The Paul VI baseball team is on the verge of a breakout season. The Panthers, coached by Billy Emerson (second season), may very well challenge the elite in the WCAC this season for baseball supremacy.

The "Black and Gold" returns a solid nucleus from last season’s squad which finished with an overall record of 17-12 (7-10 all WCAC games, six league losses by merely one run each).

"We are solid defensively. Our pitchers need to go out and throw strikes. They need to go out and make the opposing players swing the bat," said Emerson, a former standout pitcher at GMU.

Leading the team's pitching corp are seniors Jeff Manthe and Ryne Bromley, juniors Scott Eastment and Will Naylor and sophomore Brett Moore (all right handed).

Other pitchers of note will include seniors Mike Geraghty and Sean Fitzgerald, junior J.T. Richardson and sophomore J.D. Polcari (also all right handed).

Position players include senior Carl Kaczmarek and sophomore Robert Lamas splitting time at catcher.

The infield includes Jeff Manthe, Ryne Bromley or J.T. Richardson playing first base when not pitching; Will Naylor or junior Justus Hogge splitting time at second base; junior Alex Gregory playing third base and Scott Eastment or Brett Moore playing shortstop when not pitching.

The outfield includes senior Jose Herrera or junior Trey McMenamin in right; senior T.J. Guinan in center and seniors Mike Geraghty or Dan Cinalli in left. Key outfield reserves include juniors Chuck Evans and Rick Blazquez.

"All of the seniors on this team are taking on the role of captain. We've got some good leadership on this team," said Emerson.

Guinan, a major college prospect, is a returning first-team All-WCAC player, and currently leads the team in batting at .500 (five for 10).

Geraghty is a returning second-team All-WCAC player. Manthe, Eastment and Naylor are returning third-teamers - whereas Moore and Herrera were honorable-mention All-WCAC one season ago.

At this moment, PVI weighs-in with an overall record of 2-1. The "Black and Gold" drubbed Word of Life Christian Academy in a doubleheader March 20 by the scores of 14-0 and 19-2. The Panthers dropped a tough 3-2 decision to private school powerhouse St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes on March 22.

Against SSSA, both Ryne Bromley and Alex Gregory drove in one run apiece.

"Against St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes, we just didn't capitalize on our chances tonight. We left too many runners on base," said Guinan.

On the mound, Manthe and Polcari picked up the wins versus Word of Lifein games one and two respectively (10 and five strikeouts respectively). Moore took the loss versus St. Stephens/St. Agnes.

"We've got a real good pitching staff and we've got some real good hitting. We've got a lot of leadership on this team. We can go pretty far this season if we keep our heads in the game," said Guinan.

The Panthers will play 25 regular season games, including five during an April trip to Florida.

"I've got a good feeling about this team. We've got some real good players and some real good coaches. Offensively, we need to focus on situational hitting. We need to move the runners along. We need to run the bases smart and we need to take advantage of our scoring opportunities," said Emerson.