With 2019 fast approaching, any opinions on who the Top Teams and/or Players will be? Predictions?? Coaching Changes??
2019 Top Teams Coaching Changes
- Thread starter HSBaseballFanDE
- Start date
I’m waiting to see who gets the Hodgson coaching job. I think it’s going to be someone that will capitalize off of Doug Nowell’s coaching year. If that’s the case watch out Hodgson could be the dominant team this year.
I think Smyrna will be a very competitive team with their new coach, coach Willhelm. Who will bring Smyrna into a new fundamental sound team. Then watch out for 2020 season they can run the board. The key thing is the boys will have to take hold of what Coach Willhelm has to offer his experience and knowledge of the game and with that Smyrna boys will be very competitive this year.
With Doug Nowell back at Conrad, I think they will be inexperienced, with their recent talent level dropping from graduating seniors, I think over the next 4 years they will be back to being the competitive Conrad they once was.
Salesianum?? Do they have a new coach? What other coaching jobs have changed.
I think Smyrna will be a very competitive team with their new coach, coach Willhelm. Who will bring Smyrna into a new fundamental sound team. Then watch out for 2020 season they can run the board. The key thing is the boys will have to take hold of what Coach Willhelm has to offer his experience and knowledge of the game and with that Smyrna boys will be very competitive this year.
With Doug Nowell back at Conrad, I think they will be inexperienced, with their recent talent level dropping from graduating seniors, I think over the next 4 years they will be back to being the competitive Conrad they once was.
Salesianum?? Do they have a new coach? What other coaching jobs have changed.
Matt Warrington POY good possibility, I don’t believe Nate Hardcastle has the potential. He would really have to get a pitching coach that will make drastic pitching mechanic changes. Over the past years Hardcastle just didn’t perform the way he should have.
Smyrna must of landed some “recruits” with this new coach. Smyrna graduated a lot last year, don’t see them making any noise this year. The North is just loaded with CR, Dover, Tech and Polytech all who a lot more talented than Smyrna is. It’s going to be a tough first year for Willhelm, this isn’t St.Marks anymore.
That is as dumb as it sounds. First of all CR, Dover, Tech, and Polytech is south of Smyrna. Know your geographically. Smyrna will be a sleeper this dont expect anything big this year. 1 of the 4 teams listed didn’t even make it to the playoffs last year. The other schools do they even have a team. Matt Warrington will be the POY down state. Recruits for Smyrna no way they just have raw talent. Now with a new coach that’s baseball orientated I believe there will be a BIG change!!!!
Good choice. Because it doesn’t sound like you know what your talking about. Dover could make it to the playoffs this year. But on the other maybe not.
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Top 5 Teams
1. Sallies (Rogazzo, Setting, Bouldin could lead them to a state chip)
2. Dover (Returns whole team pretty much, Loaded with talent and has a good chance to win)
3. Caravel (loses a lot but still has keister and Reynolds, don’t really know if they have any good seniors)
4. Appo (returns a lot but how good is there pitching, however they have a deep lineup)
5. St. Marks (Loses a lot but has senior leadership of Phillips, Ludman, and Gannet)
(All 5 neck and neck, nobody significantly better than anyone)
Don’t really know how good St.Georges or William Penn will be but could be contenders
POY: Matt Warrington or Aiden Riley
^^Thoughts?
1. Sallies (Rogazzo, Setting, Bouldin could lead them to a state chip)
2. Dover (Returns whole team pretty much, Loaded with talent and has a good chance to win)
3. Caravel (loses a lot but still has keister and Reynolds, don’t really know if they have any good seniors)
4. Appo (returns a lot but how good is there pitching, however they have a deep lineup)
5. St. Marks (Loses a lot but has senior leadership of Phillips, Ludman, and Gannet)
(All 5 neck and neck, nobody significantly better than anyone)
Don’t really know how good St.Georges or William Penn will be but could be contenders
POY: Matt Warrington or Aiden Riley
^^Thoughts?
