Coach: Bill Shelly, 2nd season.
Assistants: Rich Burch, Stu Hinch.
Last year's record: 4-13-1.
Starters lost: 5.
Top returnees: Joe Genco, sr., 1B; Tony Schaffer, jr., C; Luis Aviles, jr., 2B; Roy Kirksey, sr., SS; Jason Johnson, jr., 3B; Ron Frink, jr., C.
Newcomers: Troy Walters, IF/OF/P; Keith Davis, sr., OF; Rick Hendricks, jr., OF; Greg Alexander, jr., SS; Mike Perrone, jr., OF; Chad Zimmerman, jr., OF; Chris Scheminant, jr., OF; Brian Bennett, jr., P; DonaldStuchinski, jr., P; Brent Holden, jr., 1B; Shawn Blake, jr., P/IF.
Coach's outlook: "Last year, we were loaded with sophomores. I feelthis team is stronger overall with the sophomores that played last year. With the experience they got last year, we'll be better this year. Pitching is the big question. We definitely don't have anybody that's going to overpower anyone."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Pitching is the big question for just about everyone in Harford County this year. Like the Eagles, no one has an overpowering arm, so whoever can throw strikes and play defense the best will probably win the league. The Eagles don't have a lot of experience on the mound, but theyhave much improved defense. Last year, the Eagles averaged nearly eight errors a game, but those days appear to be over. The key to the season will probably be how the Eagles do at bat. So far, they haven'thit well, but Shelly said there are several players who should have high averages -- Genco, Alexander, Kirksey, Johnson, Walters and Shaffer.
BEL AIR BOBCATS
Coach: Mike Ennis, sixth season.
Assistants: John Yantz, Larry Ballard.
Last year's record: 15-5, county champ, Class 3A regional finalist.
Starters lost: 5.
Top returnees: Jeff Tolley, sr., OF; Jim Dehn, sr., Of; Jason Pruitt, sr., SS; Chris Gaeng, sr., IF/DH; Chad Zentack, sr., P; Josh Carter, sr., C; Craig Carpenter, jr., P/3B/DH; Paul Daniele, jr., 3B/P; Jason Castillo, jr., 1B/P; Marvin Holt, sr., OF.
Newcomers: Steve Kagay, so, 1B; Ryan Rafalski, jr., OF; Craig Wright, jr., OF; Tony Mogavero, fr., OF/P; Brian Linz, so.; 2B/P; Josh Krebs, jr., C; Tom Rose, jr., DH; VinceGrigora, sr., 2B/P.
Coach's outlook: "I think we've got the bats.We've just got to find out who can pitch. We have some big shoes to fill and we will have to build some chemistry. That takes a while. But we have got several players (Pruitt, Tolley and Gaeng) who have played three years and they know what it takes to win. Those will be ourleaders. They'll have to take charge."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Hitting and defense should be the strengths for the Bobcats. Their three leaders are solid in both offense and defense. Pruitt and Gaeng batted over .330 last year and Castillo hit .300. The big questionat Bel Air is on the mound. Zentack, the only regular pitcher returning, was a middle reliever last year. Ennis expects the pitching to be by committee until he finds a regular rotation that works. If they can find a strong rotation, the Bobcats could be contenders -- probably with Edgewood and C. Milton Wright for the county title.
C. MILTONWRIGHT MUSTANGS
Coach: Jim Miller, 11th season.
Assistants: Jim Fieldhouse, Gene Miller, Carl Holsten.
Last year's record: 15-6,Class 3A regional semifinalist.
Starters lost: 6.
Top returnees: Ken Batten, sr., RF; Ryan Lowery, sr., P; Jason Asbury, sr., SS; Scott Youngblood, sr., OF; Jeff Hawk, jr., CF.
Newcomers: Chris Knorr, sr., LF; Bill Simmons, jr., C; David Miller, jr., OF; Johnny Manzari, jr., 2B; Scott Klista, jr., 1B; Joe Reinhardt, jr., 3B; Brian Mullhausen, jr., C; Greg Cooper, jr., P; Lee Crouse, jr., P; Brian Kinnan, jr., P; Brandon Bennett, so., P; Scott Krouse, jr., C/IF.
Coach's outlook: "The talent's here, but it's a year younger. We lost a group of good seniors. They didn't all have great talent, but they didn't beat themselves. It's going to have to be the same way for this year's team. We can't make mental mistakes, but with a younger group, you just have to wait and see."
Harford County Sun's outlook: The Mustangs return only four starters in Batten, Lowery, Asbury and Hawk, so they will depend a lot on a large group moving up from jv. Inexperience on the varsity level will be their biggest problem, but Miller does see a few spots that may be even better than last year's. The outfield defense already looks stronger, and Miller expects this group to score a lot of runs. On the mound, Lowery will see most of the action. A six-game winner last year, Lowery doesn't have tremendous speed, but he has great control and won't walk many batters. How quickly the Mustangs' other pitchers come along may determine how well C. Milton Wright's season goes.
