huge year from junior Drew Walker (.458 BA, 1.198 OPS).
