Nick Delany of Muncy is called safe at home plate after St. John Neumann catcher Clark Bower loses the ball on the play at home to end the game Tuesday afternoon in Muncy. Muncy won, 5-4. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

If one looked at last year’s Muncy roster and then compared it with the preseason one it put out last March he or she might ask the same question.

“Who are these guys?”

Six seniors graduated and multiple expected returning starters decided against playing again. That created a small roster dominated by underclassmen, especially sophomores and freshmen. Throw in some injuries and Muncy faced quite a challenge.

But these kids can play. And while the future looks especially bright, the sun is shining more upon the present as well. The Indians (6-7) are in the hunt for a District 4 Class AA playoff berth and pulled off one of the year’s more exciting area wins last Tuesday, walking off with a 5-4 win against playoff-bound St. John Neumann.

That was the same Neumann team which thumped Muncy, 10-1 in the second game this season. This is a growing process, but the rematch highlighted the impressive climb Muncy has already made.

“One kid on their team said ‘You’re a lot better than we thought you were,'” shortstop Tanner Baker said after igniting the two-run game-winning rally with a double. “But we knew that we could do this as a team and be this good.”

Baker is one of the few starters back from last year’s playoff team. He also is one of only two senior starters. The other, Levi Adams, also came up huge in the Neumann comeback, playing the hero and belting a two-out, walk-off single.

Those two will not be around as the core of a team which has started as many as five freshmen in a game grows older, but they have been quality leaders and have helped speed up the growing process. That is something which eventually will be even more valuable than the current production they provide.

“We lost six seniors and a lot of starters from last year so we knew we had to fill those holes and we’ve been working at it and getting better,” Adams said. “Everyone stepped up and did their job.”

Coach Shawn Finn won more than 200 games at South Williamsport earlier in the 2000s before becoming Muncy’s head coach last season. He has been a head coach for 18 years and, counting his years as an assistant, has 26 years of high school coaching experience.

Still, Finn has never had a group this young. He and his staff have had to call upon all their experience and resources to try and help this team improve. It’s not just teaching the game, but teaching situations and how to prepare and little things that staffs normally do not have to go over with more experienced teams.

Through it all, Muncy won six of nine games following an 0-2 start, highlighting that with the Neumann win. That came a day after Muncy cut a seven-run deficit against South Williamsport to three before the Mounties pulled away for a 12-4 victory. Lessons learned in that game carried onto the field a day later and that signaled where Muncy could be going.

“We talked after the (South) game about mental tougnness and competing. That’s hard to teach young kids because freshmen don’t understand the mental aspect of the game yet and they will get there,” Finn said. “(Tuesday) we battled and did some good things. It’s a big step for us that needed to be taken.”

Finn’s emotions following the win revealed what a grind it’s been this season. He fought back tears at times, explaining how much a comeback win like that meant for his team and what it displayed as well.

Muncy wants that win to be a highlight this season, not THE highlight. But it certainly showcased the potential it has and the distance it has come. Freshman Jameson Barlow pitched a sensational game, fellow freshman Kynton Fish produced two hits and junior Nick Delany produced a perfect slide to score the winning run.

This year is about laying a foundation. Day be day, Muncy is making that foundation stronger.

“We’ve been waiting for a game like this. That’s a very good team we played,” Finn said. “We’ve had to move people around daily and it’s been hard. To get a win like this and to see them jumping around and having fun is a good feeling.”

LOTS OF HELP: Despite the Muncy loss, Neumann is enjoying one of the most successful seasons in program history, going 11-4. The Knights have secured a District 4 Class A playoff berth, made a four-win improvement since last season and are playoff-bound for the first time since 2022.

All four Neumann losses are against 2 or 3A teams and it has received steady production throughout the roster. It has been quite a run so far and coach Rick Armstead is delighted, not just with his players, but his fellow coaches. Armstead brought on girls basketball coach and Neumann graduate Jaiden Cioffi, as well as Adam Lindsey this offseason and they have given the program a boost, combining with fellow assistants Paul Roman, Andy McMahon and Arthur Grant to help Armstead bring out the best in his team.

“Those two (Cioffi and Lindsey) have brought about a world of difference about how we go about things. I can’t say enough about those two additions,” Armstead said. “I’m proud of all my coaches. We don’t do this without those coaches, end of story. I’m nobody without all those coaches. Those coaches are hands down the best coaching staff I’ve ever been part of and I try and let them know that every day.”

EXTRA BASES: Montgomery is playoff-bound for an eighth straight season after defeating 4A Selinsgrove, 5-1 Saturday. Parker Bennett and Briar Persing combined on a one-hitter with Bennett throwing 5 1/3 innings for the win and Persing striking out four of the five batters he faced. Montgomery (10-4) has built a super tradition there, reaching districts in 19 of the last 20 seasons … South Williamsport put together an excellent week, going 4-0 and capping it with a thrilling 5-4 win in nine innings against Wellsboro. Cole Gerber, Chance Quimby and Kamdyn Bubb also delivered clutch pitching performances and different players came through at crucial times, including Torin Haug who hit a walk-off single against Wellsboro … Speaking of Wellsboro, the Hornets (6-8) won three straight entering the South game and sophomore pitcher Max Mascho threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory, striking out 11 two days after Towanda had scored 14 runs against North Penn-Mansfield … Deryk Kulp came up big for Loyalsock last week, throwing complete game gems in wins against Hughesville and Jersey Shore. The senior allowed just three runs and five hits in 12 innings, striking out 18 … Canton catcher Bailey Gardner went off in a 9-5 win against Muncy Friday. The sophomore was 4 for 4 with a home run, double and three RBIs … Cowanesque Valley (11-1) is playoff-bound for the first time in three years after wins against Coudersport and Williamson. The Indians have won seven straight games.

