District 2 Baseball: Seedings don't always determine success in the playoffs

May 19—Dallas was the District 2 Class 4A second seed in last year' District 2 baseball playoffs. The Mountaineers went to the PIAA championship game.

Back in 2021, Wyoming Area was the D2-4A third seed. The Warriors played for a state championship.

So while seeding is important in one sense, it's doesn't always equate to success in baseball where pitching depth is much more a factor than in softball.

The seeds were decided by a power rankings formula, something done in districts throughout the state. So some teams with better overall records received lower seeds.

Only regular-season games count toward the power rankings. Wyoming Area's 4-2 victory over Holy Redeemer for the WVC Division 2 title doesn't factor into the seedings. However, both teams' records below reflect the outcome.

CLASS 6A

Seedings: 1. Hazleton Area (16-4); 2. Williamsport (13-7); 3. Wyoming Valley West (9-11); 4. Scranton (8-12); 5. Delaware Valley (7-13); 6. Wilkes-Barre Area (7-13)

Defending champion: Hazleton Area

Championship: 5 p.m. Monday, May 27, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: Hazleton Area has won five consecutive D2-6A titles and is favored for another. Lefty Antonio Doganiero, a Pitt commit, is the best pitcher in the bracket. A concern going into the season was whether the Cougars could get more production out of the bottom of the batting order, something that wasn't always present in 2023. They've solved that with a couple new starters.

Wyoming Valley West has lost eight of its last 10 games, but there were some elite opponents in there including Hazleton Area twice, Dallas, Pittston Area and Selinsgrove. Dan Escalante and Tyler Ruddy have been the most consistent hitters. The Spartans are a young team and probably a year away from making a title run.

Wilkes-Barre Area turned things around late by winning five of its last six games, including an upset of Pittston Area. The Wolfpack also have four one-run losses, so they're not your typical last seed. James Bottger has been outstanding with the bat and on the mound. He is hitting nearly .500 with some power and has a 1.71 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.

District 4's Williamsport has lost only once in May. Kellen Jackson has six home runs for a team that has some really strong hitters. The Millionaires also have three reliable pitchers.

CLASS 5A

Seedings: 1. Selinsgrove (16-2); 2. Abington Heights (17-3); 3. Pittston Area (16-4); 4. West Scranton (13-7); 5. Wallenpaupack (11-9); 6. North Pocono (9-11); 7. Crestwood (7-12); 8. Shikellamy (4-14)

Defending champion: North Pocono

Championship: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: The subregional tournament with District 4 is loaded. Only one team advances, yet it could be effectively argued that Selinsgrove, Abington Heights and Pittston Area are better teams than others who will make the state tournament.

Selinsgrove has a ton of power in the batting order. The Seals have 15 home runs and 25 doubles this season. A pair of senior pitchers — Joshua Domaracki and Ben Gearhart — average over a strikeout per inning.

Abington Heights has two Division I recruits on the mound. Senior Jake Lenahan has committed to Holy Cross and sophomore Nick Bradley has committed to Auburn. Plus, the Comets hit very well for average, with four guys topping .350.

Pittston Area has a very balanced batting order with everyone capable of producing. Senior lead-off Drew DeLucca and junior Silvio Giardina are quality veterans. Plus, hard-throwing ace Elijah Barr is back on the mound after missing a good part of the season with an injury. However, the Patriots were 3-3 in the final six games.

Crestwood has five one-run losses, but overall hasn't fared well against the top teams in WVC Division 1. St. John's recruit Chaz Wright is hitting over .500, but the Comets will need production throughout the order to get past Abington Heights in the quarterfinals.

Defending champ North Pocono can't be dismissed. The Trojans have six .300-plus hitters and senior pitcher Cole Dymek has a 1.09 ERA. They have lost four games by one run.

CLASS 4A

Seedings: 1. Dallas (16-4); 2. Scranton Prep (10-8); 3. Honesdale (13-6); 4. Valley View (9-11); 5. Wyoming Area (12-9); 6. Nanticoke Area (8-11); 7. Western Wayne (7-13); 8. Tunkhannock (2-17)

Defending champion: Dallas

Championship: 6 p.m. Sunday, May 26, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: There is a twist to this bracket as the District 2 runner-up will still have a crack at the state playoffs. That team will play the District 10 runner-up at 4 p.m. May 30 at St. Aloysius College for a state berth. Plus, the D2 champion won't have a cakewalk in the state opener like Dallas did against the D12 runner-up last year. Instead, the D2 champ gets the D3 runner-up.

