Pretty good decade for Lackawanna League baseball. It saw a couple teams reach the state championship game and of the 46 District 2 titles up for grabs from 2010-2019, the Lackawanna League took home 25.
So, who were the best players?
With the Times-Tribune All-Region teams serving as the pool of players, let’s assemble the Lackawanna League’s All-Decade Team. We’ll break it down position-by-position over the next few days.
Up next: the middle infielders. The way we pick the All-Region team has changed over the years. It used to be there was a first baseman, a second baseman, a third baseman and a shortstop. Now, it’s just four infielders. So, this is a mix of players who played primarily second base or shortstop the year they were All-Region. Still to come: outfielders, pitchers and utility players.
Here are the candidates, sorted by the year they made the All-Region team. You can vote for your top five at the bottom of the post.
Jake Schilling, Honesdale
Decade stats: .467, 17 RBIs, 20 runs, 21 hits, 2 doubles, 4 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2010 — “Led team in every offensive category, hitting .467 with four home runs, 17 runs batted in and scored 21 runs. … First All-Region selection.
B.J. Bochicchio, Riverside
Decade stats: .541, 47 RBIs, 51 runs, 53 hits, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs
All-Region bio (two teams): From 2010 — “Consistent performer at the plate, hitting .560 with 28 runs scored and 27 RBIs, leading his team into the second round of the District 2 Class AA playoffs. … First All-Region selection.” From 2011 — “Times-Tribune Player of the Year. Division I recruit headed to Villanova University. A silky defender whose first step is often overlooked because he makes it look so easy. At the plate, a virtual machine who put together a record 34-game hitting streak. In Lackawanna Division II, led in average (.521, was second in RBIs, third in hits (25) and doubles (5), T-5 in HRs (3). Second All-Region selection.”
Mario Martinelli, Old Forge
Decade stats: .398, 12 RBIs, 36 runs, 37 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples
All-Region bio: From 2011 — “Burner who made Old Forge’s offense hum. Stole 27 of 28 bases while hitting .450, good for third in Division II. Was number one in runs scored (25) and hits (27), and tied for third in triples (2). Helped Devils win another District 2 Class A title. First All-Region pick.”
Justin Haddix, North Pocono
Decade stats: .341, 13 RBIs, 26 runs, 30 hits, 6 doubles
All-Region bio: From 2012 — “One of the better table-setters in the Lackawanna League, batted .407 out of the No. 2 spot in the Trojans’ offense-heavy lineup and scored 21 runs. Was also a force on the mound, going 5-1 (1-0 in the postseason). First All-Region selection.
Joey Runco, North Pocono
Decade stats: .434, 38 RBIs, 71 runs, 72 hits, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2012 — “Fordham University recruit provided the spark for the Lackawanna League’s top offense. Scored 32 runs as the Trojans’ leadoff hitter, and also tallied 15 RBIs. Batted .400 for the year and of his 22 hits, 11 went for extra bases. First All-Region selection.
Chris Rebar, Mid Valley
Decade stats: 44 RBIs, 45 runs, 52 hits, 12 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2013 — “Spartans slugger was one of the best in the area. Led the Lackawanna League in runs batted in (27) and home runs (6). Batted .340 with 17 hits, 18 runs scored and 10 extra-base hits. … Went 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 44 K. … First-team Lackawanna League Division III coaches’ all-star. … First All-Region selection.”
Kevin Elwell, Abington Heights
Decade stats: .390, 40 RBIs, 49 runs, 69 hits, 13 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2013 — “Did a little bit of everything in helping the Comets to the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. Had team highs in batting average (.426), hits (29), runs scored (23), doubles (7), triples (2) and tied for the lead in home runs (1). … In the postseason, batted .421 with six RBIs and three extra-base hits. … First-team Lackawanna League Division I coaches’ all-star. … First All-Region selection.”
Dave Lopatka, Dunmore
Decade stats: 23 RBIs, 38 runs, 46 hits, 9 doubles
All-Region bio: From 2014 — “One of several senior leaders for the Division III champion Bucks. Batted .412 with a team-best 21 hits. Also scored 15 runs, and had nine RBIs and five doubles. … Sure-handed in the field, with plenty of range. … Lackawanna League Division III coaches’ first-team all-star. … First All-Region selection.”
Matt Rivera, Delaware Valley
Decade stats: .316, 38 RBIs, 41 runs, 54 hits, 11 doubles
All-Region bio: From 2014 — “Solid defender and sparkplug for the Division II champion Warriors. Batted .415 with 17 hits, 12 runs scored, 14 RBIs and five doubles. … Committed to play baseball at Georgia Highlands College. … Lackawanna League Division II coaches’ first-team all-star. … First All-Region selection.”
