South I

Two-way players Gavin Metrick and Matthew Russell recently earned state awards for their part in Reservoir Baseball’s impressive performance this season. The Gators had their best record since 2011, finishing at 17-1. That dominance earned a county title and a deep playoff run. The two Gators earned spots on Prep Baseball Report’s Maryland All-State First Team. They represented two of the three Howard County representatives among 18 total players. No Reservoir player had made the all-Maryland team in the 2020s until this year. Coach Adam Leader spoke with CSZ Network about the two Gators’ contributions to the team. He explained the value of having two-way players on the roster. “To have Gavin and Matt as two-way players was a huge advantage to our team. Both are leaders on and off the field, so having them play in every game made a huge impact on our success this year,” Leader said. Metrick split time between the mound and third base this season. He led all of Howard County with a minuscule 0.24 ERA. At the plate, Metrick reached base at a .567 rate and played the entire season without registering a single strikeout. Russell won the Howard County Pitcher of the Year award with a sparkling 0.75 ERA in 49 innings. He threw two complete-game shutouts in two weeks across March and April. The shortstop brought the lineup crucial power with a 1.370 OPS. Since 2023, the Reservoir coaching staff has awarded the “Rock of the Game” to a player after every win. The “rock” refers to the team’s life-size cardboard cutout of actor Dwayne Johnson. Selected players pose with the cutout for a picture on the team's Instagram page. Metrick and Russell each had seven nominations, tied for the team lead. Leader celebrated the statewide attention stemming from accolades pouring in. He described the long-term impact on the team. “It means a lot to our program. First, I am so proud of the hard work they both put in during the offseason. They have improved so much. Other players saw the hard work they put in and it was great for other players to see. It also brought a lot of attention to our program,” Leader said. Metrick and Russell are slated to play together again soon in mid-July. Both Gators joined the Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game as members of the South team. They will also reunite with Coach Leader in the dugout as one of the team’s three managers. Leader shared his expectations for Metrick and Russell going forward as they prepare for their first college season. “Towson fans should expect to see two hard-working players. Both are incredible people and will do anything to help the Towson program,” Leader said.

The Sherwood Warriors won the class 3A state title this past month, defeating Chopticon 8-3. It captures its sixth state title in school history, and its fourth in five years, during which they won three straight from 2021-2023. For seniors Jason Seils, Ryan Rey, and Jacob Bagania who have been a part of two championships, it’s the perfect way to go out. “They were the engine that drove our team,” said head coach Sean Davis. And indeed they were, as each of them made massive contributions to the team all season long. Seils, a right handed pitcher, had a 9-0 record with a 1.38 ERA and struck out 43 batters in 45 ⅔ innings. Rey had a single season school record .988% fielding percentage with 56 assists, 24 putouts, and only one error while manning the infield. And Bagania, the MVP of the team, had a .426 BA with a .613 OBP with 14 RBI’s and 26 stolen bases. He also walked 28 times this season, making it a single season record. His 26 stolen base mark is also a school record. All three of them, along with the three other seniors including Ty Hames, are going to continue their careers in college. Hames was their power guy, earning a .532 SLG with 28 RBIs and 16 doubles. But it wasn’t just them that made the Warriors so dominant this season. It was the wide array of talent from all players from all classes, including freshman. “If you’re young and you can help the team win, you’re going to be up on varsity right away.” That, combined with the culture that has been built during the fifteen years coach Davis has been at the helm, has been what has made this team the powerhouse it is today. There’s a certain tone that the upperclassmen show towards the young players, and that’s by welcoming them into the Sherwood family. “I really just think it’s buying in culture… there’s never been a tone of ‘all the older kids are gonna pick on or haze or treat the younger kids poorly,’” coach Davis said. “They welcome them into the wolfpack, they welcome them into the brotherhood.” How the class of 2025 has grown throughout the years has really stood out to coach Davis, not just through physical growth, but also mental maturity. And the way they interact with his son is also a joy to watch. “The way they act with him and to see just how good of people they are and caring they are, it was awesome to watch.” Sherwood baseball during Sean Davis’ time there has been to six state titles in twelve years, winning four. During this past season, they had a regular season record of 17-3, scoring around 7 runs per game while allowing 1.5 runs. Their regular season also included eight shutout games, with four of the eight coming during a six game winning streak down the back stretch of the season. During that winning streak, they scored an average of ten runs per game while allowing 0.5 runs per game, with 2 being the highest they allowed. They carried that hot streak into the postseason, striking down their opponents with a swift hammer fist that had been displayed all season long, defeating the previous three 3A champions in River Hill, Chesapeake, and Chopticon during their playoff run, solidifying themselves as one of the most dominant baseball empires in state history. And it’s no coincidence that this current run of dominance is due to the bonds and relationships that have been built within the clubhouse among all the players and coaches. “I tell the guys that the teams that generally care about and love each other, those are the ones that succeed.” He explains how he had groups from the past that might’ve been more talented, but that this one was the “tightest” he had ever had. “When you have that, it does translate to the field, and they’re darn hard to beat.”

