HS BASEBALL: Citizens' Voice All-Stars
Jacoby Harnen
School: Pittston Area
Year: Junior
Position: Catcher
Consistently found a way to contribute a solid at-bat particularly with runners in scoring position. Controlled the opponents' running game from behind the plate. Batted .434 with eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. Led the team with 31 RBIs.
Alex Vacula
School: Wyoming Area
Year: Junior
Position: First base
Got to a point this season where opponents debated on whether to pitch to him or not. Led the team in hitting at .492. Was second on the team in hits with 31 and led the team with 37 RBIs. Had eight doubles, five triples and three home runs. Scored 20 runs. Made nine appearances on the mound with five of them starts. Went 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA. Had 32 strikeouts and allowed 24 hits in 30.1 innings.
Peyton VanValkenburgh
School: Dallas
Year: Senior
Position: Second base
Put together a solid all-around season in the field and at the plate. Batted .351 with 20 hits and 21 RBIs. Scored 18 runs and had four doubles, two triples and one home run.
Logan Hearity
School: Hazleton Area
Year: Junior
Position: Shortstop
Batting out of the leadoff spot, led the team in hitting at .471. Led the team in nearly every offensive category. Scored 38 runs, had 33 hits and drove in 23 runs. Had seven doubles, four triples and one home run. Already gave a verbal commitment to attend Seton Hall.
Jeudi Hidalgo
School: Hazleton Area
Year: Junior
Position: Third base
Wrapped up his first varsity season with the Cougars and made an immediate impact across the WVC. Showed he is capable of hitting for power. Showed a strong arm from across the diamond, making the difficult plays look routine. Continued to move up in the order as the season progressed. Batted .360 with 27 hits and tied for the team-lead in RBIs with 27. Had seven doubles, three triples and three home runs. Scored 22 runs.
Beau Widdick
School: Pittston Area
Year: Senior
Position: Middle infield
Was the starter at second base last season and moved over to shortstop for this season. Will continue his baseball career at UMass. Led the team in hitting with a .440 average. Had nine doubles, six triples and one home run. Finished with 26 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
Leo Nockley
School: Wyoming Seminary
Year: Junior
Position: Middle infield
Already gave a verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee. Led the Blue Knights in hitting at .408. Led the team in runs scored with 37 and had 20 hits. Finished with seven doubles, one triple and three home runs. Drove in 13 runs on a team that won its first district championship in program history.
Damien Eastman
School: Wyoming Valley West
Year: Sophomore
Position: Corner infield
Primarily played third base for the Spartans, but made nine pitching appearances with five of them starts. Went 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA. Struck out 24 in 26.2 innings. Batted .391 with nine doubles and one triple. Had 27 hits and 19 RBIs. Scored 17 runs.
David Favata
School: Wyoming Area
Year: Freshman
Position: Corner infield
Grabbed the starting job at third base at the beginning of the season and never let go. Batted .391 out of the leadoff spot with a team-best 34 hits. Led the team in doubles with 11 and drove in 15 runs. Scored 24 runs and hit one homer. Also made three appearances on the mound and struck out 10 batters in 6.1 innings.
Dominick Zangardi
School: Dallas
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Will continue his baseball career at Niagara University. Zangardi has been an impact player since he first put on a varsity uniform. Helped the Mountaineers advance to the Class 5A district championship game. Batted a team-best .480 with 35 runs scored and a team-best 36 hits. Had 10 doubles, four triples and three home runs. Drove in 23 runs. Also made nine appearances on the mound, seven of them starts. Finished 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA.
Jake Snyder
School: Wyoming Area
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Will continue his baseball career at Rutgers. Snyder packed a punch whether he was at the plate or in the field. Also saw time on the mound, but he was more known for the way he covered ground in center field and swung the bat in the batter's box. Batted .397 with 36 runs scored and 27 hits. Had 14 RBIs. Finished with nine extra base hits, compiling five doubles, three triples and one home run. Went 5-0 on the mound with a 1.40 ERA. Struck out 55 in 35 innings. Allowed 17 hits and seven earned runs.
