The high school regular season has just about wrapped up. Here’s what we know as the playoffs loom:

Two-straight for champions in Carroll and Howard

Century and Marriotts Ridge earned their second-straight county championships in Carroll and Howard counties, respectively. The Knights clinched on April 26 while the Mustangs took home the crown after a 10-0 win versus Hammond on Friday.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) will be announcing region tournament seedings Tuesday. Play begins Thursday – finishing up on Friday, May 25 and Saturday, May 26 in Aberdeen for the state championships.

Just win, baby, in the MIAA

Archbishop Curley wraps up its Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) schedule on Tuesday against Calvert Hall. The Friars clinch the No. 1 seed in the “A” Conference tournament with a win. They’re looking for their first postseason title since 2001.

Both the “A” and “B” Conference, double-elimination tournaments will be played simultaneously. The championships are held at Harford Community College on Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21 (if necessary).

The “C” Conference championship game will be held at McDonogh School next Monday.

 Now, getting to our weekly, ‘Prep Ballplayer’ vote. 

Hitters took advantage of the warmer weather last week as balls were flying across the region.

Two of our three standouts hit grand slams while another put up strong numbers at the plate and on the mound (just like last week).

Here are the finalists:

Derek Donastorg, Sr., INF, Meade

Meade has struggled in 2018. But Donastorg has been a bright spot, especially this past week. The senior notched six hits in three games, starting with three on Tuesday. He had two doubles and an RBI against Glen Burnie on Wednesday and, two days later versus Northeast, he slugged a grand slam in the team’s 10-2 win.

Paul Nixon, Sr., INF/RHP, Archbishop Curley

The Friars keep on winning, and Nixon is a big part of that success. For a second-straight week, the senior makes the ‘Prep Ballplayer’ vote. He did it all – mashing the ball at the plate and dominating on the mound. In four games (all wins), Nixon combined for 10 hits – three doubles and two home runs. The Harford Community College commit notched eight RBIs and scored six runs for Curley during that stretch. On Tuesday against John Carroll, the right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out 11 batters in the complete-game, 9-2 victory.

Markus Thompson, Jr., OF, Old Mill

Thompson’s success at the plate grew each game last week. On Monday, he had two hits – including a double – and an RBI against Chesapeake. Two days later, he recorded a two-run double in Old Mill’s 11-4 victory over North County. And then, on Thursday against Glen Burnie, the junior had his breakout game. Thompson knocked in half of the team’s 12 total runs – four coming on a grand slam. He added two other hits and scored two runs in the Patriots’ shutout win.

Others considered (listed alphabetically): Dion Blackburn (Winters Mill), Pete Godrick (Spalding); Cameron Hyder (Reservoir); Noah June (Meade); Ryan Kulick (Howard); Jake Murphy (North County); John Shupe (Long Reach); Ryan Smolen (Broadneck); Joe Smoloski (St. Mary’s); Trent Gast-Woodard (Archbishop Curley)

About ‘Prep Ballplayer’ nominations: Three new candidates are revealed each Monday. You can vote — early and often — for the candidate you believe is most worthy. Voting ends on Thursday night and the winner is announced Friday afternoon.

If you’re interested in submitting candidates for our consideration, please send the player’s name, key statistics from the previous week and your contact information to [email protected]. We welcome suggestions and your feedback.