OK, I had posted a list of commitments last fall, but I wanted to create a new list for the spring. A few guys have made recent decision, plus a few others have passed along their info recently who weren’t included in the recent list.

Before I get to the new list, let me just say that this has been a banner year for local baseball. I’m still a pretty young guy, but I can’t imagine this area has ever sent more guys onto college ball than it will this fall. Several guys, led by Anthony Iacomini of John Jay, are headed down south, and more than two dozen are bound for Division I programs. It’s truly impressive.

Anyway, if you’re not on the list, email me at jthomson@lohud.com and let me know. Until then, here’s the new master list:

Committed
— Anthony Iacomini, John Jay: South Carolina
— Sean Hagan, Mamaroneck: St. John’s
— Matt McGovern, Mamaroneck: Boston College
— Dan Zlotnick, Somers: Marist
— Mike Volpe, Carmel: Towson
— Zack Graczyk, Carmel: CW Post
— Tyler Donovan, Iona Prep: Winthrop
— Mike Mercurio, Kennedy: High Point
— Steven Roche, Iona Prep: High Point
— Anthony Cervone, Beacon: St. John’s
— Taylor Mondshein, Mamaroneck: Williams
— Kevin Ferguson, St. Joe’s/Suffern: Northeastern
— Mike Orefice, Ketcham: Marist
— Nick Camastro, Arlington: Manhattan
— Dan Sorine, Eastchester: Fordham
— Anthony Corona, Kennedy: C.W. Post
— Ray Maggi, John Jay: Monmouth
— Tim Panetta, Fox Lane: UConn
— Jimmy Brennan, Suffern: St. John’s
— Nick Iuni, Mahopac: Savannah College of Art and Design
— Luis Gonzalez, Kennedy: Concordia
— Jon Cosenza, Lakeland: Albany
— Jesus Jaile, Fordham Prep: NJIT
— Sal Lisanti, Fordham Prep: Bryant
— Andrew Benkwitt, Mamaroneck: Utica (football and baseball)
— Peter Ladis, Iona Prep: Iona
— Anthony Muccio, Stepinac: Iona
— Matt Bidwell, Kennedy: St. John Fischer
— T.J. Mangan, Fordham Prep: St. Peter’s (NJ)
— Eric Luksis, John Jay-East Fishkill: Manhattan
— Michael Filice, John Jay: Dean College
— Andrew Camardella, Pelham: Dominican
— Marc Wolfer, Scarsdale: Catholic
— Mike Morris, Scarsdale: Middlebury
— James DeAlto, Briarcliff: Stonehill
— Lou Ricci, John Jay: Johns Hopkins
— Eric Windsor, Mamaroneck: Penn (invited walkon)
— Greg Devaux, Brewster: Keene St.
— Alan Filauro, John Jay: Guilford Tech (NC)

Not committed but close
— Gabe Klein, Mamaroneck: Fairfield
— Nick Modico, Kennedy: undecided, but wants to attend school in Boston
— Joe Rock, Kennedy: Manhattan, Stony Brook

Uncommitted
— Thomas Cardona, Mount St. Michael: undecided; has Division I and II offers
— Steven Rivera, Mount St. Michael: undecided

Reader “PG Northeast” posted a link to Perfect Game USA’s preseason All-American list for seniors in the northeast. I’m reposting it here. Four locals made the first team.

Jimmy Brennan, the Suffern CF committed to St. John’s is one. Following a poor sophomore season Brennan, who looks about 25, exploded for a .467 average, 19 extra-base hits, 34 runs, and 25 RBI from the leadoff spot.

John Jay SS Anthony Iacomini is also there. You all know about Yock. A .575 average. Twelve home runs. A slugging percentage over 1100. Fifty-one freakin runs batted in. He’s headed to South Carolina.

The third is Mahopac pitcher Nick Iuni. His numbers last year weren’t good even though he went 3-3. The one bright sign is 23 strikeouts in 25 innings, giving hope he can shrink a 7.00 ERA. He’ll attend Savannah College of Art and Design.

Last is Steven Roche, a Yonkers resident who attends Iona Prep. Roche pitched 15 innings for the Prep last year without allowing a run. That’s a 0.00 ERA for all you non-math majors. He walked 11 but K’ed 20 and only gave up two hits. He’s headed to High Point after the season.

Making the second team were Beacon’s Anthony Cervone, Kennedy’s Anthony Corona and Mike Mercurio, Iona Prep’s Tyler Donovan, John Jay’s Alan Filauro, and Mamaroneck’s Sean Hagan.

Perfect Game USA has released its preseason All-American teams, and there are a couple of locals on the lists. Suffern’s Robbie Aviles made 1st team, which is a big deal. Only 60 kids across the country make 1st team. Aviles is the only New Yorker on the 1st OR 2nd team.