I would take Caravel out of the mix. They will be a team that struggles. Keister they have Reynolds couldn’t hit the strike zone last year especially when they needed him against St. George’s in the playoffs.
Moxley had his showing at frawley stadium which he won’t be back there again. He’s not a coach that draws kids to that program. 1 and done.
I believe St. Mark’s is coming to the end of their reign as a top competitive team. Supposedly they have some kids coming in next year. But I don’t think it’s going to make them that dominating.
Matt Warrington or Aiden Riley as POY. In my previous post I said Matt Warrington. But Aiden Riley is good ball player. The first time seeing him play was when St. George’s played Caravel in the playoffs last year. I would to say Co POY. I think Riley.
William Penn their done. Last year was them trying to come back from the dead. Now they are finally dead. Just like all of the previous public schools in the past that once were dominanting.
I think this might be the weakest team Sallies put on the field in 20 years
Is Godfrey still coaching Sallies?? Any word on Hodgson coach and will they compete? Nowell had them competitive but he also had some talent that has since graduated. Parody may finally happen in DE High School Baseball.
Caravel is still gonna be a top 5 team, they shouldn’t struggle... but i do agree with you that the reign of caravel, st marks, and sallies is coming to an end
Kyle Hitchens took over at Wm Penn for Dooley. Was able to get Rob Bryson (Appo) to come over as pitching coach. They return their top two starting pitchers (Insley and Wilkerson) from last season. Will be interesting to see what Bryson can do with them. Not sure they'll be able to repeat that regular season run from last season, but they'll certainly make the tournament.
Agreed, but for Caravel to stay in the top 5 they're going to need to get outstanding pitching and defense. They lost a good amount of hitting. If a couple of kids step up offensively, then yeah, they'll be near the top.
Wow, looks like they depleted Nowell's staff as well. Interesting. That group has been through three different coaching staffs in four years.
Calvin Scott (St. Marks and UD player) got the Hodgson Head coach job from what I heard.
Matt Warrington & Aiden Riley are clearly two great POY candidates. Both outstanding players and leaders. Everyone hit the nail on head naming them. Warrington is one of my all time fav players to watch.
Couple names not mentioned (what’s going on DoverSenator?)
I wouldn’t sleep on Dom Velasquez (Dover) & Mason Fluharty (Cape.) Velasquez will have a harder road because of the bias against non-seniors but that young man impressed the heck out of me last year. He had a big need to prove yourself in playoffs after being awarded 1st team AS (pitcher) (honorable mention @ 3rd as well) as Sophmore. I heard a lot of upstate complaining and for my $ he showed he was worthy and then some. He gave Cape all they could handle. Early UD commit, checks a lot of boxes. If Dover is top of standings, best player on top team helps immensely. In DE it takes a team to win POY. So I am surprised he’s not been mentioned already with what Dover returns and did last year (and how they seem to over achieve every year.) Just based off looking at last year’s awards he should be on everyone’s preseason list.
Fluharty (Cape) could be the top pitcher in the State. He has had to mostly wait his turn behind Cape’s big 3 but he flashed star power every opportunity he was given ... getting the last out for the State title included. He’s a coaches work ethic dream and there is no player in the State that out works him. He’s won a lot of big games in travel ball on the biggest of stages, against the top orgs in nation. He’s a crafty lefty who will top 90 mph & sit upper 80s all day. He’s a Liberty commit who also hits very well and plays an outstanding 1st base. If Cape stays on top of the Henlopen he will be one of the biggest reasons. The challenge maybe ... going back to the need to have a top team for POY ... Cape is replacing a ton and while they have talent and coaching to be a player again ... it may take some time to figure out rolls and if Cape loses some games while D and lineup stabilize ... Fluharty could miss some credit he deserves at the end.
