Wyoming Area starting pitcher JJ Hood delivers a pitch in the state championship game last month.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
Warriors head baseball coach Rob Lemoncelli places a District II Class 4A medal on starting catcher Jake Kelleher.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
J.J. Hood was named Player of the Year and Rob Lemoncelli was selected co-Coach of the Year, honoring their roles in Wyoming Area’s trip to the state championship game, when the Times Leader announced its All-Wyoming Valley Conference baseball team.
Wyoming Area won the first District 2 championship in school history, taking the Class 4A title in its first appearance to the finals. The Warriors then parlayed that into a trip to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship game.
Hood, who has made an early commitment to play National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I baseball at the University of Connecticut, contributed to the run both at the plate and on the mound.
The team’s top power hitter and pitcher, Hood led the Warriors in doubles (six) and home runs (three) while driving in 20 runs and batting .370. He was 9-2 with two saves and a 2.04 earned run average while striking out 118 in 79 innings.
Lemoncelli was credited with leading the team through a turnaround after an early-season stoppage for COVID-19 protocols and a 2-4 start. He shared the award with Russ Canzler, whose Hazleton Area team had an unbeaten regular season that included Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 and District 2-4 Class 6A titles.
Wyoming Area’s Jake Kelleher, another Division I-committed player with a year of high school left, was also part of the 22-player team.
Kelleher, a catcher, led the team with 21 RBI and a .381 average. The East Tennessee State commit matched Hood for the team lead in doubles with six.
