Daily Roundup: DIAA State Playoff Round 2

June 5, 2026
Cole Ledger
Director of Operations, Prep Baseball MD/DE

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Two days of baseball concluded the second round of the DIAA Playoffs, as eight teams punched their ticket to the state quarterfinals. Of the eight teams, we saw two double-digit seeds knock off home hosts in a round filled with low-scoring, high-end pitching affairs. Our staff was at three of these matchups, each with its own story behind the eventual winners.

Interested in hearing more of our thoughts? Go to YouTube and search "Prep Baseball Mid-Atlantic" and look forward to a podcast airing either Sunday night or Monday morning, recapping last week's results and previewing the four state quarterfinal games.

"THE" performance of 2026: Alex Gannon knocks off #1

Final Score: #16 Sanford defeated #1 Conrad 2-0.

Alex Gannon provides the best start of his high school career. Tasked with finding a way to limit the #2 overall offense in the state of Delaware, and the majority is known as the best team in the state, he did exactly that with ease. The right-hander worked a complete-game shutout on only eighty-five pitches, walking only one while scattering two hits, striking out eleven. Being a 2024 Future Games and 2025 Senior Future Games participant, we've always been a fan of Gannon. And the arsenal spoke for itself, dominating the top of the Conrad lineup consistently and never allowing them to build any kind of rally. Big-time get for Ohio, as he'll head to the MAC next season.
A pair of Future Games alum provided the pressure offensively. Cole Ruhland and Alex Gannon, both 2024 Future Gamers, each reached base twice to provide the jump-starting spark that the Sanford offense needed. This allowed sophomore Ryan Schmidt to deliver when the Warriors finally had the opportunity to give Gannon some insurance (though he didn't seem to need it). Ryan Schmidt was the x-factor on the offensive side of the ball, finishing 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, highlighted by a fourth-inning 2 RBI double, the eventual winner.

MD/DE's top-ranked player in the senior class plays hero ball.

Final Score: #8 Sussex Central defeated #9 Saint Mark's 5-2.

High-level pitching from both sides. A pair of seniors took the ball for their respective squads and battled throughout the entire game. Central sent an uncommitted senior, Logan Comley, to the hill, and he attacked hitters, working a complete seven innings on only 79 pitches, allowing six hits and two runs while working the fastball up to 85. On the other side, Saint Mark's sent senior Tanner Emmertz (Wilmington) to the hill, and the southpaw would hurl six innings of three-hit ball, allowing only one earned run.
Silent MVP of the game: Lane Mears. Although it wasn't the flashiest performance, Lane Mears made every single AB count throughout this game, setting up the top of the order in the best situations possible. As the nine-hole, he was tasked with laying down a sacrifice bunt two different times (3rd inning & 7th inning), and not only provided flawless execution, but they were both infield bunt singles. You may wonder, what did those turn into? A sacrifice fly in the third and the eventual walk-off in the seventh, setting up four of the five runs scored by the Knights.
Osiah Kelley shows why he's #1 in the state. It's the situation everyone dreams about growing up. The opportunity to provide the walk-off hit in a playoff game. The University of Maryland commit, and 2024 Future Games alum did just that, turning on an inside 2-1 fastball and obliterating a walk-off three-run homer out of right-center field to send Central to the DIAA State Quarterfinals. The recent Gatorade Player of the Year winner was already hitting over .550 this season, and this homer put the exclamation point on a potential Player of the Year-type season.

Dom Mangini's first-inning homer was all Cape needed.

Final Score: #4 Cape Henlopen defeated #13 Red Lion Christian 6-3.

Cape struck first and in the biggest way possible. The last thing Red Lion could allow themselves to do was go down big early against the defending state champions... and that is exactly what happened. After Cape loaded the bases in the first, junior Dom Mangini stepped up to the plate and launched a grand slam out of left-center field to give the Vikings a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Red Lion's offense highlighted by a second-inning solo homer. One of Red Lion's best spring standouts was junior Owen Griffing, who launched a homer of his own in the second inning that may have had people wondering if this game would turn into a shootout. The Lions' offense would then remain quiet until the sixth, when they scored two runs to cut the deficit to three.
Solid start from Jack Simeone to kick off Cape's playoff run. Coach Evick had to make a decision between three extremely reliable arms on who to start in the second round. It was highly unlikely we would see Dom Mangini, so Cape gave the ball to the more experienced Jack Simeone, and he would turn in six innings of two-run ball, striking out four. He was pretty dominant outside of the Griffing homer, but would eventually start to dwindle deep into the sixth inning.
Aaden Johnson shows off the power once again. Aaden Johnson has always been one of the best contact hitters across the state of Delaware ever since he stepped on a varsity baseball field as a freshman DH, and every once in a while, he decided to show off some pull-side strength. Our first look at it was against Delmar in late March, and it appears once again with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. It's certainly a name for college coaches to follow headed into a big summer campaign.

