34 players to watch and what's new in Elmira-Corning region baseball in 2024
Five baseball teams from the Elmira-Corning region of Section 4 come off championship seasons as the 2024 season hits full stride this week.
Horseheads, Elmira and Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour are returning Section 4 champions. Thomas A. Edison and Waverly were the two overall Interscholastic Athletic Conference titlists last year.
Waverly's move from the IAC to the STAC is among the storylines this season in Section 4 baseball.
Another change has seen the number of classes in New York state baseball grow from five to six. The top class is now AAA and teams for the best-of-three sectional championship series in that class are already determined, with Elmira and Corning the only AAA teams.
In another switch, champions in classes AA and A will be determined by a double-elimination format among the top four schools. There are five teams in both classes, leaving the potential for a single-elimination game to decide the fourth semifinalist.
State semifinals and finals again return to the Binghamton region the weekend of June 7 and 8. Host sites are Mirabito Stadium, Binghamton University and Union-Endicott High School.
SOUTHERN TIER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
CORNING
Head coach: Eric Kizis
Class: AAA
Players to watch: Eli King, a junior pitcher/outfielder, was named to the STAC Metro/West all-conference team last season. Cameron Kennedy returns for his senior season after earning STAC West all-division recognition as an outfielder. Juniors Ryan Price, Gavin Walker and Jake Powers were also West Division all-stars, along with senior Carter Rosno.
Notable: Corning, Section 4 Class AA runner-up last season to Elmira, won back-to-back sectional championships in 2019 and 2021, with the canceled COVID season coming in between.
ELMIRA
Head coach: Jason Manwaring
Class: AAA
Players to watch: The Express returns several top players from last season's Section 4 Class AA champs, seven of whom recently signed to play college baseball. That senior group includes four-year varsity player Bobby Cavalier (University of Pitt-Bradford), record-setting pitcher Bryce Mashanic (Niagara County CC), Brady Morrell (Shenandoah University), Michael Palmer (Niagara County CC), Ben Rhode (Barry University), Jack Stemerman (Cayuga CC) and Ashtyn Traugott-Knoll (Cayuga CC). Mashanic and Rhode were STAC Metro/West all-stars and Cavalier was an all-division pick along with Express sophomore Aiden Palmer.
Notable: The Express outscored Corning by a combined 16-0 last year in capturing the sectional title, the second for the program since the sports mergers of Elmira Free Academy and Southside in the 2011-12 school year. ... Manwaring entered this season with 150 career victories. A 3-0 start this season added to the win total for Manwaring, nephew of former major-league Gold Glove catcher Kirt Manwaring from Horseheads.
More: After win 400, Jeff Limoncelli reflects on what makes coaching Horseheads baseball special
HORSEHEADS
Head coach: Jeff Limoncelli
Class: AA
Players to watch: Two of the best pitchers in Section 4 last year return for the Blue Raiders. Junior right-hander Mason Holloway is a Binghamton University commit and fellow junior Micah Hays gives the Raiders a southpaw stalwart. Holloway was a STAC Metro/West all-conference selection last season and Hays earned all-division honors. Also back is senior all-conference shortstop Dominic Russ, who has committed to Division I Le Moyne College.
Notable: Blue Raiders head coach Jeff Limoncelli reached 400 career victories with his team's 16-1 season-opening victory against Binghamton. ... Horseheads has won nine Section 4 titles during Limoncelli's tenure, including championship series sweeps of Elmira and Union-Endicott the previous two seasons.
WAVERLY
Head coach: Kyle McDuffee
Class: B
Players to watch: A senior class for the ages at Waverly has helped the school to its first state championship in football and a sectional title in hoops. That class includes baseball players Joey Tomasso, Jay Pipher, Jake VanHouten, Ethan Perry and Sean Bubniak. Others to watch include sophomores Ronin Ault and Hogan Shaw, and freshman Matthias Welles. Tomasso, Pipher, Bubniak and Welles were first-team IAC South Large School all-stars in 2023.
Notable: Waverly's first two games as a STAC member impressed. The Wolverines opened with an 18-1 victory over Norwich, then Ault and Jack Pipher combined on a no-hitter in an 8-0 win against Seton Catholic Central. ... Waverly lost to eventual Class B state runner-up Lansing in the sectional quarterfinals last year after topping Trumansburg in the IAC Large School championship game.
Interscholastic Athletic Conference
THOMAS A. EDISON
Head coach: Chris Bennett
Class: B
Players to watch: Senior pitcher/shortstop Thomas Cheplick was a first-team IAC South Small School all-star last season after batting .487 with 13 doubles, three triples, a homer, 34 runs and 26 RBIs. Senior outfielder/pitcher Riley Cobb earned second-team IAC honors behind a .417 batting average, seven doubles, two triples, three homers, 25 runs and 18 RBIs.
Notable: The Spartans (17-3) captured the overall IAC Small School title last season with a 12-0 victory over Union Springs before falling to eventual champion Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour in a Section 4 Class C semifinal.
ELMIRA NOTRE DAME
Head coach: Brad Bellinger
Class: D
Players to watch: Senior catcher Logan Meisner and junior pitcher/first baseman Luke Richards were first-team IAC South Large School all-stars last season. Senior pitcher/first baseman Alex Daugherty was a mid-year transfer from Horseheads, where he was a STAC Metro/West all-star and part of back-to-back Section 4 championship teams. Daugherty opened his Notre Dame career by hitting a home run and striking out 13 batters in five innings.
Notable: The Crusaders seek a return to sectional play after missing out last season. Two years ago Notre Dame was Section 4 Class C runner-up. ... Notre Dame won the Class C state title in 1997, one of 20 state championships all-time for Section 4 schools in baseball.
WATKINS GLEN/ODESSA-MONTOUR
Head coach: Jason Westervelt
Class: B
Players to watch: Senior outfielder Brady Cannon and senior shortstop Ben Heichel were first-team IAC South Large School all-stars last season. Senior pitcher/infielder Alex Holmes was also a first-team IAC all-star and dazzled in his first pitching start of this season, striking out 12 and allowing no hits in a five-inning win over Dryden. Bradley Gillis is a multisport standout who has committed to Alfred University for football.
Notable: Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour captured the first Section 4 title in team history last season, beating Bainbridge-Guilford, 6-4, in the final. ... The Storm opened this season with two wins and a tie.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Guide to 2024 high school baseball in Elmira-Corning region
