2013 All-Area Baseball Team

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Lansdale Reporter

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

This is the All-Area Baseball Team. The criteria I used in making my selections revolved around JRC-newspapers. Players had to play on a team in the coverage area for The Lansdale Reporter, The Pottstown Mercury, The Times Herald, and Montgomery Media.

I have chosen players from multiple leagues and multiple classifications. While I know some talented players may have been left off, this is solely based on opinion, from what I have witnessed and read about over the past three months.

Hooker

Player of the Year: Charlie Hooker (Upper Moreland) - As SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott use to say a decade ago, "cool as the other side of the pillow". Hooker did all for the Golden Bears this season. He was their ace on the bump and a big stick in the lineup. The junior hit well over .500 for the season and pitched in all of the big games, helping his team win a league title. 

Pitcher - Tyler Eckman (Spring-Ford)
Pitcher - John Aiello (Germantown Academy)
Pitcher - Randy Frankenfield (Wissahickon) - If coach Shannon Gunby had any concern about his Trojans, it never came from the mound when Frankenfield had the ball in his hands. He had more strikeouts than innings and an ERA right around 1.50 all year long. Frankenfield's fastball was the biggest reason he team found a way into district play.
Pitcher - Eddie Decker (Upper Moreland)
Pitcher - Evan Myers (Pennridge)
Pitcher - Dan O'Hara (Souderton)
Pitcher - Dom Cuoci (LaSalle)

Catcher - Mike Kacergis (Pennridge)
Catcher - Eddie Posavec (North Penn)
Catcher - John Santospago (Archbishop Wood) - The Vikings backstop was a leader in every sense of the word, accomplishing more with the action of one swing than others muster up all season. The Kent State commit was a staple in the heart of a very dangerous lineup and was nearly impossible for opposing pitchers to retire.

First Basemen - Chris Melillo (LaSalle)
First Basemen - Drew Hautzinger (Christopher Dock)

Pocrass

Second Basemen - David Tatoian (Pennridge) - There is not a situation that scares the sophomore away. As the Rams' closer and three-hole hitter, the second baseman is at his best with the game on the line. Clutch as they come and he lets his talent do most of the talking.
Second Basemen - Connor Murphy (Spring-Ford)

Third Basemen - Jordan Pocrass (Lower Moreland)
Third Basemen - Grant Opalisky (Hatboro-Horsham)

Shortstop - Rafael Fernandez (Cheltenham)
Shortstop - James Bleming (Pope John Paul II) - Let's start with the defense because that is just as important at shortstop, and it was as sound as they come. But Bleming was the hit king this season. It was shocker if he only recorded one hit on a given day. He knows how to get on base and he knows how to make things happen for his PAC-10 squad.

Santospago

Outfielder - Tyler Kirkpatrick (Methacton)
Outfielder - Brady West (North Penn)
Outfielder - Matt Hull (Lansdale Catholic)
Outfielder - Joe Santospago (Archbishop Wood)
Outfielder - Brandon Iorio (Norristown)

2013 All-Area Softball Team

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Lansdale Reporter

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

This is the All-Area Softball Team. The criteria I used in making my selections revolved around JRC-newspapers. Players had to play on a team in the coverage area for The Lansdale Reporter, The Pottstown Mercury, The Times Herald, and Montgomery Media.

I have chosen players from multiple leagues and multiple classifications. While I know some talented players may have been left off, this is solely based on opinion, from what I have witnessed and read about over the past three months.

Prutzer

Player of the Year: Pitcher - Jordan Prutzer (Methacton) - The Lady Warriors sent out a talented team every day with skills at every position, but in the middle of all their success was senior pitcher Jordan Prutzer. The Villanova recruit forced teams to get creative offensively if they wanted to score runs against the Warriors. Prutzer struck out 144 batters this season and rarely allowed more than a run a game. Considering she did this all after ACL knee surgery in 2011 and 2012 it makes her accomplishments all that more impressive.

Pitcher - Paige Decew (Pennridge)
Pitcher - Nikki Ross (Upper Merion)
Pitcher - Nicole Casagrand (Hatboro-Horsham) - Casagrand has contributed to the Hatters success offensively for a few years, but this seasons she stepped into the circle and kept the Hats one of the top teams in the area. The UMBC commit has been clutch in every aspect of the game and made replacing a state title winning pitcher in Maggie Shaffer look easy.
Pitcher - Nicole Eberhard (St. Basil Academy)
Pitcher - Lauren Weidler (Christopher Dock)
Pitcher - Kim Machalette (Springfield)
Pitcher - Haliegh Williams (Spring-Ford)

Catcher - Susan Janfrancisco (Plymouth-Whitemarsh)
Catcher - Amber O'Toole (William Tennent) - Midway through the season the Panthers picked up steam and did enough to reach the District One playoffs. The surge could not have been possible without players picking up their game, but none more than the leader and catcher of the crew.

First Basemen - Haley DeLany (Souderton)
First Basemen - Vicky Tumasz (North Penn)

Holweger

Second Basemen - Michelle Holweger (North Penn) - Whenever the Maidens needed a big hit it seem Holweger was there to answer the call. With strong defense and powerful bat, the Maidens' pitcher always knew they could rally back with the likes of Holweger hitting. Did not even have to change a word from what I wrote in the 2012 all-area bio of Holweger.
Second Basemen - Rita Laychock (Cheltenham)

Third Basemen - Cassie Alexy (Spring-Ford)
Third Basemen - Brooke Labs (Pennridge)

Shortstop - Katie Civitello (Methacton)
Shortstop - Sarah Derstine (Souderton) - Dersinte - a West Chester commit - was the glue on the field for the Indians this season. She was sound defensively, a leader on and off the field, and in the middle of every rally at the plate.

Lutz

Outfielder - Heather Lutz (Hatboro-Horsham)
Outfielder - Brenna Sermarini (Perk Valley)
Outfielder - Abby Volpe (Upper Merion)
Outfielder - Kaitlyn O'Toole (William Tennent)
Outfielder - Kristin Szczepaniak (Lansdale Catholic)

Utility Player - Asleigh Sharp (Upper Dublin)

CHECK BACK ON MONDAY FOR THE ALL-AREA  BASEBALL TEAM