The Post’s CHSAA baseball beat writer Dylan Butler breaks down the best-of-three third-round qualifying series for the Class AA championship tournament.
For live updates during the games, check out Dylan Butler’s Twitter page here.
Here are the matchups and schedule
No. 5 Archbishop Molloy vs. No. 17 Cardinal Spellman
Game 1 – Sunday Noon at Stanner Field
Game 2 – Monday 6 p.m. at St. John’s University
Game 3 – Tuesday if necessary at TBA
No. 6 Moore Catholic vs. No. 12 St. Francis Prep
Game 1 – Sunday 1 p.m. at Richmond County Youth Complex
Game 2 – Monday 3:30 p.m. at St. John’s University
Game 3 – Tuesday if necessary at TBA
No. 7 Fordham Prep vs. No 11 Monsignor McClancy
Game 1 – Sunday 2:30 p.m. at Coffey Field
Game 2 – Monday 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s University
Game 3 – Tuesday if necessary at TBA
No. 8 Xavier vs. No. 10 Archbishop Stepinac
Game 1 – Sunday Noon at Coffey Field
Game 2 – Monday 10 a.m. at St. John’s University
Game 3 – Tuesday if necessary at TBA
No. 5 Archbishop Molloy Stanners
Head coach: Jack Curran
Record: 13-4
Player to watch: Jonathan Ramon
No. 17 Cardinal Spellman Pilots
Head coach: Lou Brescia
Record: 9-11
Player to watch: Besnik Rukova
Outlook: The highly-anticipated matchup between Queens rivals Archbishop Molloy and St. Francis Prep never materialized because Cardinal Spellman pulled off the upset of the year, beating defending Class AA champion St. Joseph by the Sea in Huguenot Saturday.
Looking for a Cinderella? Look no further than the 17th-seeded Pilots, who also beat Regis in a mild upset in the first round on Thursday. Led by catcher Besnik Rukova and a strong crop of highly-motivated seniors, Spellman is again the underdog in the third round.
Led by slugger Jonathan Ramon, who will be the Game 1 starter Sunday, and crafty left-hander Mike Auriemmo, the Stanners finished second in Brooklyn/Queens and is the No. 5 seed. Two of Molloy’s four losses came against St. Francis Prep, but if Jack Curran’s squad is breathing a sigh of relief for dodging that bullet, they can’t overlook a Spellman team that also had regular season wins against Fordham Prep (twice) and All Hallows.
No. 6 Moore Catholic Mavericks
Head coach: Nick Doscher
Record: 10-5
Player to watch: Matt DiOrio
No. 12 St. Francis Prep
Head coach: Bro. Robert Kent
Record: 10-8
Player to watch: Chris Cannon
Outlook: If the CHSAA title stays on Staten Island, there’s a chance it is lifted by Moore Catholic, which topped St. Joseph by the Sea for second place. Frank Smith, John Baggs and Joe Todaro are back from a young team that reached this round a year ago.
The Mavericks have the experience, the offense, led by sophomore Matt DiOrio, and a deep pitching staff to make a run at the title.
St. Francis Prep has the most dangerous slugger on either team in Navy-bound catcher Chris Cannon. He is part of a solid senior class that includes starters Jordan Colflesh, Jason Perrone, Tom McKenna, Sam Gaitan, Steve Ellis and Danny Finn. The Terriers are a resilient group, as they’ve proven in a handful of come-from-behind wins, including a 4-1 victory against Cardinal Hayes in the second round.
No. 7 Fordham Prep Rams
Head coach: Pat Deane
Record: 12-6
Player to watch: Sal Annunziata
No. 11 Monsignor McClancy
Head coach: Nick Melito
Record: 10-8
Player to watch: Dan Restrepo
Outlook: Seton Hall-bound slugger Sal Annunziata is back from a knee injury and that’s a very good thing for a Fordham Prep offense that has struggled at times to manufacture runs, a staple of playoff baseball. Led by Jimmy McCormack, Jack Becker, lefty Alex Depasquale and Matt DiLecce, Fordham Prep has enough pitching to play well into June, but its offense needs to kick into gear.
And there’s no better catalyst than switch-hitting Andrew Velasquez at the top of the Rams lineup. When he gets on, Fordham Prep’s chances of scoring increases exponentially.
Monsignor McClancy has a pretty good table-setter of its own in Dan Restrepo, who doubled and scored in a 4-0 second-round win against St. Raymond Friday. The Crusaders, which finished the regular season strong by winning seven of their last nine, had seven hits against the Ravens, more than enough offense for Anthony Merchan, who pitched the complete-game shutout.
No. 8 Xavier Knights
Head coach: Rich Duffell
Record: 11-7
Player to watch: Nick DiLeo
No. 10 Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders
Head coach: Pat Duffy
Record: 11-8
Player to watch: Donato Signore
Outlook: A year ago, Xavier made a surprising run to its first Class AA final, falling short against St. Joseph by the Sea. Led by Lafayette-bound third baseman and part-time pitcher James McCool, the Knights have a veteran core back from that squad, including one of the best 1-2 combinations on the mound in lefty Nick DiLeo and lanky Sean Meekins.
Like many teams this year, Xavier has suffered from an inconsistent offense. The Knights closed the regular season winning seven of their last eight and scored a combined 37 runs in four consecutive wins.
Archbishop Stepinac has its share of solid hitters, including Nick Euvino, Donato Signore, Greg DGiacinto and Skylar Mercado, but the Crusaders pitching has been inconsistent. Getting Danny DiFillipo back from a bout of mono is a plus, as he came out of the bullpen in a 4-1 win against Bishop Ford in a second-round qualifying game Saturday in White Plains.