'Crab Claw' Classic Showcases Area's Best Players

 

By Keith Mills

 

The eighth annual Mid-Atlantic High School Baseball Classic and Combine, played July 31 at Joe Cannon Stadium in Anne Arundel County, has once again attracted some of the region's premier high school players. The "Crab Claw” Classic’s North-South game is set for 4 p.m., after a series of day-long tryout sessions July 30 used to select the teams. Most players are from the Baltimore area, though Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey are well represented.

 

Lou Holcomb, a former standout pitcher and outfielder at Old Mill High School, the University of Maryland and a former Texas Rangers farmhand, directs the combine once again with help from area high school coaches: Joe Stetka of John Carroll, who is also an associate Orioles scout; Lee Schwarzenberg of St. Mary's; Calvert Hall's Brooks Kerr and Chris Bengel; and Dematha's Chris O'Connor.

 

Nearly 80 players will take part in Friday's combine, including some of the area's best returning players, including: Brandon Wooten and Robert Parsons (North Harford); LaMonte Wade (St. Paul's); Matt Kline, Nicholas Testa, Tyler Dameron and Daniel Price (C. Milton Wright); Brandon Casas and Thomas O'Neil (Gilman); Austin Clark (Archbishop Spalding); Steven Ridings (Annapolis Area Christian School); Ryan Deller (Glen Burnie); P.J. Williams and Bob Sanzone (Mount Carmel); Arnold Capute (Friends); Michael Fackler, Joe Tobin, Joe Carlineo, Brooks Klecan, Lee Lipinski, Colin Gimblet, Alex Pastorius and Matt Bosse (Calvert Hall); Trent Shaw, David McGee, Rob Stahl, Brendan Butler, Sean Nelson, Nicholas Naumann and K.J. Hockaday (John Carroll); James Eagan (Mount Airy Christian Academy); Samuel Hanke, Alec Scheetz and Mike Fafaul (Loyola/Blakefield); Colin Dyer (Howard); Joseph Roman (Patterson Mill); Tim Benjamin (Glenelg); Brady Ebel (McDonogh); Trevor Freeman, Connor Wells and John Mayer (Severna Park), Stephen Lozoskie, Michael Morias and Justin Sommer (Fallston);William Milleker (Northeast); Michael Skaro and Joey Dorsey (Franklin); Brett Van Cutsem (Loch Raven); Alex Kurth (Lansdowne); Dale Budnick (Aberdeen) and Daniel Weller (Old Mill).

 

More than 150 Mid-Atlantic Classic alumni have gone on to play in college or professional baseball, including current Orioles farmhands Brandon Erbe (McDonogh), L.J. Hoes (St. John's, D.C.), Steven Bumbry (Dulaney/Virginia Tech) and Joe Vellegia (Calvert Hall/Old Dominion). Graduating seniors Brad Markey (C. Milton Wright/Georgia Tech), Kyle Convissar (Severna Park/Maryland), Greg Bryant (Calvert Hall/U.S. Naval Academy), Mike Draper (Mount St. Joe/Towson University), and Shane Hollman (Fallston/LaSalle) played in last year's game.

Posted July 29, 2010