Carroll County 2024 high school baseball preview: Can Liberty, Gerstell repeat last years success?
Last year, two schools ran through and stole all the headlines when it came to Carroll County baseball.
First there was Liberty. Led by coach Travis Inch, the Lions dominated the county en route to a regional championship victory over rival Century, before one swing of the bat kept them from a state finals appearance.
Gerstell did in fact reach the MIAA B Conference final, but after 19 wins and an impressive 18-game conference winning streak, the Falcons lost two out of three games to McDonogh.
Both teams are back in 2023 ready to take it one step further and finish as champions.
Gerstell will take on a talented Winters Mill team in April as the Falcons attempt to build of a decent season last year. Westminster and Manchester Valley each pose a threat to Liberty as both schools feature some of the county’s top talent, and Century always has a powerful lineup that can put runs up in bunches.
Not to be overlooked of course, Brian Zawacki and South Carroll, which always seemingly has dangerous arms lining its rotation.
Not only will the Cavaliers look to make some noise and finish at the top of the county leaderboards, but they may have bigger fish to fry this season.
The Cavaliers appear destined for a third straight regional final battle against Baltimore County power Pikesville. The pair will meet during the regular season when the Cavaliers travel back to the same field where their season ended just a year ago. Avoiding a slow start and starting the season hot will be key for the Cavaliers.
Here’s a look at some teams headed into the 2024 season:
Editors note: Some schools failed to respond to repeated requests for information
Century
Coach: Chris Poe, sixth season
2023: 14-8, lost in regional championship
Top returners: Seniors Ryan Matthews (OF/P) and Dominic Crisp (C); and junior Chase Speiden (OF/P).
Newcomers to watch: Junior Hunter Eldrod (OF) and sophomore Dominic Califano (OF/P).
Coach’s outlook: “We are excited about competing with a very challenging out of county conference schedule and an always tough Carroll County slate. We will look to develop our younger players while relying on our senior leadership to keep us improving as the season goes, and hopefully playing our best baseball in May to prepare for a postseason run.”
Francis Scott Key
Coach: Justin Keith, third season
2023: 6-14, lost in regional semifinal to Pikesville.
Top returners: Senior Brian Koterba (P), and juniors Nate Hobbs (1B) and Colton Feister (C).
Coach’s outlook: “Our team is ready for all county games this year ready to prove we are a team to compete with anyone. We are a team with all the potential. Defense will determine how far we go this season. Liberty will once again be the team to beat in the county, to compete with them we will need to be competitive in all areas of the game and be able to do the little things right on each play.”
Gerstell Academy
Coach: Cap Poklemba, 11th season
Last season: 19-4, lost to McDonough in MIAA B Conference championship
Top returning players: Seniors Travis Smith, Dylan Nee and Ryan Morrison; juniors Gavin Larson and Jack Bruffey.
Newcomers to watch: Junior Brayden Gmeiner and sophomore John Davis
Coach’s outlook: “The Falcons return the majority of their starters from a team who went 19-4 and won 18 straight MIAA games last spring. With the addition of strong newcomers and a senior class, Gerstell looks to have another successful season with potential MIAA Championship aspirations.”
Liberty
Coach: Travis Inch, fourth season
2023: 18-5, county champion, regional champion, lost to Patuxent in state semifinals.
Top returners: Senior Rocco Dietz and junior Nate Martin.
Newcomers to watch: Sophomores Logan Geary and Carter Shanks.
Coach’s outlook: “Lots of changing parts because we have so much depth. Our team decides whether we want to be at the top or the bottom.”
Manchester Valley
Coach: Shawn Hampt, 15th season
2023: 9-10, lost to Marriotts Ridge in regional semifinals.
Top returning players: Seniors Hayden Askew, Gene Magin and Tyler Vonella.
Newcomers to watch: Senior Will Irvin; juniors Preston Haubert and Grady Magin.
Coach’s outlook: “With a lot of returning experience and talent, we look to compete in each game. We will take one game at a time and work hard to finish the season with positive momentum going into the playoffs.”
South Carroll
Coach: Brian Zawacki, 12th season
2023: 9-11, lost to Pikesville in regional final.
Top returners: Seniors Braden Cordrey and Haden Rathmann; juniors Caleb Evans and Sam Gapen; sophomore Josh Pribulick.
Newcomers to watch: Sophomore Brody Green and freshman Jackson Wineke.
Coach’s outlook: “Our pitching will be the key for a successful season.”
Westminster
Coach: Mark Winebrunner, 13th season
2023: 8-14, lost to Centennial in regional semifinals.
Top returners: Senior Clayton Dorsey; junior Will Mollman and sophomore Brandon Barrett.
Newcomers to watch: Junior Chase Taylor.
Coach’s outlook: “We should be a very strong defensive team with a fairly deep pitching staff that has already logged a lot of varsity innings. If we can get consistent production throughout our lineup, we can have a very successful season.”
Winters Mill
Coach: Andrew Davis, third season
2023: 3-9
Outlook: The Falcons have some work to do to catch up to some of the county’s top teams, but a young team is looking to grow and features some dangerous bats that have the ability to catch fire at any time.