EDGEWOOD RAMS
Coach: Steve Williams, ninth season.
Assistants: Kevin Tyree, Irv Wilkinson.
Last year's record: 15-9, state Class 1A/2A runners-up.
Starters lost: 4.
Top returnees: Eric Santana, sr., 2B/P; Greg Watchinsky, jr., C; Brian Sordillo, sr., CF; Wade Greason, so., P; Brian Kocur, sr., SS; Corey Anderson, jr., 3B; Keith Kimmel, jr., IF/OF; Jason Harris, jr., C;Joe Blevins, sr., 3B; Eric Hobgood, sr., 1B; Tiante Dorman, sr., 2B.
Newcomers: Jamie Coons, so., LF/P, Roger Barnes, jr., 1B; Mike Bunker, sr., OF; D.J. Staigerwald, jr., SS; Russ Bayne, sr., P; Brad Copenhaver, jr., 1B.
Coach's outlook: "These guys expect to go back (to the state final), but not everybody that's good gets there. Last year, we lost so many people that we started three sophomores and a freshman. (This year) we can put six or seven experienced people out there, but we definitely have some question marks."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Most of the question marks for the Rams this year are in the outfield and in the batting box. While Sordillo is solid in centerfield, he will have some inexperience around him. As for the hitting, the Rams lost about 80 percent of their extra base hits, so Williams said they will have to grind out a lot of singles to put runs onthe board. But the Rams have a lot of speed and Williams hopes to use that on the basepaths. Also on the plus side, the Rams have two of the best pitchers in the county in Santana (5-2, 2.49 ERA) and Greason (4-3, 3.50). Greason will see most of the starting action this yearwhile Santana starts at second base.
FALLSTON COUGARS
Coach: MarkPuckett, 6th season.
Assistants: Jeff Miller, Phil Hopkins.
Last year's record: 9-11.
Starters lost: 3.
Top returnees: Brett Seidel, jr., C; Rob Myers, so., 1B; Scott Frost, sr., 2B/P; Paul Stromberger, sr., SS; Jordy Haire, sr., 3B/P; Alex Moore, sr. OF; Jeff Hall, jr., OF/P; Colin Bradley, sr., 3B; Chris Flowers, sr., DH.
Newcomers: Jeff LaPira, jr., OF/P; Jason Sealey, jr., P; Kris Kapinos, so., P; Shane Dougherty, so., OF/IF; Keith Reedy, jr., C; Brian Weinhold, jr., OF; Mike Kropkowski, jr., 2B; Lenny Brossoit, jr., SS; TracyWhite, sr., OF; John Roeseke, jr., OF; Dave Simon, sr., P/OF.
Coach's outlook: "Our question mark is pitching. I think I've got some quality. It's just a question as to who starts and how long they can last. This particular group is one of the hardest-working groups I've ever had. I'd like to be competitive with everyone. It's just a question of how consistent we're going to be."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Puckett is working on four primary pitchers, Haire, Frost, Halland LaPira. None of them has great speed, so they will have to throwstrikes. However, if the opposition hits the ball a lot, the Cougarswill have to bolster their defense. Last year, 61 percent of the runs scored against the Cougars were unearned, so they will have to improve on that to stay in contention. At the plate, the Cougars have a good blend of power hitters and singles hitters. Last year, they hit .311 as a team, and they return some of their best hitters -- Haire, Hall and Seidel.
HARFORD VO-TECH COBRAS
Coach: Fred Gradishar, 1st season.
Assistants: Gary Siler, Chuck Hurley.
Last year's record: 3-11.
Starters lost: 6.
Top returnees: Brian McNulty, 1B/P; John Turner, OF/2B; Mike Copenhaver, C/1B; Rich Garcia, 2B/P; Alan McMillen, OF; Paul Melton, 3B/C/P; Erik Peterson, C; Matt Watson, SS; Doug Bobbit, OF.
Newcomers: Scott Berry, OF; Ken Brotzman, P/3B; Steve Church, OF; Ralph Courtney, OF/SS; Josh Michaels, IF; Greg Moll, OF; Desmond Miles, P; Jim Townsend, OF; Mike Seabolt, OF; Jason Snyder, OF.
Coach's outlook: "There's not a lot of experience here, butour defense should be pretty strong. We've just got to get some hitting. We have kids with a good attitude and good hustle, but we just need to get them some experience."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Gradishar takes over the Cobras this year after several years of coaching the Harford Sox 13-14 team. What he finds is a lot of inexperience, because the Cobras have neither a JV nor a freshman class. Only twoplayers on the roster had played on a JV team before they arrived atHarford Vo-Tech. The Cobras don't play a Harford County schedule, sothey could be competitive against some of the Class 1A and small private schools they face. Gradishar's squad lacks offensive punch earlyon, though there is promise for some power hitting. McNulty will be the workhorse, but Gradishar hopes to find at least one or two other hurlers among the raw talent on his squad.
