HS BASEBALL: Times-Tribune All-Region team
Jun. 26—2022 TIMES-TRIBUNE ALL-REGION BASEBALL TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
C: Jason Janesko, Riverside, junior
Lackawanna League Division III Coaches and Times-Tribune Player of the Year. ... Ignited Riverside offense from leadoff spot, batting .391 (25 for 64) with five doubles, one triple and 19 RBIs. ... Hit safely in 17 of the Vikings' 22 games. ... Tied for third in Lackawanna League with 30 runs. ... Smart base runner with good speed, evidenced in a game May 17 against Old Forge. Not only stole home, but in extra innings scored the tying run from second base on an infield groundout. ... Solid defensive catcher with a strong throwing arm. As one rival coach said, "You really need three hits to score on them. The catcher does a great job of controlling the basepaths basically."
P: Gavin Chillot, North Pocono, junior
Tied for Lackawanna League-lead with seven victories (7-1) and had 60 strikeouts and a 0.65 ERA for the Trojans. ... Also batted .290 (18 for 62) with three doubles, one triple, four home runs, 19 RBIs and 21 runs.
P: Tom Rohan, Holy Cross, senior
Led Lackawanna League with 99 strikeouts. Had 6-2 record with 0.63 ERA. ... Threw complete-game six-hitter with five strikeouts to beat Riverside in final, 4-1, and give the Crusaders the program's first District 2 Class 2A championship. ... Also batted .345 (19 for 55) with one double, two triples, two home runs, 18 runs and nine RBIs.
P: RJ Santarsiero, Riverside, senior
Tied for Lackawanna League-lead with seven wins (7-1), was second with 87 strikeouts and also had 1.47 ERA for Lackawanna Division III champion Vikings. ... Also batted .238 (15 for 63) with 17 runs and 10 RBIs.
IF: Alex Brinkman, North Pocono, senior
Had two home runs and five RBIs in season-opening 12-0 win over Northampton and just kept bashing. ... Batted .360 (27 for 75) as Trojans' cleanup hitter. ... Wound up with six home runs to lead the Lackawanna League and had eight doubles, which tied for third. ... Drove in 28 runs, which tied for second in the league.
IF: TJ Schmalzle, Wallenpaupack, senior
Lackawanna League Division II Coaches Player of the Year. ... Batted .429 with league-high 30 hits, including six doubles, two triples and one home run. ... Scored 27 runs and had 15 RBIs. ... Solid defender who can play second base or shortstop. ... Also was 2-0 on mound with 18 strikeouts and 1.94 ERA.
IF: Matt Show, Abington Heights, junior
Lackawanna League Division I Coaches Player of the Year. ... Batted .415 (22 for 53) for the Division I champion Comets with seven doubles, three home runs, 27 runs and 18 RBIs. ... In consecutive games May 11 and 13 against West Scranton and Holy Redeemer, went 7 for 7 with two doubles, two home runs, six runs, four RBIs. ... Good glove at shortstop.
IF: Wyatt Peifer, Wallenpaupack, senior
Batted .400 (24 for 60) with league-high 10 doubles, two home runs and 23 runs for the Division II champion Buckhorns. ... His 25 RBIs tied for fourth in the league. ... Outstanding defensive player on left side of infield. ... Also was 4-0 on the mound with 0.55 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
OF: Brian Walsh, Scranton Prep, junior
Batted .371 (23 for 62) with six doubles, a league-high four triples, two home runs, 15 runs and 21 RBIs. ... When not playing left field, he was the Cavaliers' top pitcher with six wins, 2.63 ERA and 85 strikeouts, which ranked third in the league. ... Tossed complete-game, three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in District 2 Class 3A semifinal win over Nanticoke, 6-0.
OF: Ryan Ruddy, North Pocono, senior
Set the table for the Trojans in the leadoff spot, batting .329 (23 for 70) with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and 12 RBIs. ... Scored 30 runs, which tied for third in the Lackawanna League. ... Good defender who covered a lot of ground in center field.
OF: Trevor Balcerzak, Riverside, junior
Tied for second in the Lackawanna League with 28 hits. ... Batted .418 (28 for 67) with five doubles, three home runs, 25 runs and 19 RBIs. ... Had five-RBI game May 9 against Dunmore. ... Excellent right fielder with a strong throwing arm.
UTL: Jordan Santiago, Wallenpaupack, sophomore
Batted .409 (27 for 66) with eight doubles, three home runs and 14 runs. ... Hit safely in 18 of 21 games and had at least one RBI in 15 games with four three-RBI games. ... Led the Lackawanna League with 29 RBIs. ... Improved his defense greatly behind the plate.
UTL: Tyler Mullen, Lakeland, senior
Strong second half of the season saw him finish with a .397 batting average (25 for 63) with seven doubles, three home runs, 17 runs and 20 RBIs. ... Had four-hit, seven-RBI game May 3 against Western Wayne. ... On the mound, had a 3-3 record with 3.26 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Sandy Menichetti, Holy Cross
Guided the Crusaders on a late five-game winning streak that resulted in the program's first District 2 Class 2A championship, beating the Nos. 3, 2 and 1 seeds along the way. ... Is in his 23rd season of coaching. Spent first five years as assistant coach at Bishop O'Hara and last 18 as head coach. ... Has 115-128-1 record at Holy Cross.
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