You’ll be hearing plenty about the tall righthander this season. He won Rockland player of the year as a sophomore and figures to be completely dominant this year. He and Jimmy Brennan should take Suffern far. The best part is you won’t have to wait to see what Aviles has got. He’s going to start opening day against, of all teams, Mamaroneck. Mamaroneck knocked him around in last year’s sectional final. (To be fair, Ma-murder-neck knocked around a lot of good pitchers.)

Making 3rd team was Stepinac’s Michael Bradshaw. Bradshaw, a 6-4, 220-pound pitcher, transferred from Iona Prep.

Seven others made the honorable mention list. It’s a little less prestigious because it contains about 300 names, but it’s still meaningful on a national level. John Jay’s Steve Green and Jared Hirschberg, Lakeland’s Jonathan DeMarte, Rye Neck’s Ryan Pennell, Ketcham’s Mike Lang, Beacon’s Joey Espinal, and Don Bosco’s Anthony Simon, a Suffern resident, are on there.

Perfect Game USA is the world’s largest scouting service. Although it is popular — 78% of players drafted by major league baseball last year attended a Perfect Game showcase — it is not all-encompassing. So don’t take this list as the ultimate reference. If you didn’t sign up with Perfect Game you don’t get on the list. You can see all the All-American stuff here.

I talked to some of the guys from Kennedy on Monday and one of them brought up an interesting point. With four fewer games on the schedule this season, pitching depth may not be quite as important. The games will be spread out more and the top two starters should be able to shoulder more of the load.

Let’s look at Kennedy. The Gaels played 23 games in 52 games and they were started by: Nick Modico (8), Rich Lennox (7). Ryan Tatnell (5), Joe Santangelo (2), Matt Bidwell (1). Without the three (or for some teams four) additional games, would Kennedy have needed a fourth and/or fifth starter? Maybe. Rainouts always cram one or two weeks of the season. But maybe it’s the No. 3 who isn’t used as often.

Either way, fewer games won’t mean fewer starts for guys like Sean Hagan, Robbie Aviles and Steve Green. They’ll still take the ball every five or six days. It’s the guys behind them in the rotation who won’t be relied upon quite as much.

Fewer innings will help some teams. They won’t face those one or two games where, out of necessity, a hard-throwing shortstop comes in as a reliever and pretends he is a pitcher. That never works out well for anyone. Instead, the top three or four guys on a staff may pitch all the innings (relief included).

If I were a coach, my only worry would be in the playoffs. The third game in four days, (a.k.a. the semifinals) can still rear its ugly head. Will they have to call on a reliever in the sixth inning of a one-run game who has thrown 2 2/3 innings rather than 14? Definitely possible.

Anyway, do you think a slimmer schedule will benefit pitching staffs? Yea or nea.

Note: This post was written in advance. I will be out of the office on Mar. 25 and 26. If you have questions, concerns or corrections, please e-mail them to either Mark Teirstein at mteirste@lohud.com or jhumenn@lohud.com. I will return on Mar. 27.

You have all debated it. For example, one of our more understated readers said it was “a disgrace” that Mount was ranked ahead of Stepinac in our preseason poll.

Of course, facts are facts: With no Alex Maruri and Alex Adami, Stepinac and Iona Prep have Fordham Prep and Mount nipping at their cleats. Yet at the same time Stepinac is the defending champ, Iona has the tradition, and both have a pitcher with great potential who could develop into a future ace.

All in all, this division is tougher to call than ever. So…Who’s the favorite to win the Bronx-Westchester?

Vote away! And when you vote, take a second to leave a comment and tell us why you voted the way you did.

Note: This post was written in advance. I will be out of the office on Mar. 25 and 26. If you have questions, concerns or corrections, please e-mail them to either Mark Teirstein at mteirste@lohud.com or jhumenn@lohud.com. I will return on Mar. 27.

It’s baseball preview time around the office so Jake and I spent a good deal of time yesterday discussing several topics of interest. Among them was one I’d like to let out into the open here and see how you all feel about it.

We were sitting around discussing favorites and darkhorses in the different classes. Most are pretty clear. You can’t go wrong with Mamaroneck and Kennedy as the top picks to repeat. At the very minimum, both should be right there in the end. Class C may be a bit muddled, too, but Keio has earned respect in recent years. And the Catholics, well…let’s just say they don’t seem to know who’s going to win, so how can we?

Perhaps the most puzzling preseason prediction we have to make comes in Class A. I’m not sure there’s a favorite, yet I’m also not sure the contenders have emerged either. I won’t tell you who we’re leaning toward for now, but below is a quick look at pros and cons for some of top teams. Then I want to hear your thoughts:

SOMERS —
Pros: Dan Zlotnick and Kyle Woltersdorf return to anchor the two-time defending champ.
Cons: Almost everyone else is gone, including guys like Vinny Nicolosi, Dan ”$$$” Tracy, Jerry Battipaglia, Ron Stenz, Steve Finella and Willie Sisca, who were all key contributors.