On the afternoon of May 23, the one-seeded Sherwood Warriors matched up against the three-seed, the Chopticon Braves, in the MPSSAA 3A Baseball State Championship. In the semi-finals, Sherwood shut out the five-seed Chesapeake Cougars 4-0, while Chopticon took down the seven-seeded Oakdale Bears 4-1. Neither team had much action in the first inning, but the Braves opened the scoring in this match-up in the top of the second. Following a leadoff single by Ryan Welch, catcher Trace Haggard smacked a fly ball into left field to drive in the first run. In the bottom half, Sherwood answered Calum Jagannathan singled to lead off the inning, and pinch runner Carter Sweeney-Strawberry tied the game, scoring on a passed ball. In the bottom of the third, Sherwood picked up the lead. Jacob Bagania fought for a leadoff walk after a six-pitch at bat. After stealing second and third, and after a Ty Hames walk and stolen base, Jaiden Sarita picked up his first hit and first two RBI of the day on a line drive single into center field, giving Sherwood a 3-1 lead. To start off the offense in the next inning, Cam Calandro singled on a ground ball into center field, stole second base, and scored on a single by Jacob Bagania in the next at bat. Ryan Rey continued the offense for the Warriors in the inning, driving in Bagania on a single after he stole a base. After advancing to third on a single by Ty Hames, Rey scored Sherwood’s sixth run on a sacrifice fly out to left field by Jaiden Sarita. In the top of the fifth, Maverick Trueman and Kody Adkins singled and Noah Pessagno walked to load the bases with no outs. Logan Carver was walked, and Chopticon scored their second run. During the following at bat, Ryan Welch reached on an error by Sherwood’s third baseman Jacob Bender, and the Braves scored again with no outs. However, that would be the end of the scoring that inning, as three runners were stranded on base to end the inning. During the bottom half, Connor Flickinger doubled on a fly ball to deep left field with two outs, and pinch hitter Michael Cheng drove him in on a hard ground ball single into left field. Down by four runs, Chopticon had runners on the corners with two outs. Logan Carver stepped up to the plate, and destroyed a ball over 300 feet down the right field line, but the ball curved within feet of the foul pole, and proved to be just a long strike down the line, and the Braves were unable to score in the inning. Sherwood was able to tack one more on the board in the bottom half, as Ty Hames led off the inning with a double on a fly ball off the right field wall. Jaiden Sarita followed that up with his second hit of the day, a single on a line drive into center field, driving in his fourth RBI of the day. That would be the end of the scoring in this match up, and the Sherwood Warriors won the 3A baseball state championship 8-3. Jason Selis earned the win for the Warriors, going 4.0 innings on 70 pitches. The starter gave up three earned runs on six hits while picking up five strikeouts. For the Braves, Logan Carver was tagged with the loss. The Penn State York commit went 3.1 innings, allowing five earned runs on five hits and four walks while picking up five strikeouts in the outing. Congratulations to both teams for reaching this momentous game.

Jaiden Sarita’s 2-hit, 4-RBI performance power Sherwood to the 3A state baseball championship — the program’s fourth title in five years and sixth overall. ⚾️🔥

Michael Cheng drove in a run on a single in the bottom of the fifth for Sherwood, they now lead 7-3 over Chopticon with two innings to play.

Game will now be played at Quince Orchard @2:00 PM

What is the score

Postponed to 5/14 at 5pm at Blandair Park

Today, March 26th, the Magruder Colonels play against the Sherwood Warriors. This is also a SCHOOL RIVALRY MATCH!!! The Colonels currently have two wins and one loss. Their most recent win was Monday, March 24th, when they secured the dub 14-0 against Clarksbug. Junior Ethan Hyler pitched 3 innings, 2H, 2 strikeouts, and 0R. Senior Ben Santos and Sophomore Andrew Giaclone pitched scoreless IP in relief each. Senior Terrion Pettus with 3-3, 3R, 2RBI, and 2SB. Senior Avery Grain with 3-3, 2R, 5RBI, and 2SB. Lastly, we have Senior Ryan Shwartzman, who has 1-2 3RBI, and Nilson Tejada with 2R. Congratulations to the team, and lets see what they have in their bag for today against the Sherwood Warriors. Pop out and support the Colonels!!

