Colonie Garnet Raiders
Head coach: Kevin Halburian
Key players: A.J. Monin (catcher), Matt Weinman (shortstop), Paul Nylin (pitcher/third base), Matt Vetrone (second base), Colin Mooney (outfield)
Outlook: Halburian takes over for long time coach Greg Lanni, and the team Halburian is inheriting is a blend of veterans and rookies. "It's a good challenge. It's something that I've been preparing [to do] for the last 15 years," said Halburian. "It's a great group of kids. We only have six seniors, so we're young."
Columbia Blue Devils
Head coach: Chris Dedrick
Key players: Patrick Puentes (outfield), Nolan Gaige (pitcher/designated hitter), James Vooris (outfield), Eric Hilton (pitcher), Ian Gaule (pitcher/first base)
Outlook: To get back to the Class AA finals, the Blue Devils will need Gaige, Hilton and Gaule to lead a pitching staff that took a couple of big hits last year to graduation. "We lost our No. 1 and our No. 2 starters, but we've got our top lefty back in Nolan Gaige," said Dedrick.
Guilderland Dutchmen
Head coach: Doug LaValley
Key players: Steven Anderson (first base/designated hitter), Matt Roth (third base), Jason Sherwood (catcher), Kyle LaValley (pitcher/first base), C.J. Lozano (pitcher/second base), Pat Quinn (outfield)
Outlook: The Dutchmen gained some confidence in the pre-season after beating Bethlehem and Columbia in scrimmages. "I feel pretty good about them," said coach LaValley. "Defensively, we're going to be very strong."
Mohonasen Mighty Warriors
Head coach: Jim Huggins
Returning starters: Robert Tedesco (pitcher), Jacob Papa (outfield), Vinny DeMarco (catcher), Dominic Bianchi (pitcher)
Newcomers: Luke Flood (pitcher), Brandon Logon (outfield), Ben Dalton (outfield)
Outlook: The Mighty Warriors are in reloading mode after graduating several players from last year's Class A finalist team. "We have only two starters coming back, so our big thing is having a support staff for everyone else," said Huggins. "Obviously, we'd like to try to repeat getting to where we were last year. It'll come down to how quickly the new guys come together.""
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