PELHAM —
Pros: The underrated Zack Baker returns to anchor the staff, which will also have Greg Bratone, one of the best hitters in last year’s lineup
Cons: Decimated by graduation…you name ‘em…Charlie Vetrano, Charlie Siegelbaum, Matt Keller, Pat Syzmanski, Matt Volpe, Zach Small

LAKELAND —
Pros: Jon Cosenza will form a solid battery with Joe Arena, who pitched great as a freshman
Cons: Lost, among others, Section 1 player of the year Brendan Hourihan, who did a lot…a lot, a lot

ARDSLEY —
Pros: Good experience gained last year, thanks to playoff upset of Lakeland
Cons: No more of quarterfinal hero Kioyta Gomi, one of the most underrated all-around players around

TAPPAN ZEE —
Pros: A very solid 14-11 season last year and returns some guys with potential, like sophomore Ryan O’Rourke
Cons: Graduated nine seniors, including mainstays Tyler Rorick and Johnny Wong

PANAS —
Pros: Coming off a very up and down year but returns talent in Mike Parish and Ian Cole
Cons: This group hasn’t had enough success at the varsity level to pencil it in as a contender just yet

HEN HUD —
Pros: Some big-time players back in T.J. Olesczuk, Mike Tandy and Matt DeSilva
Cons: Lost some experienced guys in the lineup and the rotation, like the valuable Dan Martin

EASTCHESTER —
Pros: Three words…Big Dan Sorine
Cons: Mickey Abbatiello, Dave Perllishi and Rob Federico were all very productive; who can fill those spots?

BREWSTER —
Pros: Took some bumps and bruises and should be experienced for it; only graduated three seniors
Cons: Like Panas, is it too much to expect this club to contend?

The others: Dutchess fans, let’s hear about Lourdes and Beacon. Both were just .500 teams last season. Can they be anything more? … Rockland fans, how about Pearl River and Nyack? Are they stuck in the middle or can either one soar? … Will there be any signs of life from Harrison and Peekskill, who had tough years last year? … How about Byram Hills, Rye or Sleepy? … Can Port Chester possibly replace Jesse Burba and Frank Fiumara?

Let’s hear your thoughts. I’m intrigued…

Albertus Magnus replaced one former pro coach with another.

Pat Gorman, a 1995 Albertus graduate, is taking over the helm this season from Mike Paravati. Paravati took a teaching job at Burke Catholic to be closer to his home in Orange County. Apparently he won’t coach up there, just teach. In the late 1990s Paravati was a strength and conditioning coach in the White Sox’ system.

Gorman is well known in Rockland pitching circles. He’s the co-owner of K-Zone, a pitcher training facility in Nanuet. (Suffern pitching coach Brian Aviles is the other co-owner.) Gorman spent seven years in the Mets’ and Orioles’ minor-league systems. You may remember his name from the Mike Bordick trade the Mets made, where he and Melvin Mora, who became an all-star, were shipped out of town for Bordick, who did diddley-squat in a Met uniform. Elbow injuries eventually derailed his career. In 2005 he coached the Rockland Brewers to the NABF World Series.

He’s got his work cut out for him. Albertus hasn’t been good in a long while. In fact it’s usually at the bottom of the Rockland heap. If he can do for the Falcon staff what his business partner Aviles has done for the Suffern staff, people will take notice.

Now this is a tough question. There will be a lot of different opinions on the subject, but the question is cut and dry:

Question: Right now, who is the best pitcher in the LoHud?

(Obviously, this poll is not meant to include Somers sophomore Miguel Nunez. I think even the guys on the list would concede they are no match for the mythical powers of the Tuskers’ flamethrowing sensation…)

Mamaroneck has generated quite a bit of buzz around here thanks to a roster that’s even more stacked than that of last year’s Class AA state champion. The buzz has spread, too. The Tigers have already earned respect nationwide before throwing a single pitch or lashing a line drive.

Baseball America named Mamaroneck No. 35 in its prestigious rankings of the nation’s top 50 teams. In the northeast, only Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey (#6) and Malvern Prep of Pennsylvania (#21) are ranked higher. You can find Baseball America’s rankings here.

Another set of prestigious rankings, those found in USA Today, have yet to debut. Mamaroneck finished last season unranked nationally but fell as the No. 6 team in USA Today’s regional rankings.

However, Mamaroneck already received the No. 7 spot in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, which ranked the Tigers No. 30 prior to last season. Don Bosco’s, last year’s top team, falls one spot ahead of Mamaroneck this year at No. 6.

Yes you do. Don’t we all? Your chance is now — but only if you act fast.

“Log on here to our NCAA tourney web page”:http://www.lohud.com/section/marchmania and join the contest to the right. Take your chance to fill out that elusive perfect bracket.

The bracket manager even gives you ample opportunity to fill out multiple brackets. Check it out…and take your chance to win.

Obviously, entries must be submitted before today’s games begin.