Caravel outlasts Tower Hill in a close affair.

Final Score: #5 Caravel defeated #12 Tower Hill 5-3.

The writing was on the wall for a close game. Caravel typically hasn't been the team to blow anyone out this spring, but when it comes to close games, Caravel may have the most experience in that department. After Tower Hill jumped on the board early, Caravel would play their brand of baseball and string together enough hits to allow the runs to start stacking up.
Two Tower Hill defensive mishaps cost the Hillers crucial runs. One thing you'll always hear is that mistakes can kill momentum in the playoffs. Tower Hill starter Dylan Michels, all in all, provided them with a quality outing, hurling six innings of two earned run ball; three unearned runs caused by a pair of errors would prove the difference in the score.
Luca Brown provides the start Caravel was looking for. After allowing a run in the first inning, it was generally smooth sailing from there, striking out six over five innings, surrendering five hits, and allowing two earned runs. Not only did Luca produce on the mound, but he also contributed on the offensive side with a game-changing double that would be followed up with a pair of RBI base knocks.
Jackson Gable adds value on both sides once again. Caravel's bullpen will be a key to victory for them throughout these playoffs, as they don't have the explosive bullpen arms, but definitely the most consistent of any team remaining in the bunch. Gable came out of the bullpen for the final two innings and slammed the door, working two perfect innings while striking out three hitters at 18/23 strikes. On offense, he now finds himself in the leadoff position after starting the year in the back half, adding a big insurance run via a fourth-inning RBI single.

Newark Charter scrapes by Wilmington Friends with new contributors.

Final Score: #2 Newark Charter defeated #18 Wilmington Friends 6-3.

Charter's offense sees new faces step up when it matters. In an afternoon where the top three hitters in the lineup combined for zero hits, the Patriots were forced to look for others to step up who may not have been the x-factors throughout most of their games this season. Charter would strike first with three runs in the second, but Wilmington Friends immediately responded to put the pressure on. For the relief of the Patriot fanbase, Charter would mirror their second inning with another three runs before the pitching staff would lock down the WF offense.
Tristan Tynan provides a solid first playoff game on the hill. Newark Charter has shown pitching depth throughout the spring season, but most of their arms outside of Doron Griffin haven't been tested to this degree in high-pressure baseball. Wanting to save Griffin for the quarterfinals, they sent the sophomore Tynan to the hill, and although he had some bumps along the way, he provided four strong innings while only surrendering two runs on two hits. Keeping the pitch count low will be key for Tynan throughout the playoffs. Along with the outing on the mound, he also added a 2 RBI single to help himself out.
Newark Charter's bullpen slams the door. In a game where Charter ideally wants to keep Griffin and Luxton fresh, the Patriots relied on their #4 and #5 arms to get the job done in relief of Tynan. They did exactly that, combining for three innings of shutout ball, surrendering only one hit while striking out three. As the path only gets harder from here, expect Charter to be forced to sharpen their abilities on both sides of the ball ahead of their matchup with Salesianum on Monday afternoon.

Jack Bujnowski is the extra-innings hero for Salesianum.

Final Score: #7 Salesianum defeated #10 Indian River 2-1 (F/8 innings)

Despite the loss, Ty Weber puts together maybe the best start of his high school career. You want to talk about a really impressive performance? Look no further than uncommitted junior Ty Weber, who went seven innings of two-run ball while only surrendering one walk. He made Salesianum earn every single run, pounding multiple pitches in the zone while showing no fear for a Salesianum lineup that only continues to get healthier as the season progresses.
Joey Rodia and Tommy McSorley combine for a terrific showing. The junior southpaw Rodia got the start, working four innings and certainly saw his fair share of traffic on the basepaths, surrendering five hits and five walks during his outing, but did a masterful job at exiting unscathed in almost every inning. McSorley would follow with the final four innings, earning the win, only allowing two hits the rest of the way.
Jack Bujnowski is the hero that catapultes Salesianum to the quarters. Following a double from Hacim Martin to lead off the bottom half of the eighth, Bujnowski delivered with a game-winning RBI single with two strikes back up the middle. With Bujnowski scheduled to start Monday against Newark Charter, this could only be the beginning of one of those playoff runs where he puts the team on his back, a team that has had to scratch their way here with all the adversity faced throughout the year.

