Salisbury is The Morning Call's 2011 baseball team of the year

FROM THE MORNING CALL

or much of the 2011 baseball season, Salisbury toiled in obscurity.

The Falcons played in a Colonial League with a loaded returning champion in Northern Lehigh and two other experienced contenders, Pen Argyl and Bangor. They did not have the star power boasted by some of the area's largest schools.

By the last week of the season, though, Salisbury owned the spotlight.

After winning their first District 11 title since 2004, the Falcons lasted longer in the state playoffs than any Lehigh Valley team. They made it all the way to the PIAA Class 2A title game at Penn State before Riverside denied their bid for a state title.

Despite the disappointing ending, they still wound up with the best playoff run in Salisbury history to earn Morning Call baseball team of the year honors.

As well as it played in the regular season — Salisbury won the Colonial League South Division — it set itself apart in the postseason. The Falcons beat Northern Lehigh and Colonial League champion Pen Argyl en route to the District 11 Class 2A title, then won three state playoff games by a combined 19-4 margin before running into Riverside.

Their success came with a roster featuring just three seniors. And it came in a year coach Mike Pochron described as his most enjoyable in 12 years running the program.

"There was no issues in school," Pochron said. "There was no issues amongst the team. No playing time issues. No discipline.

"It was just fun to come to practice every day," he added.

Picking a highlight from Salisbury's postseason run proved tough for Pochron. He first mentioned the District 11 2A semifinal win over Northern Lehigh, when Salisbury jumped out to a lead, had rain suspend the game and came back to finish off the victory the next day. The District 11 2A title game also stood out, with freshman Justin Aungst collecting a complete-game win against a Pen Argyl team that beat Salisbury twice earlier in the season.

The run itself, and the team that did it, will go down in Salisbury history as one of the best. The Falcons have posted better overall records than the 2011 team's 20-7 mark. They had never played for a state title before this season.

Pochron and his staff have already started discussing how Salisbury can replace departing seniors Zach Harper, Tyler Tocci and Mike Miller in an effort to contend for championships again next season. The 2012 Falcons will need to combine quality play and a few breaks in a way not many teams do to match the 2011 squad's body of work.

"It was a really special year because of the guys that we had behind us," Harper said. "Everyone did what they needed to for us playing-wise. It was an honor to be a part of this team that went to the state final. If I had to do it again, I would."