Dallas made it to the state finals last season. Pitcher Sam Barrouk, who missed the early part of the season, is back. Zach Paczewski, who didn't pitch last year because of an injury, gives the Mountaineers a strong one-two punch on the mound. There is adequate depth in the pitching staff. The hitting is solid throughout, making a return to the title game a strong possibility.

After consecutive D2-4A titles, Wyoming Area didn't qualify for districts last year. The Warriors appeared headed in that direction again as they lost their first five games. Although there were three lopsided loss after that, they recovered nicely. Unlike their District 2 title squads, this isn't one that can overwhelm opponents with power. Wyoming Area uses all avenues available to get runs.

Nanticoke Area has one of the top pitchers in the WVC in Brandon Wozniak. The Trojans have five one-run losses on their resume. They also have couple losses where things really unraveled. Wozniak is hitting over .400 and three others over .300, but there is a dropoff after that.

Tunkhannock edged Berwick for the final spot and gets Dallas, which won the regular-season matchups 4-0 and 16-1. Offense has been an issue all season. The Tigers have been shut out seven times and scored one run in four other games.

CLASS 3A

Seedings: 1. Holy Redeemer (15-6); 2. Riverside (14-6); 3. Mid Valley (12-7); 4. Dunmore (10-9); 5. Wyoming Seminary (9-8); 6. Lake-Lehman (9-11); 7. Carbondale Area (7-13); 8. Lakeland (4-15)

Defending champion: Riverside

Championship: 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: Holy Redeemer is seeking its first district championship since 2017. Luke Kopec is among five Royals hitting over .300. Pitchers Nick Mazzarella and Cody Quaglia have sub-2.00 ERAs. The team will be missing Drew Cisney, a Pittston Area transfer deemed ineligible for the postseason by District 2. He was a key pitcher and hitter this season.

Lehman won three consecutive title from 2019-2022. (There was no 2020 season because of COVID-19). Juniors Chris Sholtis and Sam Finarelli are hitting over .400 and provide power. The Black Knights entered the season without much in the way of pitching experience and that's shown at times.

Don't discount Wyoming Seminary, the other WVC team in the field. The Blue Knights have three one-run losses, two coming against Redeemer. Junior Teddy Kraus has been strong on the mound while freshman Leo Nockley and senior Hayden Vought have turned in strong seasons at the plate. The Blue Knights, though, will need a little more offense in the postseason to succeed.

Riverside is the top Lackawanna League team. The Vikings have a pair of talented sophomore hurlers in Nick Bohenek and Cooper Borowski and a offense with five .300-plus hitters.

CLASS 2A

Seedings: 1. Mountain View (15-2); 2. Elk Lake (15-5); 3. Montrose (12-5); 4. Old Forge (10-9); 5. Holy Cross (7-12); 6. Lackawanna Trail (6-10); 7. Blue Ridge (2-13)

Defending champion: Elk Lake

Championship: 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 27, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: There are no WVC teams in the field.

Elk Lake is the defending champion, but that might not be a good thing. There has been a different D2-2A champion the past eight seasons. The last team to repeat was Lakeland in 2013 and 2014. There have been only four repeat champions since 1979.

Mountain View's only losses were 4-2 to Wyoming Seminary to start the season and 5-4 to Elk Lake on April 26.

CLASS A

Seedings: 1. MMI Prep (11-8); 2. Susquehanna (7-9); 3. Forest City (1-16)

Defending champion: Susquehanna

Championship: noon Monday, May 27, PNC Field, Moosic

Outlook: MMI Prep saw its two-year reign end last season with a 2-0 loss to Susquehanna in the title game.

The Preppers have a solid chance of regaining the crown. They'll have their top-three pitchers — Andy Burns, John Drobnock and Heath Williams — available. All are seniors. So is Zach Yenchko, the team's top power hitter.

Susquehanna has struggled to score runs at times. The Sabers have been shut out five times. Forest City snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 8-7 win over Blue Ridge on May 9. The Foresters have given up 10 or more runs 10 times, although they've played Susquehanna close in two losses.