Kurt Helsdon dominates DMA in a shutdown performance.

Final Score: #3 Caesar Rodney defeated #19 Delaware Military Academy 7-0.

Kurt Helsdon has the most efficient start of the season. It could be Maryland or Delaware, but I highly doubt you will find a more efficient performance than what Kurt Helsdon put on display on Friday afternoon. The senior Wilmington commit hurled a complete-game shutout, surrendering only one hit and striking out four while allowing zero walks. After a single down the line from Trevor Leech in the first, he did not allow another hit. The craziest part? He threw a seven-inning CGSO on only 59 pitches.
Caesar Rodney took advantage of every mistake handed to them. Caesar Rodney's first run was the only one all game that they would've gotten if not for four DMA errors. Caesar Rodney took advantage of an E5 with two outs in the fourth to score three runs (4-0), an E9 that turned into a triple in the fifth that eventually scored (5-0), and two more in the sixth following back-to-back errors that would've resulted in a 1-2-3 inning. They allowed the game to come to them and didn't require much on the offensive end, due to a mix of errors and the display put on by Helsdon.
Justice Smith shows the freshman potential on offense. Known more for the abilities on the bump, Justice Smith came up in the fourth inning with the bases loaded following that E5 and worked the count full, showing the maturity for his age and delivering a 2 RBI single into right field to make the gap even wider and put the game virtually out of reach. We've seen the offensive maturity continue to improve, flashing back to his walk-off single in the final regular-season game against Indian River.

Archmere pulls off the extra-innings upset against the state's best.

Final Score: #11 Archmere defeated #6 Lake Forest 2-1 (F/9 innings)

Archmere came out looking to make a statement. Facing the top-ranked pitcher in the state of Delaware, Archmere started their afternoon with three straight singles, eventually scoring one in the inning to give themselves an early first inning lead. It was important for the Auks to put together strong swings early; they certainly did that to try and make a name for themselves.
Julian Christman: definition of lights-out after the first. After those three surrendered singles in the first, Christman did not allow another baserunner until the NINTH inning. For anyone counting, that is seven straight perfect innings of baseball. The Longwood commit, and top-ten ranked player in the class, hurled 8.1 innings, walking ZERO and striking out THIRTEEN while working at around 75% strikes. When you want to talk about what a "Power 4" arm looks like, look no further than Christman. Big time pickup for Longwood as the 6'4" right-hander looks to be a big contender for Delaware Pitcher of the Year.
Shane Harding and Zachary Buchta get the job done in an upset win. We knew this would be a pitchers' duel, which ultimately meant the game would be determined by how well the Archmere pitching staff could attempt to match Christman. Shane Harding, a sophomore right-hander, took the ball first, allowing one unearned run over four innings. Control was a bit of an issue, but worked around it with six strikeouts. Zachary Buchta would come in relief and shine, tossing five shutout innings with another six strikeouts to secure the win.
Reece O'Halloran's deflected single was the eventual winner. Following a leadoff single from Luke Kenney to start the ninth inning, he would eventually swipe second before O'Halloran stepped to the dish. One of our favorite hit tools in the state, the sophomore ripped a line drive back up the middle that deflected off the pitcher, shooting into left field and allowing the runner to score from second.

State Quarterfinal Schedule

Monday, June 8th

#16 Sanford vs #8 Sussex Central (4:00 PM at Sussex Central HS)
#5 Caravel vs #4 Cape Henlopen (4:00 PM at Cape Henlopen HS)
#7 Salesianum vs #2 Newark Charter (4:00 PM at University of Delaware)
#11 Archmere vs #3 Caesar Rodney (4:00 PM at Caesar Rodney HS)

*DIAA requires ticketed entry, only available ONLINE at GoFan for $8.35. *