Today, Atholton High School hosted a special event to honor the legacy of the late Coach Paul Donovan. CSZ was on-site to cover Paul Donovan Day, a heartfelt ceremony that included the unveiling of a banner dedicated to Paul. The event served as a tribute to a man whose influence extended far beyond the baseball field. Atholton Coach Scott Peddicord opened the ceremony with some words about Paul. "The best word to describe Paul was not just a coach but a mentor. He was truly an inspiration to many players, myself included, to enter the field of coaching. I only hope to have a fraction of the impact on my players like Coach (Donovan) had on me." The microphone was then passed to Larry Long, a former player of Coach Donovan from 1991-1996. Long, an alumnus of Howard High School and a four-year starter at the University of Maryland, reflected on the profound influence Donovan had on his life. "I reflect on the time Coach Donovan was my coach, and he helped me with my baseball skills, but more importantly, life skills." As the ceremony neared its conclusion, Long shared a powerful message: "My encouragement is to take his legacy and pass it along to someone else. Don't keep it to yourself but pass those lessons learned and earned to someone else—because he blessed me." Following the speeches, a special moment unfolded as Paul Donovan’s grandchildren took the field to throw the ceremonial first pitch, officially kicking off the game. In a fitting tribute, the matchup featured Atholton vs. Howard, symbolizing Donovan’s deep ties to both schools. Paul Donovan was inducted into the Howard County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, cementing his status as one of the most respected figures in local sports history. His impact on generations of players and coaches remains undeniable, and Paul Donovan Day was a testament to the lasting legacy of a man who shaped not only baseball careers but also lives. The event was more than just a remembrance; it was a call to action—to carry forward the values and lessons Coach Donovan instilled in his players. His legacy continues to inspire, ensuring that his dedication to mentorship and excellence lives on.

Linus Byrnes with the first pitch on Paul Donovan Day!

Mt. Hebron took the Howard County baseball world by storm this spring, putting together an impressive 14-2 record in the regular season. The Vikings went on a nine-game winning streak during the second half of the season, in which they outscored opponents 66-12. One notable victory during the streak was taking down eventual Class 2A state finalist Glenelg, 16-3, on April 26th. “It wasn’t a playoff game, but it might as well have been,” Head Coach Aaron Wilson said. “Beating them was a testament to the kind of team we were.” Mt. Hebron would go on to clinch the top seed in Class 3A south, before eventually getting bounced by Chesapeake High School (Anne Arundel) in the playoffs. Nonetheless, it was a successful season for the Vikings. “It was the best season in school history as far as I know,” Coach Wilson said. At the plate, the Vikings were led by Third Basemen Lucas Edwards, who led the team in average (.469), RBIs (18), runs (26) and stolen bases (12). Other key contributors included Mike Brogno (.557 OBP) and Nick Duda (.526 OBP), among others. On the mound, Starting Pitcher Austin Kehres pitched to a 3-0 record while sporting a 1.09 ERA. Wilson said one thing that really stood out from the season was how the group came together and became one unit. “The players got together during the offseason for dinners and other team building activities. The camaraderie was a huge takeaway.” Going forward, Coach Wilson and the Vikings are looking to build on a solid season. “We went from the middle of the pack to the best team in the county,” said Wilson. “We lost some seniors, but we also had underclassmen step up who will take on key roles next year.” Wilson said summer tournaments, fall ball, and winter workouts will play a big factor on if his team is able to take the next step next year.

Aidan Harris threw a scoreless complete game for the Bears striking out 11 batters. Aidan also went 2-3 and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Wilk. Manny Powell and Connor Walls also had hits. countysports.zone/scores/view/v8yyWxzF241mITheQNnIE

Adam Macfarlane pitched very well. Brandon Lake had 2 big hits. Jordan Peguese and Karlyle Yarema played well in the field. countysports.zone/scores/view/JVtfSn2lL3VJw-LOlPzTN

Ppd to Tuesday countysports.zone/scores/view/k5QhUlk1LG7af90Wc6aAy

J.P. Tennant- Win; Tucker Freer- Save Conner Bosley Double. countysports.zone/scores/view/ISIgvMkacqPZWtH7_Zcqd