Baltimore Sun Media Group reporter Brian Burden picks the baseball players who are worth keeping an eye on this season.
James Cain
Howard, pitcher-infielder, senior
Cain was a two-way threat for the Lions, hitting .422 with four doubles and 14 RBIs, and winning three games on the mound. He plans to play for Millersville next season.
Jordan Carr
Archbishop Spalding, pitcher, senior
The left-hander is a three-time All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association selection who finished 6-2 with 1.77 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 571/3 .1 innings pitched last year. He threw a five-hitter to defeat Calvert Hall in the A Conference championship game. Carr committed to UNC-Asheville in the offseason.
Clark Clatchey
Mount Saint Joseph, outfielder, senior
The preseason All-State pick and Towson commit followed a strong sophomore season by hitting .333 with two home runs and 13 RBIs as a junior.
Marty Costes
Archbishop Curley, outfielder, senior
The Maryland recruit won the Triple Crown in the MIAA last year, batting .455 with 10 home runsand 37 RBIs for the Friars. He had seven doubles and scored 30 runs while posting a 1.425 slugging percentage.
Nick Delp
Calvert Hall, pitcher, senior
The dominant right-hander is a two-time All Metro selection and a mainstay in the Cardinals rotation. He won seven games as a sophomore for the A Conference champs and threw a perfect game against Mount Saint Joseph in last year's playoffs.
Luke Johnson
North Harford, catcher, senior
One of the top catchers in the state, Johnson hit .402 with three home runs and 24 RBIs last season. He leads a talented group of seniors who will try to take the Hawks back to the Class 3A final for the third time in four seasons.
Cody Morris
Reservoir, pitcher, senior
The 6-foot-5, 220 pound pitcher went 8-1 with an 0.80 ERA and a 90-15 strikeout-walk ratio for the Class 3A state champion Gators. He struck out 11 in a two-hitter against North Harford in the final. The reigning Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and South Carolina commit is 21-4 with 258 strikeouts in 1541/3 innings over three varsity seasons.
Mark Smith
Mount Hebron, pitcher, senior
The Towson signee went 6-3 with a 2.29 ERA and 67 strikeouts and allowed just 35 hits in 55 innings last season. The All-Howard County and preseason All-State pick held batters to a .172 average.
Jake Sousa
Dulaney, infielder, senior
The Frostburg State recruit batted .500 with five doubles, 22 runs and 21 RBIs for the Lions as a junior. He's a career .438 hitter.
Truman Thomas
Southern, shortstop, senior
The Maryland commit leads a strong nucleus of returnees for the defending Class 2A champions. He batted .403 and led the Bulldogs in extra-base hits, stolen bases and RBIs from the second spot in the batting order. He has next-level range in the field and will pitch more this season.
Elliot Zoellner
St. Mary's, pitcher, junior
Zoellner is one of six Saints juniors with legitimate Division I aspirations. He finished 7-0 with a 2.84 ERA for the MIAA B Conference champs. He will team up with Ryan Davis (Fordham) to form one of the stronger 1-2 rotations in the area.
Others to watch
Christian Amici, Havre de Grace, pitcher-third baseman, junior
Jack Barry, Reservoir, pitcher-third baseman, senior
Brad Haas, South Carroll, second baseman, junior
DJ Biscoe, Old Mill, outfielder, junior
Tyler Blohm, Archbishop Spalding, pitcher, junior
Andre Brown, Mount Saint Joseph, outfielder, senior
J.D. Bruck, Bel Air, shortstop-outfielder, senior
Andrew Cassard, Arundel, outfielder, junior
Stetson Cox, Loyola Blakefield, outfielder, senior
Ryan Davis, St. Mary's, pitcher, senior
Brandon Dorsey, Calvert Hall, outfielder, sophomore
Jack Elstner, Severn, pitcher-third baseman, junior
Kieran Garner, River Hill, pitcher, sophomore
Kasey Gast, Annapolis Area Christian, pitcher, senior
David Harding, Archbishop Spalding, second baseman, junior
Sean Healy, South River, pitcher, senior
Kevin Heiss, Archbishop Spalding, shortstop, senior
Ian Helphenstine, Franklin, catcher, senior
David Hutchison, Hammond, pitcher, junior
Seth Kopel, Pikesville, pitcher-infielder, senior
CJ Mackinson, Century, second baseman, senior
Kevin McHugh, McDonogh, pitcher, senior
Skyler Morris, Boys' Latin, pitcher-infielder, senior
Cuinn Mullins, Wilde Lake, outfielder, senior
Nick Raulin, Atholton, pitcher-third baseman, senior
Park Sadowski, North Carroll, outfielder, senior
Jordan Sanders, Northeast, pitcher, senior
Jack Schroeder, Mount Hebron, pitcher-outfielder, sophomore
Justin Smith, Harford Tech, pitcher, senior
Jake Snyder, Mount Hebron, outfielder, senior
Matt Sprouse, Patterson Mill, outfielder, senior
Rohan Tilva, River Hill, pitcher, senior
Andrew Yu, Perry Hall, pitcher-shortstop, junior