Howard County baseball teams chasing Howard entering 2019 campaign

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — It’s no coincidence that the top three teams in Howard County last year boasted three of the top pitchers in the league.

Reservoir had Trevor Romaine and his 5-1 record and 1.44 ERA over 50 innings en route to the Gators posting a 17-4 record. Marriotts Ridge won the county title thanks in large part to the right arm of Josh Olsufka — the reigning Player of the Year who compiled a 1.45 ERA, 8-1 record and 53 strikeouts across 38.2 innings. And Howard’s Gabe Delgado had a league-high 73 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA over 47.1 innings, six of which came in the Lions’ epic state championship victory over Severna Park, on his way to being named Howard County Pitcher of the Year.

So it’s no coincidence that with each of those players back on their respective teams this spring, they are the favorites to win the county in 2019.

The Lions, however, stand above the rest because they have quantity in addition to quality. Delgado, a UMBC commit, will be joined by returning pitchers Brendan Foster, Brian Jakubek and Ryan Kulick — all seniors — to make up one of the deepest and more experienced staffs in not only Howard County but the state. It’s the main reason why Howard, which has reached the 4A title game each of the last two seasons, is the team to beat.

“Anytime you can bring back your entire pitching staff from a season ago, that’s a great thing,” Lions coach Nick Hoffner said. “These guys all have the experience of pitching at the varsity level — some of them now this will be their third year on varsity. Just to have that experience is huge. It’s definitely great to have that because pitching is key at any level of baseball.”

Delgado, who is no slouch at the plate either, will be the team’s ace. Foster, although a bit erratic at times with a high walk rate, isn’t far off. The second-team All-County pitcher went 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA across 33.2 innings and will be used as a starter. Jakubek, who led the league with a 0.62 ERA and went 5-0 in 11.1 innings, will be the team’s closer, while Kulick will pitch and anchor the offense after driving in a league-best 27 runs to go with a .439 batting average last year.

“They’re all very good high school pitchers and they each pitch a little bit differently,” Hoffner said. “But the biggest thing they’ve all done is they continue to improve over their high school career.”

What makes Howard County different, though, is that any team can be defeated on any given day. Romaine denied Howard a share of the county title last season by striking out 10 in a complete game effort on the way to an 8-3 win on the final day of the regular season. Foster outdueled Olsufka and led the Lions to a 9-4 win against Marriotts Ridge late in the regular season.

That theme is expected to carry over this spring.

“A lot is going to come down to who puts their best stuff out there that day,” Reservoir coach Adam Leader said. “A lot of the matchups and stuff will be interesting. I think a lot can happen this year. ... I think that it’s a year where it’s a little bit more even — obviously Howard is the team to beat — but I think you’ll start to see some of these other teams start to knock on the door a little bit and put some pressure on teams.”

That’s also why it would be hard to count out Mt. Hebron among the contenders. Despite graduating three first-team All-County players, the Vikings have one of the best underclassmen pitchers in the league in junior lefty Jimmy Jaecksch, a second-team All-County outfielder who had a 1.25 ERA and allowed only five hits in 16.1 innings on the bump. He also batted .375, had 20 RBIs and drew a county-best 20 walks.

Magnus Dunn, a senior pitcher and first baseman, was also strong on the mound to the tune of a 0.70 ERA in 10 innings. It’s an inexperienced but talented group that could catapult Mt. Hebron to the top of the league.

Olsufka is the favorite to repeat as the county Player of the Year and for good reason. His shiny 1.45 ERA and 53/12 strikeout to walk ratio a year ago, as well as his impressive .412 batting average, 17 RBIs and three home runs, could be a sign of bigger things to come this year. After all, the Mustangs have won the last two county titles and return senior lefty Ryan Lee and senior outfielder Nick Dinoto (.317, 10 R). They will have a say in the county race once again.

Romaine isn’t the Gators’ only piece either; although they may be a younger and less experienced group than Leader has had of late. Junior pitcher and infielder Daniel Elliott, who played in the Crab Claw Classic in 2017 and the Mid-Atlantic High School Baseball Classic in August, will make an immediate impact after transferring from Archbishop Spalding. Senior Myles Johnson, a leadoff hitter for Pallotti last year, will add depth at pitcher and in the outfield.

“It’s going to be how quick can the guys from JV and the transfers mesh together,” Leader said. “I hope we’re meshed now, but certainly looking throughout the season to keep adding a couple of steps up there to get these guys ready for a good run at the end.”

Glenelg brings back seven starters from a team that finished above. 500 last season and could have a deep pitching staff. Senior Tad Henley will be the team’s ace and bat in the middle of the order after going 5-3 and allowing 24 hits in 38.1 innings while striking out 41 and driving in 18 runs. Junior Eddie Dello Russo batted .345 with 20 hits and 15 RBIs and senior Hunter Koele is a reliable centerfielder and catcher who had 20 hits and 11 RBIs.

Coach Steve Tiffany also expects breakout years from juniors Connor Leard and Kyle Duncan.

“[Our] biggest demand will be competing in the box against the top arms in the county,” Tiffany added. “Can we score enough runs against the top-tier pitchers?”

Any team facing River Hill senior Danny Selby in the box or on the mound will have a difficult time. The second-team All-County infielder is the county’s best returning batter in terms of batting average (.500) and led the Hawks with a 2.33 ERA in 12 innings. Seniors Connor Coleman (.369, 24 H, 24 R) and Lucas Gitelman (.275, 17 RBIs) will help make a formidable offense.

Even Oakland Mills, which finished 7-14 last year, will be a tough team to beat with seniors Ben and Ryan Looper entering their fourth varsity seasons. Each have been first-team All-County selections — Ryan Looper had a 0.82 ERA in 2017 and Ben Looper mashed last year with a .450 average, 23 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits — while Andrew Kell notched a .388 average as a freshman.