Jimmy Fayocavitz, Abington Heights
Decade stats: .336, 21 RBIs, 51 runs, 51 hits, 2 doubles
All-Region bio: From 2015 — “Batted .359 with 23 hits, 24 runs and 12 RBIs as the table-setter for the Comets. … One of the best defensive shortstops in the area. Covers a lot of ground, and boasts a strong throwing arm. … Division I coaches’ all-star.”
Zach Nemitz, Mid Valley
Decade stats: 40 RBIs, 46 runs, 62 hits, 16 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2015 — “Batted .364 with 20 hits, 14 runs and 15 RBIs. Also had five doubles and one home run. … Went 7-0 with a 1.21 ERA and 32 strikeouts on the mound. … Division III coaches’ Player of the Year and all-star.”
Cory Miller, Holy Cross
Decade stats: .354, 18 RBIs, 27 runs, 29 hits, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2016 — “Shortstop batted .442 with 23 hits, 18 runs, 14 RBIs and eight extra-base hits. … After May 11, batted .667 with 12 RBIs, 12 runs, three doubles, one triple and two home runs.”
Ethan Hasenzahl, Mid Valley
Decade stats: .344, 34 RBIs, 49 runs, 54 hits, 21 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2016 — “Slugging shortstop batted .413 with 19 hits, 17 runs, 10 RBIs, seven doubles and two home runs. … Of his 54 career hits, 27 went for extra bases.”
Cole Stetzar, West Scranton
Decade stats: .339, 29 RBIs, 28 runs, 58 hits, 12 doubles, 1 home run
All-Region bio (two teams): From 2016 (utility) — “Central Florida commit went 4-2 with a 1.12 ERA, 44 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 31.1 innings. Posted a 1.05 WHIP. … Also batted .333 with 15 hits and 11 runs.” From 2017 (infield) — “Batted .395 with 17 hits, 13 RBIs and four extra-base hits and went 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 46 strikeouts on the mound. … Finishes career with 10 wins, 130 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA. … Second All-Region selection.”
Noah Granet, Scranton Prep
Decade stats: .372, 40 RBIs, 48 runs, 71 hits, 19 doubles, 3 home runs
All-Region bio (two teams): From 2017 — “Cavaliers shortstop led the Lackawanna League with a .537 batting average. … He had 22 hits, nine runs, nine RBIs, five doubles and one home run. … Reliable fielder. … Plans to play baseball at Princeton.” From 2019 — “Despite shoulder injury, he batted .410 with eight doubles and 13 RBIs. He led Division I in runs (25). … When was able to play the field, he formed a great double-play combination with Vince Cimini.”
Vince Cimini, Scranton Prep
Decade stats: .407, 54 RBIs, 43 runs, 79 hits, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs
All-Region bio (two teams): From 2018 — “Slick-fielding second baseman who led the Cavaliers with a .421 batting average. … Had 16 hits, including six doubles and three home runs, seven runs and 13 RBIs. … Verbally committed to Boston College.” From 2019 — “Led Lackawanna League Division I in batting average (.483), hits (29), RBIs (25) and tied for lead in HRs (2). … Slick fielder who moved to shortstop because of an injury to teammate Noah Granet.”
Dixon Black, Valley View
Decade stats: .410, 33 RBIs, 43 runs, 66 hits, 17 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs
All-Region bio (two teams): From 2018 — “Versatile player who helped spark Cougars’ run to the district title and state final in Class 4A. … Batted .441 with two HRs, 17 runs and 21 RBIs. … Also 4-1 on the mound with 2.42 ERA and 31 strikeouts.” From 2019 — ” Versatile player who batted .418 with six doubles, one triple, one home run, 18 runs and five RBIs for the Cougars. … Also appeared in eight games on the mound and had 2.00 ERA and 47 strikeouts.”
Nick Warriner, Montrose
Decade stats: .407, 36 RBIs, 48 runs, 50 hits, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs
All-Region bio: From 2019 — “Topped Division IV and ranked second in Lackawanna League in batting average at .491. … Also led Division IV in runs (25) and was second in doubles (8) and RBIs (15). … First All-Region selection.”
CLICK HERE TO VOTE
In case you missed it, check out the candidates for the Lackawanna League’s top catcher and top corner infielders of the decade.
Related posts:
Conor Foley goes beyond the box score with in-depth coverage of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. He has worked at The Times-Tribune since graduating from University of Scranton in 2011, and he has covered the RailRiders since 2017. Contact: cfoley@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; or @railridersTT