HAVRE DE GRACE WARRIORS
Coach: Larry Fox, 1st season.
Assistants: Joe Oswald.
Last year's record: 6-12.
Starters lost: 4.
Top returnees: Randy Wheeler, sr., SS/P; Todd Hubbert, sr., P; Walt Blethens, sr., C; Mark Glassman, sr., CF/P; Brent Bramwell, jr., P/OF; Greg Brown, jr., 1B; Deward Ray, jr., 3B; Jeff Graybeal jr., OF/P; J.R. Strong, jr., DH/3B.
Newcomers: Eric Wagner, so., P; Jason Fox, fr., RF; Jeffrey Fox, fr.,2B; Paul Oswald, fr., 1B; Carl Miller, fr., P/1B/OF; Joe Mirabel, fr., C; Scott Bramwell, fr., 2B.
Coach's outlook: "In most of our games, we should be competitive, but against the strength teams, we have to look to next year or the next two years before we can compete with those. I would be very pleased with a .500 season. If our pitchersthrow strikes and we have some key hits, we're going to win a few ball games."
Harford County Sun's outlook: The Warriors have alreadymade tremendous strides defensively. In one early-season game, they turned four double plays -- more than in all of last year. They came close on two more. Without an overpowering pitcher, the Warriors willhave to depend on that kind of defense to keep them in games. Fox, aveteran of 15 years of recreation coaching, knows teams will score runs against the Warriors, so they will have to hit the ball well. Thehitting looks solid but could use a little more punch. The Warriors also have some good speed on the bases. Without a JV, Fox has six freshmen on the team, and four of them will see regular action.
JOPPATOWNE MARINERS
Coach: Al Zelinski, 9th season.
Assistants: Rick Eney, Len Bivens.
Last year's record: 4-14.
Starters lost: 2.
Top returnees: Mike King, sr., OF/C; Dan Foxwell, jr., 1B; J.P. Lilliston, jr., 2B; Tim Miller, jr., SS; Bill Pilkerton, jr., 3B/P; Greg Smith, jr., C; Damon Davies, jr., P/3B/OF; Keath Cummings, jr., LF; Paul Stancil, sr., OF/IF; Mark Nicholas, sr., IF.
Newcomers: Sean Ward, so., P; Chris Weber, so., OF; Cable Miller, fr., IF/OF; Jeff Victor, jr., P.
Coach's outlook: "We didn't have any (strong) pitcherslast year, and the same kids will be pitching this year. There's nota front-liner there, but they should benefit from an extra year's experience. They just have to throw strikes."
Harford County Sun's outlook: In addition to their lack of a top-drawer hurler, the Mariners are having trouble at the plate. They will need big years from their top three potential hitters, Smith, Pilkerton and Davies. There's not a power hitter on the roster, so Zelinski is hoping for a lot of singles and doubles to bring in some runs. With some overall team speed, the Mariners could have a solid running game. Defensively, the Mariners should be a little better, with so many starters back in the lineup. However, like many county teams, the Cougars spent most of thepre-season practicing everywhere but on their diamond. They will need more time on the field before Zelinski can tell where the problems are defensively. With those starters back, the Mariners have a chanceto improve their record, but with such a small roster, they cannot afford a single injury.
NORTH HARFORD HAWKS
Coach: Tim Larrimore, 1st season.
Assistants: Todd Cashetta.
Last year's record: 6-12.
Starters lost: 3.
Top returnees: Glenn Upton, sr., P; Rick Johnson, sr., 1B; Kevin Diaz, jr., SS; Bill O'Patterson, jr., 2B; Sam Powell, jr., CF; Richard Hughes, sr., C; Mike Lynch, jr., OF.
Newcomers: Chris Bandy, sr., 3B; Adam Serra, sr., 2B; Art Boykin, jr., C; Matt Machala, jr. OF; Matt Lyons, jr., OF; Kent Dowell, jr., P; Chris Mills, so., P/3B; Scott Smith, so., P; Rob Ivy, so., DH/OF.
Coach's outlook: "The kids tell me that the biggest problem last year was that there was no team unity. This year, we have a lot of unity, and Ithink we can win a lot of ball games. We should definitely win more than we did last year."
Harford County Sun's outlook: Larrimore coached Bel Air's junior varsity last year, so he is familiar with a lot of the youngsters moving up in the league this year. Based on that and what he sees from this Hawks group, Larrimore is hoping for a strong showing in his varsity debut. On the mound, the Hawks have a lot of promising youngsters. Veteran Upton is still strongest with the best control and the most speed, but starters Mills and Smith and reliever Dowell will also see plenty of action. The Hawks have shown some consistent line-drive hitting early on and have hit better than Larrimore expected. They also have shown tight defense. Larrimore doesn't see any major weaknesses, so if the Hawks can stay healthy, they could be the surprise team in the county.