Abundance of arms carrying well-balanced Ches-Mont League

One of the things standing out in the first two weeks of the baseball season is that the Ches-Mont League is incredibly balanced, and the National and American divisions are very much up for grabs.

The main reason for that is that every team has at least one — if not two — outstanding pitchers, with West Chester Rustin’s senior flame thrower Chris McMahon and Coatesville righty Adam Stauffer lead the way.

McMahon’s pitching days are an outing for scouts from almost every major league team, as he hits 94 miles per hour with good command of his fastball. Stauffer is also getting a ton of interest in his starts and it will be interesting to see where each is drafted in the June 7 amateur draft.

McMahon has a good landing spot if he decides to go the college route, as the Golden Knights’ hurler is ticketed for the University of Miami. Stauffer has signed to go to St. John’s University next fall.

But the talent and depth on the mound does not stop with the talented pair. With seniors Will Peiffer, Dan Browne and Nick O’Day and juniors like West Chester Henderson’s Brady Bash, Downingtown East lefty Hutch Gagnon, Downingtown West hurler Drew Britt and Octorara’s Aaron Feld, the pitching in the Ches-Mont is better and deeper than it has been in the last 15 years.

Feld has not allowed a run for the Braves yet, as has shut out both Great Valley and Sun Valley. With his arm in charge, the Braves look like a District 1 Class 4A playoff team.

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Speaking of the district playoffs, the new six-classification setup has changed things for area teams. A quick refresher, along with the number of teams that make the district field:

CLASS 6A (20) >> Avon Grove, Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Unionville and Coatesville.

CLASS 5A (16) >> West Chester Henderson, West Chester East, West Chester Rustin, Great Valley, Bishop Shanahan, Kennett and Oxford.

CLASS 4A (4) >> Octorara.

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So, while pitching is ruling the day, games seem to be going faster and with more flow this season. Hitting is nice to see in person and in the boxscores, but any baseball person will tell you that pitching and defense win championships.

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Malvern Prep has had a few problems in its ambitious nonleague schedule, but the Friars started Inter-Academic League play with a come-frombehind victory over The Haverford School, 7-6. The Friars are loaded with talent, led by catcher Shane Muntz and a deep pitching staff led by Jimmy Kingsbury and Billy Corcoran. The Inter-Ac is a filled with Division 1 college players, and every league game is like a playoff game. The Friars get back to Inter-Ac action with a home date with Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy on April 18.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA FILE Every start for Rustin’s Chris McMahon has become a gathering place for major league scouts.

Peter DiGiovanni Columnist