Salisbury's Mike Pochron is The Morning Call's 2011 baseball coach of the year

FROM THE MORNING CALL

With Salisbury one win from its first District 11 title since 2004, coach Mike Pochron needed to pick a starting pitcher for his team's biggest game yet.

Senior Zach Harper had fronted the staff all year, but he had lost to Pen Argyl, the Falcons' opponent for the district final, in two earlier meetings. Freshman Justin Aungst had pitched well since becoming part of the rotation, but he lacked Harper's experience.

Pochron knew Harper, one of his three senior captains, wouldn't balk if he decided to start Aungst. He believed Aungst possessed the mental toughness to not be bothered by taking the mound at Coca-Cola Park.

What played out over the next few weeks showed that Pochron, The Morning Call's 2011 baseball coach of the year, had the pulse of his team.

Aungst fired a complete game in the District 11 Class 2A final, helping Salisbury finally beat Pen Argyl. Harper came back with two strong efforts in the PIAA playoffs to lead the Falcons to the 2A state final.

"He's the first person, if he notices something, he'll tell you what's going on, how to fix it," Harper said of his coach in the days leading up to Salisbury's state final appearance. "He knows the fundamentals very well. I haven't met a person who knows as much about baseball as he does.

"He's been here long enough and seen it all, so he knows what to expect, what to look for. He has all the experience he needs to put together a lineup like we have, with only three seniors and a bunch of underclassmen. He knows exactly where to put everybody so we keep winning. He's done a great job this year. He's done a great job all four years I've been here."

Pochron insisted all year he had an easy group to handle. Guiding the Falcons farther than any area team despite having just three seniors still required a deft touch.

Pochron limited Aungst's innings early in the year after Aungst played a long basketball season. He moved Tyler Tocci between the middle infield and center field to maximize his team's defense depending on who pitched. He trusted young players such as sophomore Nic Ampietro and freshman Brad Vangeli to hit in important spots in his lineup.

With Pochron pushing the Falcons, they grew into one of the Colonial League's best teams even before their playoff run. They followed a 6-5 start by going 14-2 in their last 16 games, with the only losses against Pen Argyl in the league semifinals and Riverside in the state final.

Pochron hopped right from Salisbury's playoff run to the coaching staff for the Lehigh Valley team that won the Carpenter Cup on Tuesday. The long season hasn't done anything to dampen his enthusiasm for what he hopes will be another good season in 2012.

"Just working with these guys, it was a great group to work with," Pochron said. "It was a lot of fun."