Ryan Rigby is my downstate sleeper, again using my theory look for a team leader on a top team. I think CR could surprise. I noticed they went upstate and competed in the fall league (informally it looked mostly as a team) Last year they were the surprise of the season and no team over achieved more then them. I don’t know their roster very well but it sure seemed like they got the taste for winning after some down years. Ryan Rigby is an early UD commit (as a freshman.) Again my 2 cents he was CRs best player as a freshman. He is coming off an injury caused him to miss his sophomore year but is fully back now. He probably projects as a catcher in college but he’s a multi sport athlete that brings a top wrestler in state grit to the ball field. He is a hell of a pitcher and is athletic enough to play SS or anywhere on field. If CR over-achieves again Rigby could be a dark horse.
Couple names not mentioned (what’s going on DoverSenator?)
I wouldn’t sleep on Dom Velasquez (Dover) & Mason Fluharty (Cape.) Velasquez will have a harder road because of the bias against non-seniors but that young man impressed the heck out of me last year. He had a big need to prove yourself in playoffs after being awarded 1st team AS (pitcher) (honorable mention @ 3rd as well) as Sophmore. I heard a lot of upstate complaining and for my $ he showed he was worthy and then some. He gave Cape all they could handle. Early UD commit, checks a lot of boxes. If Dover is top of standings, best player on top team helps immensely. In DE it takes a team to win POY. So I am surprised he’s not been mentioned already with what Dover returns and did last year (and how they seem to over achieve every year.) Just based off looking at last year’s awards he should be on everyone’s preseason list.
Fluharty (Cape) could be the top pitcher in the State. He has had to mostly wait his turn behind Cape’s big 3 but he flashed star power every opportunity he was given ... getting the last out for the State title included. He’s a coaches work ethic dream and there is no player in the State that out works him. He’s won a lot of big games in travel ball on the biggest of stages, against the top orgs in nation. He’s a crafty lefty who will top 90 mph & sit upper 80s all day. He’s a Liberty commit who also hits very well and plays an outstanding 1st base. If Cape stays on top of the Henlopen he will be one of the biggest reasons. The challenge maybe ... going back to the need to have a top team for POY ... Cape is replacing a ton and while they have talent and coaching to be a player again ... it may take some time to figure out rolls and if Cape loses some games while D and lineup stabilize ... Fluharty could miss some credit he deserves at the end.
Ryan Rigby is my downstate sleeper, again using my theory look for a team leader on a top team. I think CR could surprise. I noticed they went upstate and competed in the fall league (informally it looked mostly as a team) Last year they were the surprise of the season and no team over achieved more then them. I don’t know their roster very well but it sure seemed like they got the taste for winning after some down years. Ryan Rigby is an early UD commit (as a freshman.) Again my 2 cents he was CRs best player as a freshman. He is coming off an injury caused him to miss his sophomore year but is fully back now. He probably projects as a catcher in college but he’s a multi sport athlete that brings a top wrestler in state grit to the ball field. He is a hell of a pitcher and is athletic enough to play SS or anywhere on field. If CR over-achieves again Rigby could be a dark horse.
How’s it going @Agelof best of luck to your youngest one this season! My son graduated couple years ago from D-High so I don’t have any horses left in the race anymore. Just saying if anyone thinks Dover isn’t a top 5 team you’re insane. This forum has went downhill quickly I try and stay away now. However, Velasquez can pitch with anyone in the state.
I thought it was Dave Gordon Head coach of Dover busting my stones but he emailed me and said it wasn't him. Almost of the boys at Smyrna are 6'2" or better so don't count and kid out yet. If they want it they will have a chance to get it done somehow.
I don’t see Dave being involved with Depreps at all haha! Nothing against Smyrna I hope they have a good year. Just my opinion I think Dover is more talented is all.
I am starting to say "Warsh my car" Lets go to the "Crick" and I need a glass of "Wooder".. I love it.
I am back baby
If they bring the right coach in that knows the players they are certainly top 5. There are a couple of coaches out there that know that group well.....most played together for years with a certain travel program
Daddy ball in high school Don’t work out too good It never did
Just wanted to change my top 5
1. Dover
2. Appo
3. Caravel
4. St marks
5. Sallies
1. Dover
2. Appo
3. Caravel
4. St marks
5. Sallies
Wouldn’t be surprised if they just made an assistant coach the new head coach
