Penn Charter's MLB Draft prospect Mike Siani prepares during the pre-game Tuesday at Germantown Academy. Siani hit .367 as a junior last season. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

by Jonathan Vander Lugt

Last season, everything fell into place for Penn Charter baseball.

Head coach Dave Miller’s team – so packed to the gills with talent that even its bench players are playing Division III baseball – finally actualized on its way to a 25-2 regular season record, a national ranking, and an Inter-Ac crown.

Then, 14 seniors (10 of which are playing college ball) graduated. Miller himself left for his first Division I head coaching opportunity at La Salle. The roster, nearly gutted, has been left for first-time head coach Justin Hanley to figure out.

“I’m big on continuity and consistency, and it goes a long way with the kids too,” Hanley said. “This is my sixth year in the program. Knowing some of these kids since they’ve been in seventh and eighth grade, it’s what gives me confidence in playing such a young team… I’ve known them for a while now. I know their makeup, and know they can handle situations.”

Four freshman saw playing time in Tuesday’s win over Germantown Academy. While PC did start four seniors as well, only Michael Siani has returning varsity experience. His fellow returnees are his brother Sammy, a junior, and sophomore catcher Gavin Zavorski.

“That’s six guys out there that have to learn how to close a game out,” Hanley said. “It’s tough. It’s like a whole different team, but the good thing is that the young kids are eager to put their stamp on the program.”

The biggest stamp of the season, however, is almost certainly going to be left by the eldest Siani sibling. Michael Siani is projected to go within the first three rounds of this June’s MLB draft, and a crowd of pro scouts has attended every game so far.

In years past, there might be one or two MLB guys – maybe four or five on a busy day – but Tuesday’s match against GA brought at least a dozen despite poor weather. Hanley said that there were as many as 35 – area scouts, crosscheckers, the whole lot – at a game earlier this season in New Jersey.

“It’s something that I’ve had to get used to,” Siani said. “It’s just another game for me – I try not to get too into it. I just do my own thing and try to have fun.

Penn Charter senior Will Samuel delivers on Tuesday's game against Germantown Academy. Samuel went five and a third innings against the Patriots. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

Easy to project long term in center field – he’s wiry, fleet afoot, makes good reads and has an arm that once crested 90 miles per hour from the mound – most questions lie in his bat. At around 5-foot-10 or 11, it’s hard to project much in the way of raw power, but his propensity to consistently make solid, hard contact portends well for future success.

“It’s weird but we’re getting used to it,” Hanley said, of the professional attention paid to Siani’s play. “I think Michael pressed a little bit – he’s just got to take it all in stride because it’s going to work itself out.”

In the MLB draft, the lowest signing bonus in the third round is north of $500,000. If Siani gets tabbed in the second, he’s likely to be looking at a six-figure offer, and anything above the 35th pick should garner $2 million or more. In addition, Siani will have a scholarship offer from the University of Virginia to mull.

“He’s going to have a big decision to make in about eight weeks,” Hanley said. “He’s got all the intangibles, and his baseball IQ is unparalleled. He’s like a fourth coach sometimes because knows when to handle a situation to prevent me from getting after a kid. He’s fantastic.”

For now, Siani is focused on repeating in the Inter-Ac and helping a young team mature.

“I was a captain last year, so I’ve been in this position before,” he said. “I think I’m comfortable in the role. Even though we’re a brand new team, I think we’re playing well together and we’re looking to continue doing that.”

Penn Charter dropped a close one to the Episcopal Academy Friday, 5-3. Michael Siani collected three hits, while his brother tallied a pair and two runs batted in. Next week, the Quakers will host Springside Chestnut Hill Tuesday before going to the Haverford School Friday.

“They’ll be where they need to be. We graduated 14 kids, and that’s a lot of innings to be earned,” Hanley said. “I don’t think we’ve played up to our potential yet. Once the weather turns, hopefully we’ll warm up.”

New Penn Charter head coach Justin Hanley cheers his team on last Tuesday against Germantown Academy. Now in his sixth year with the program, Hanley pitched for Division II West Chester from 2002 to 2005. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

Around the Area:

Springside Chestnut Hill got off to the best start of the area’s Inter-Ac teams with an 11-1 win over the Haverford School Tuesday followed by a 5-3 win over Germantown Academy Friday. Senior Aiden Frye has pitched nine innings across the two games and surrendered a scant two runs. The Blue Devils will travel about 10 minutes down the Wissahickon Valley to Penn Charter Tuesday before hosting Malvern Prep Friday.

La Salle won a pair of Catholic League games – 10-7 in extras over Father Judge Tuesday, and 9-1 over last year’s PIAA AA champ Neumann-Goretti Friday. The Explorers are a perfect 4-0 in the league this year, and will host Conwell-Egan Catholic and Bonner-Prendergast on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

Germantown Friends split the week with a 12-0 victory over the Academy of the New Church Tuesday before losing 12-2 to Shipley on Friday. The Tigers will host George School on Tuesday before playing Friends Select on Thursday.