Nathan Fritz
School: Wilkes-Barre Area
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Primarily played left field for the Wolfpack when he wasn't on the mound. Has the ability to come up big in big situations for his team over the last two seasons. Led the team in hitting at .439. Was second on the team in runs scored with 20. Had a team-best 29 hits and 20 RBIs. Had nine doubles and two triples. Made 10 appearances on the mound, nine of them starts. Went 4-5 with a 4.42 ERA. Tossed two complete games and pitched one shutout
Will Jenkins
School: Lake-Lehman
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Hitting near the top of the lineup, Jenkins could be depended on to deliver the big hit when the Black Knights needed one. The consummate team player, he also pitched when called upon and was the leader in the outfield patrolling center field. Led the team in hitting at .424. Had a team-best 25 hits. Scored 19 runs and had 12 RBIs. Had four doubles and two triples. Also made eight appearances on the mound with five of them starts. Finished 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA. Struck out 38 in 35.2 innings.
Noah Fetko
School: Wyoming Valley West
Year: Junior
Position: Outfield
Known for his strong and accurate arm from the outfield, runners are hesitant to take the extra base whether he catches a ball in the air or fields it on a bounce in center field. Also uses his speed to his advantage in the batter's box and on the bases. Batted .283 with four doubles, two triples and one home run. Was second on the team in runs scored with 25. On the mound, he was 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA. In 33.2 innings, he struck out 39.
Dom Marino
School: Hazleton Area
Year: Senior
Position: Designated hitter
One of the most feared batters in the conference, Marino, who is heading to Gardner-Webb, could hit for power and also be counted on in big situations. Relegated to just hitting this season because of an injury, Marino was one of the top run producers in the WVC. Finished third on the team in hitting with a .356 batting average. Had seven doubles, three triples and three home runs. Tied for the team lead in RBIs with 27. Scored 22 runs.
Elijah Barr
School: Pittston Area
Year: Senior
Position: Utility
Barr is predominantly known for his appearances on the mound. But he was limited in his innings and number of appearances. Will continue his baseball career at the University of Pittsburgh. When he wasn't pitching, he was either playing second base, shortstop or being used as the designated hitter. Despite missing time because of an injury, he finished the season hitting .391 with two triples, five home runs and 18 RBIs. On the mound, he was 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA. Struck out 37 in 39 innings and allowed 25 hits.
Fred Corrado
School: Hazleton Area
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Already gave a verbal commitment to continue his athletic career at Penn State. Finished the season 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA. Appeared in 11 games, 10 of them starts. In 44.2 innings, he allowed 43 hits and struck out 72. Also saw time at first base and hit .250 with five doubles and seven RBIs.
Jack Esposito
School: Hazleton Area
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Led the pitching staff in appearances with 14. Started eight games and totaled 52.2 innings. Allowed 39 hits and 11 earned runs. Went 6-1 with a 1.46 ERA. Struck out 46 and tossed two complete games, including one shutout.
Nick Bednar
School: Dallas
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Led the Mountaineers in appearances with 13, nine of which were starts. Tossed 53.2 innings and recorded 76 strikeouts. Tossed two complete games and one shut out, and recorded one save. Finished 4-3 with a 3.91 ERA.
Cam Kratz
School: Hanover Area
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Led the team in appearances with 12, nine of them starts. Pitched a team-best 45.2 innings. Finished 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA. Tossed one shutout, one complete game and earned one save. At the plate, he was second on the team in doubles with five and had one home run. Also drove in 15 runs.
Jesse Klem
School: Wyoming Valley West
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Tied for the WVC lead in appearances with 14. Made two starts and pitched 36.2 innings. Went 5-2 with a 3.63 ERA. Struck out 31 and walked 14. Earned one save and tossed one shutout. Settled in to the role of relief specialist for the Spartans and was often called upon to pitch with runners in scoring position with fewer than two outs.
- Steve Bennett
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