The 2009 high school baseball season is more than nine months away and a lot can happen in that time. But it's never too early to pick a preseason favorite.

In this case, it's more like a pre- preseason favorite.

Do not be surprised if Blackhawk, which finished 15-6 this season, is not only in the WPIAL Class AAA final next May, but takes the title.

The Cougars were a young team this season and almost reached the championship game. They won seven in a row before losing to West Allegheny, 5-3, in a WPIAL semifinal. Then Blackhawk beat Moon Area, 11-6, in the WPIAL consolation game and earned a spot in the PIAA tournament in the process.

Unfortunately, Blackhawk's season ended with a 6-2 loss to Hickory in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

"You're always disappointed you didn't go a little further," coach Bob Amalia said. "But we've been in the [PIAA] tournament five out of seven years, which isn't too bad."

With seven of 10 starters returning, including leading hitter Austin Wulf, Blackhawk could make it six out of eight.

At the start of the season Amalia wasn't sure what to expect. He didn't have many seniors on the roster, but liked the team's chemistry. Plus, he knew Wulf, who plays second base, was blossoming into a star.

"You just don't know, when you have a young team," he said. "Fortunately, things came together for us. I'm happy with the senior leadership we had. That was a plus."

Seniors in the starting lineup included Tim Lipp, who is headed to Gannon to play baseball, at shortstop; Ryan Verlihay, who will be at Washington & Jefferson in the fall, at first base; Tyler Nalesnik in right field; and Nick McCowin, who will play at Slippery Rock University next season, as the No. 1 starter.

Lipp hit .254 but drove in 27 runs, Nalesnik hit .275 and Verlihay had a .333 batting average. McCowin, a righty, was 8-3 with a save.

Wulf, a junior, was remarkable with a bat in his hands. He hit .533, which is the highest average for a Blackhawk player in Amalia's nine years as head coach. Wulf had 14 doubles, 40 hits and has hit safely in 22 consecutive games dating to last season.

"I just can't say enough about him," Amalia said.

The other returning starters include third baseman Matt Royle, catcher Paul Kessler, left fielder Kyle Starkey, center fielder Mike Pearson, designated hitter Greg Weatherly and pitcher Ben Rawding, a 6-foot-4 left-hander. Weatherly, who hit .365 and can catch and play the outfield, is a sophomore, the others are juniors.

Rawding finished 4-0 with two saves. Pearson, another lefty, is also expected to be in the starting rotation next year and was 2-2 with a save. Starkey also can pitch and had one save with a 1.84 ERA.

Starkey hit .410, Pearson .339, Royle .281 and Kessler .269. Two others who saw considerable action were Chuck Lipp, Tim's younger brother, who hit .285 and Derek Kurkiewicz, a sophomore who hit .375.

"We'll have nine lettermen returning, so we'll have a good group coming back," Amalia said. "A lot of how well we do next year will depend on team chemistry. That's always a big key."

Another key to Blackhawk's success is that Amalia's coaching staff has pretty much stayed intact since he took over the program. His top assistants are Joe Boyer and Lou Wolber. Scott McGee and Joe Basile also help out with Rich Rowe and Stan Przybysz taking care of the ninth-grade squad.

"It means a lot to have a coaching staff together as long we've been together," Amalia said. "Those guys put in a lot of time to help make the program successful.

"Plus, we get a lot of support from Jack Fullen, the school's athletic director. He helps make it easy for us."