Dr. Masse’s top 5 rankings

1. Central Mountain (14-0): Central Mountain is a champion again, capturing the HAC-I crown after outscoring Shikellamy and Jersey Shore, 25-0. Austin Frank and Blake Walker combined on a four-inning non-hitter with nine strikeouts in the title clinching victory against Jersey Shore. Equally impressive, Central Mountain swept two games from Punxsutawney, which entered 11-2, taking the second, 3-2 on Isaiah Maldonado’s walk-off single. Central Mountain has matched the best start in program history and catcher Watt Probst continued his strong play, going 7 for 14 last week with five doubles and four RBIs.

2. Warrior Run (15-1): Warrior Run is a win from clinching no worse than a share of the HAC-III championship as it seeks its first league title since 2016. The Defenders host Mifflinburg today and Bloomsburg Wednesday. Wins there would give them the outright title and a split would give it a share of the crown. Warrior Run showcased its explosiveness last week, scoring 44 runs in wins against Montgomery, Loyalsock and Mifflinburg. The Defenders erupted for 17 runs in their final three at-bats, turning a four-run fourth inning deficit into a 20-7 win at Mifflinburg. Landon Tillson went 3 for 5 with five RBIs in that contest and Griffen Harrington capped a huge in which he drove in 11 runs, going 2 for 3 with 11 RBIs. Warrior Run is receiving production throughout the lineup and Tyler Ulrich has four hits in his last two games, while No. 9 hitter Gavin Getz scored four times at Mifflinburg.

3. Montoursville (11-2): Montoursville basically will be facing a Major League type schedule if the weather cooperates this week, playing five games in six days. Mount Carmel and Danville are a game ahead of Montoursville in the HAC-II and play both this week, seeking to avenge their two losses. The Warriors also are in a three-way fight with Danville and Athens for District 4 Class AAAA’s top seed. Montoursville came alive offensively last week, scoring at last five runs in all four of its games. Second baseman Kane Moore drove in six runs and Michael Reeder continues excelling in the No. 9 spot, reaching base in each game. Reeder is hitting .417 with 17 runs, while sophomore catcher Noah Kirby has developed into a steady run producer, totaling 20 RBIs.

4. Williamsport (9-6): Williamsport is in a close battle with Scranton for District 2-4 Class AAAAAA’s No. 2 seed. That is important because the top two seeds receive byes into the semifinals and avoid having to play a quarterfinal in a deep tournament. The Millionaires lost two close games at State College and Dallas last week but defeated Selinsgrove, 7-1 as Ryan Schur continued his excellent season. Schur improved to 5-0, throwing five innings of one-hit baseball. Schur has been lights out in his last two starts, throwing 10 consecutive scoreless innings and scattering four hits, while striking out 12. Cole Deitrick also is pitching well and struck out nine in six strong innings at State College before going 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs in the Selinsgrove win.

5. North Penn-Mansfield (10-3): North Penn-Mansfield broke out of a two-game funk in dramatic fashion, erasing a nine-run deficit and defeating Troy, 15-14 to clinch a second straight District 4 Class AAA playoff berth. The offense came back to life with Liam Shaut, Andy Hermansen and Cooper Shaw hitting home runs and four players delivered two or more hits. The Tigers won both games against fellow playoff contender Troy in their final at-bat, overcoming four and nine-run deficits in those victories. North Penn-Mansfield edged South for the final spot in the Top Five and, if Mother Nature allows, those two will settle that on the field this afternoon as South heads North.

Players of the Week

Tadd Lusk, South and Blake Walker, Central Mountain: Lusk put together one of the most dominant weeks a hitter can, going 13 for 15 in South’s four victories with a home run, four doubles, six RBIs and 11 runs. Lusk put together one of the area’s best single games at Wyalusing, going 6 for 6 with seven stolen bases, five runs and two RBIs. Walker also wore out opposing pitchers during a four-win week, going 8 for 12 with a home run, three doubles, eight RBIs and five runs. Walker has five home runs this season and also is pitching well, throwing three scoreless innings last week, earning a win and striking out six.

Game of the Week

Backyard Brawl: One of the area’s most exciting events returns this weekend as defending champion Williamsport, Montoursville, Loyalsock and South Williamsport compete for the Backyard Brawl championship over two days at Bowman Field. Montoursville faces South in the first game Friday before Williamsport and Loyalsock collide in a rematch of last year’s final. Every team has won this tournament crown since 2019 at least once, so everything goes here.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse