Here's a quick glance at the two Mid-Penn Conference programs still engaged at the District 3 Tournament. Both are semifinals.
Keep in mind, three teams in Class AAAA and AAA will qualify for the PIAA Tournament next week. All District 3 championship games will be contested at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York on Wednesday (AA and A) and Thursday (AAAA and AAA).
McCaskey (16, 14-8) vs. Lower Dauphin (5, 17-5-1), Fredericksburg, 6
Maybe Lower Dauphin is playing with house money, considering the Falcons needed a miracle seventh inning against Cumberland Valley to squeeze into the quarterfinals. Then again, every Ken Kulina-coached outfit is expected to be in this position, one win shy of claiming a state tournament bid and one-win away from playing for a district title.
Although its latest performance at Wenger Field was shortened by rain, the efficient work by guys like C Deon Stafford, CF Luke Lingle and Marshal Kiessling against Warwick proves the Falcons are right on track. Kulina has both ace Blair Lewis and Kiessling ready to go.
One of them will get the call against pre-tournament afterthought McCaskey. All the 16-seed as done so far is knock out top-seeded Hempfield and eighth-seeded Spring Grove, thanks to a tidy no-hitter by James Hartman (7-3). Pitching, with a bit of speed mixed in, have been McCaskey's strengths in the past few weeks.
Besides Hartman, who added 10 strikeouts to his resume against Spring Grove, Lazaro Duvergel (4-2) has pitched in 45 innings for head coach Dave Hinnenkemp. And Duvergel's .400 average hovers near top offensive threats in SS Miguel Torres (25 RBIs, eight doubles) and CF Aaron Taylor (.413). Duvergel's 18 RBIs leads the Red Tornado.
Greencastle-Antrim (13, 13-7) vs. West York (8, 16-7), Dillsburg, 6
Very few opportunities rival the chance to knock down the defending PIAA Class AAA champ. That's exactly what the suddenly-hot Blue Devils have earned after toppling favorites Lancaster Catholic and Oley Valley, seeds 4 and 5, in back-to-back postseason rounds.
Skipper Eric Shaner might not like to admit it, but the Devils didn't always bring a level of confidence to the field during the regular season. That character flaw, however, seems a distant memory now after G-A hit the D3-AAA bracket with an aggressive approach at the plate and high defensive standard that has fueled this run.
And whether it's the return of Myles Gayman or Ryan Ricci or Justin Hovey to the mound Tuesday, that tenacity does wonders for any pitcher. As for those Bulldogs, Roger Czerwinski, who brought home NFSH coach of the year honors a season ago, offers another talented group that edged Northeastern and Shippensburg en route to the semifinals.
That makes it seven straight wins for the York County champs. Led by OF Chase James (.395), P-1B Brandon Kinneman (.375) and P-IF Carson Fries (15 RBIs), the Bulldogs haven't lost since Palmyra claimed a 1-0 match on May 2. Who gets the ball will be an interesting decision for Czerwinski.
Top hurler Joey Prego (7-2, 1.68 ERA) slayed the Greyhounds, but Kinneman (5-4, 4.10 ERA), a southpaw, was the hero during last year's title run. Brett Kinneman is West York's third option.
Epler on Twitter: @threejacker