They might not have admitted it publicly before the season began, but those associated with the Moon Area baseball team weren't exactly heading into the season carrying expectations of setting the world on fire.

Seven key players had graduated from last season's team, and only two seniors would start this season. The pitching staff? Headed by a couple sophomores.

"I didn't expect us to be this good," said catcher Ryan Suess, one of those seniors. "We lost a lot of seniors. We were pretty young."

"We were figuring we'd get our experience this year and hoping that in the next two years, it'd be our year," Moon coach Dom Santeufemio said.

Two months later, the Tigers are singing a different tune, one that has them playing as well as almost anyone in WPIAL Class AAA.

"Now we're thinking, 'Who knows? This might be our year,'" Santeufemio said. "You never know."

"It's pretty exciting what we've done," Suess said.

Moon completed its regular season 16-4 and was runner-up to West Allegheny in competitive Section 3-AAA. The Tigers are seeded third in the WPIAL playoffs, having won eight of their final nine games. Included in their victories are triumphs against Seneca Valley and West Allegheny, the two teams seeded No. 1 in the WPIAL's Class AAAA and Class AAA tournaments, respectively.

"It's just one of those years," Santeufemio said, "where I don't know what you'd say. Things just kind of fell into place, you know?"

The development of a freshman and some sophomores have been a big reason why. Sophomores Brian Flannery and Brad Schnelle are the primary starting pitchers. Flannery went 7-1 and among Schnelle's victories was one that handed West Allegheny its only defeat in section play.

"They just have confidence," Suess said. "They never get down and they just believe in what they're doing."

Flannery started out the season red hot, but it is Schnelle who has likely earned the start in Moon's first playoff game, Santeufemio said.

"Flannery isn't a flamethrower, but he has a slider, changeup, curve, fastball," Santeufemio said. "We can throw four different pitches and keep people off-balance. Basically, like anybody else, if his control is on, he's good.

"Schnelle is 6-3, 200 pounds. He can throw hard and has a good breaking ball and a good changeup. These sophomores, if they hit their spots, they're real good. If they don't, they can get hit."

Moon also boasts some pitching depth, with senior Zach Mangan and sophomore Mike Jeffreys also winning games as starters. In fact, Mangan did so against Seneca Valley. Juniors Nico Marocco and Phil Bondi have perfomed well out of the bullpen.

Schnelle also has earned a regular spot in the batting order, playing first base when he is not on the mound in a lineup that was re-configured at midseason. Since scoring a total of one run in back-to-back losses to Montour and West Allegheny in mid-April, Moon has scored at least seven runs in seven of its past nine contests.

"We have a bunch of guys hitting better than .300," Santeufemio said. "It's been a real team effort. There have been times of inconsistency with such a young team, but we have become more consistent as the season has gone on."

Junior second baseman Scott Liller has excelled in the leadoff spot, with sophomore outfielder Zak Schmidt now typically batting second.

Bondi led the team in average at .457 while being solid at shortstop.

Third baseman Brett Hoffman has been one of the team's best hitters and is only a freshman.

Outfielder Nick Berdine and first baseman Ryan Busch join Suess as senior leaders. Juniors Nico Marocco (designated hitter) and Alex Knox (outfielder) round out the lineup.

Moon, which was awarded a first-round bye, is scheduled to play its first WPIAL playoff game next week in the quarterfinals against the winner of tomorrow's Greensburg Salem-New Castle game.

The Tigers have been to the WPIAL semifinals and advanced in the PIAA playoffs in two of the past three seasons. In each of those seasons, Moon was a playoff "bubble team" that clawed its way into the postseason but peaked at the right time.

Moon actually has a much better regular-season record this year than any Tigers team in recent history. They are hoping they have a run in them like the 2005 and '06 teams produced.

"I think we have a real good chance to," Suess said. "We won some big games during our final few games. We can carry that forward."