Their 2-1 defeat to Schuylkill Haven in 12 innings of the District 11 Class AA semifinals was Salisbury's most heartbreaking loss of the season.

It ended the Falcons' campaign in the blink of an eye, a game in which Schuylkill Haven rallied from a 1-0 deficit in that 12th inning to advance to the district title game. It capped the careers for seven seniors. And it continued a streak that is now at two years that Salisbury hasn't played for some sort of championship.

But while there was some disappointment, there were also plenty of successes in the season. It was the fourth time in five years that Salisbury (13-10 overall, 12-5 in Colonial League) qualified for the league tournament, and the Falcons were crowned West Division champs with a first-round bye in the playoffs. It was also the fifth straight year the Falcons clinched a berth in districts.

"I think overall we're a little disappointed because we didn't win any championships," head coach Mike Pochron said. "But I'm happy that we got there, and happy that we played to go there. A lot of teams don't even get that shot, and we did. Things just didn't go our way this year.

"It easily could have went either way. We could have been in two championship games very easily. Overall we were happy."

The early going of the season could have derailed the Falcons. With the loss of junior shortstop and pitcher Chad Cooperman to injury to begin the campaign, Salisbury hovered around the .500 mark in league play.

But when Cooperman returned, so did the Falcons' improved play defensively and their stellar one-two punch on the mound that would carry them into another long postseason run.

As the team's No. 2 starter, despite missing eight games, Cooperman went 3-2 on the mound with a stellar 2.26 ERA. He batted cleanup at a .364 clip with a team-leading 20 RBIs, and his fielding at shortstop solidified a solid Falcon infield. He earned honorable mention honors as a designated hitter and utility player despite missing a third of the season.

"That certainly had a big effect on our pitching and hitting," Pochron said. "Obviously when he came back here at the end and got back in the swing of things, we started to play very good baseball again. We missed him when he was out."

In his absence, the team's top pitcher in Evan Kulig, who was named the Colonial League's Most Valuable Player, went 6-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 11 games. He led the team in strikeouts (56), while walking just 15 of the 202 batters he faced. He batted a team-high .392 with 23 runs scored and 17 RBIs, making him one of the top two-way players in the league.

Kulig, a Colonial League Second Team selection as a pitcher and shortstop, was the second player from Salisbury to win league MVP honors in three years. Nic Ampietro, now pitching at Moravian College, won the honor as a junior.

"He [Kulig] did it for four years," Pochron said. "Him and [catcher Charley] Rogers played as freshmen, and they ended up with two league titles and a district title in their careers. They'll certainly be missed. Without them we certainly wouldn't have been where we were."

Rogers, a Second Team all-star, has been one of the top catchers in the league over his career, and he capped it with a stellar senior season. He batted .389 with 21 runs (both second on the team) and 10 RBIs. He also saw time on the mound and went 2-1 with a 0.48 ERA in relief.

Along with those two, the Falcons graduate five other seniors. Michael Palmer (.372 average, 17 RBIs, 10 runs) and CJ Tocci (.279 average, 12 runs, 7 RBIs) both started for Pochron, while Justin Besz, Matthew Heiserman, Carlos Santiago and Chris Bishop also saw time in their final season. Palmer was an honorable mention choice in the outfield.

"We had some ups and downs where we played some good baseball and some really bad baseball," head coach Mike Pochron said. "Defense is what really hurt us this year in some games. We really kicked the ball around. At the end of the season here, we played some good games and really played good defense."