There are some very good baseball players in Lebanon County. Mitch Long may or may not be the best of the lot.

Perhaps a better way to approach the argument might be to ask: ‘Who’s better?’

This week, the Annville-Cleona center fielder/pitcher continued his torrid senior campaign, helping the Little Dutchmen go 3-0 against three Lebanon County squads. At week’s end, Long had four home runs, 20 RBIs and a batting average around .600, through 11 games.

On Friday afternoon against rival Elco, Long blasted a solo dinger to help the Little Dutchmen to a key 2-1 victory. Earlier in the week, Long’s Little Dutchmen had shaded Northern Lebanon and Lebanon Catholic.

At week’s end, Annville-Cleona is sporting an 8-3 overall record and a 6-3 mark in Section Four of the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Long has also been an ace on the mound for the Little Dutchmen this spring, piling up strikeouts and wins. Soft-spoken by nature, Long has become more vocal this season and has taken on a bigger leadership role for Annville-Cleona.

This past fall, Long contributed to the Annville-Cleona football team’s success on the gridiron.

– Jeff Falk