PA High School Baseball: Neshaminy takes lead on Plebani single
Neshaminy senior catcher Jake Plebani singles up the middle to break a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh inning in the PIAA state quarterfinals
The Bucks County area was well-represented on the Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches’ Association (PSBCA) all-state team as 10 players earned first- or second-team honors, including seven in Class 6A.
In the largest-school 6A division, North Penn senior pitcher Trevor Lugara, Pennsbury junior pitcher Keller Bradley and Neshaminy sophomore outfielder Dan Marable were voted to the first team, with Neshaminy junior pitcher Chase Bonner, Central Bucks South senior infielder Jake Yang, North Penn senior infielder Kevin Brace and North Penn junior outfielder Christian Barnes making the second team.
In Class 2A, Faith Christian senior Reid Miller was picked to the second team as an infielder, while Dock Mennonite senior catcher Brayden Kratz and sophomore Ethan Kratz (utility) ended up on the Class A first team.
Lugara, a left-hander, was 10-1 with 89 strikeouts, 10 walks and 47 hits allowed in 85 innings, a 0.74 ERA and a 0.671 WHIP for the 6A state finalist Knights. He’s headed to Bloomsburg.
Bradley, a Vanderbilt commit, went 7-2 with a 0.52 ERA and 0.783 WHIP, along with 96 strikeouts, 16 walks and 26 hits allowed in 53⅔ innings for the Falcons.
Marable led state semifinalist Neshaminy in average (.383), hits (23), RBIs (16), doubles (3) and OPS (0.948). Teammate Bonner was 6-1 on the mound with a 0.70 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 38 hits allowed in 49⅔ innings.
The Northwestern-bound Yang batted .429 with 21 hits, 11 RBIs, 3 home runs and a 1.227 OPS for the Titans, while Brace batted .393 with team-highs in runs scored (24), stolen bases (8) and assists (44), plus tied for the North Penn team lead in hits (35) and doubles (5). Brace is headed to DeSales.
Barnes excelled in the postseason for the District One champion Knights, finishing with a .380 average, 35 hits, 29 RBIs, 22 runs, 9 doubles and a 1.001 OPS.
Miller batted .560 with 42 hits and 37 RBIs for the repeat state champion Lions. He also went 10-1 as a pitcher, striking out 118 in 67⅔ innings. He allowed 32 hits and had a 0.52 ERA.
The La Salle University-bound Brayden Kratz led the Pioneers in batting average (.472), hits (17), runs (20), triples (3) and OPS (1.461), with Ethan Kratz hitting .375 and having team-highs in RBIs (21) and doubles (7), to go along with 15 hits and a 1.208 OPS.
District 12, which features the rugged Philadelphia Catholic League, doesn’t have a representative on the selection committee.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist forPhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