Centennial, Atholton and Long Reach finished in the middle of the pack last year but have pieces to rise in the standings.

The Eagles will be relying on a number of freshman and sophomores to contribute, but have depth in the pitching staff.

Raiders coach Jon Dupski thinks his team is a wild card due to so many new players and a solid defense, and the Lightning will be without slugger Jeremy Huffman, who is recovering from a torn ACL but could return this spring. Even so, KJ Jarrett, Alex King and Cooper Haberern all batted .300 or better last year and are back in the fold.

All nine starters return for Hammond, which will need to hit better this season in order to improve on its 2018 record. Wilde Lake — under new head coach Steve Fredrick, who spent 10 years as an assistant at Glenelg, Boys’ Latin, Centennial and Atholton — has the ability to compete day in and day out with five returning starters.

In the private school ranks, Glenelg Country is a year removed from reaching the MIAA B Conference championship game and has one of the best overall players in the region in senior lefty Tyler Russo. A Towson commit, Russo went 7-0 and had a 1.00 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 49 innings while batting. 431 with 18 steals, 17 walks and 24 runs scored last spring. He, alongside seniors Marcus Khademi and Cole Sterry, will anchor a lineup with the potential to win the conference.

Chapelgate might be a year away from being in the mix for the MIAA C Conference title but does have five returning starters. Included in that group is Scooter Summa, who hit .357 with seven doubles in 2018.

Around the Diamond

Here’s a closer look at the 14 local programs:

Atholton

2018 record: 9-8 county, 9-10 overall

Coach: Jon Dupski

Returning starters: 5

Key players: Seniors Zach Snow (C), Jack Johnson (OF/P) and Kyle Hess (3B); juniors Zach Geesaman (IF/C), Benji Thalheimer (P/SS) and Mike Burton (IF).

Centennial

2018 record: 6-11, 6-12

Coach: Denis Ahearn

Returning starters: 3

Key players: Seniors Philip Crispell (C), Ryan Cavey (P/OF) and Matt Durkee (P/IF); junior Zach Steen (P/SS).

Glenelg

2018 record: 8-9, 12-11

Coach: Steve Tiffany

Returning starters: 7

Key players: Seniors Tad Henley (P/1B) and Hunter Koele (C/OF); juniors Eddie Dello Russo (P/IF), Connor Leard (P/OF) and Kyle Duncan (P/3B/OF).

Hammond

2018 record: 1-16, 2-19

Coach: Casey Medairy

Returning starters: 9

Key players: Seniors Jordan Davis (C/P) and Nick Wiedorfer (UTIL); juniors Asa Roberson (CF), Brandon Eschman (SS/P) and Tim Stryker (1B/P).

Howard

2018 record: 13-4, 20-5 (4A state champion)

Coach: Nick Hoffner

Returning starters: 6

Key players: Seniors Gabe Delgado (P/OF), Brendan Foster (P/OF), Ryan Kulick (P/OF), Brian Jakubek (C/P) and Jerry O’Neill (3B); junior Alex Campbell (SS).

Long Reach

2018 record: 8-9, 8-10

Coach: Brian Wyman

Returning starters: 4

Key players: Seniors KJ Jarrett (OF) and Blake Fleischer (OF); junior Alex King (OF); sophomore Cooper Haberern (1B).

Marriotts Ridge

2018 record: 14-3, 17-4 (Howard County champion)

Coach: Paul Eckert

Returning starters: 3

Key players: Seniors Josh Olsufka (P/3B), Ryan Lee (P), Nick Dinoto (OF) and Cooper Stepke (IF/P).

Mt. Hebron

2018 record: 11-6, 12-7

Coach: Brian Culley

Returning starters: 5

Key players: Senior Tommy Fitzpatrick (1B/P); juniors Jimmy Jaecksch (P/OF), Magnus Dunn (P/OF) and Dylan Holzman (IF/P).

Oakland Mills

2018 record: 4-13, 7-14

Coach: Matt Sillers

Returning starters: 7

Key players: Seniors Ben Looper (P/1B), Ryan Looper (OF/P), Ben Atkins (OF/C) and Kyle Kirby (OF/C); junior Lukas Lawrence (SS); sophomore Andrew Kell (OF/P).

Reservoir

2018 record: 14-3, 17-4

Coach: Adam Leader

Returning starters: 3

Key players: Senior Trevor Romaine (P/IF); juniors EJ Sweet (P/IF) and Daniel Elliott (P/IF).

River Hill

2018 record: 12-5, 13-7

Coach: Wes McCoy

Returning starters: 4

Key players: Seniors Danny Selby (IF/P), Lucas Gitelman (OF) and Connor Coleman (OF/P); junior Alex Elliott (3B/P).

Wilde Lake

2018 record: 2-15, 2-17

Coach: Steve Fredrick

Returning starters: 5

Key players: Seniors Nathen Hicks (2B/OF), Matt Johnson (P/SS/3B), Devin Sheilds (P/1B/C) and Will Zimmerman (OF/P/SS).

Chapelgate

2018 record: 2-8 MIAA C, 4-11

Coach: Jason Scott

Returning starters: 5

Key players: Juniors Nate Morse (C) and Jackson Meyer (P/IF); sophomore Scoota Summa (SS/P).

Glenelg Country

2018 record: 12-6 MIAA B, 14-10

Coach: Chris Garber

Returning starters: 6

Key players: Seniors Tyler Russo (P/1B/OF), Marcus Khademi (3B/1B/P) and Cole Sterry (IF/P); junior Kevin Gamble (OF/P); sophomore Marcus Arterburn (IF/P).