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ATTLEBORO - A sectional finalist, a sectional semifinalist, a pair of sectional quarterfinalists - pitching, production at the plate and proficiency in the field were at an optimum rate as the 2008 Sun Chronicle All Star Baseball Team is stocked with superb student-athletes.

Three members of the MIAA Division 2 South Tournament finalist Dighton-Rehoboth High Falcons, five members of the MIAA Division 1 South Tournament semifinalist North Attleboro High Rocketeers, a trio of Norton High Lancers who guided their team to the Division 3 quarterfinals and a pair of King Philip High Warriors who guided their team to the Division 2 quarterfinals are among the roster of the area's elite baseball players to achieve All Sun Chronicle acclaim.

Nate Koneski, who won 31 games on the mound during his pitching career at Dighton-Rehoboth High and Falcon shortstop George Agostini, who amassed 132 career hits and 111 runs batted in are joined on the Sun Chronicle All-Star Team by pitcher-DH Jacob Cappello.

Koneski and Agostini are both repeat Sun Chronicle selections joining Seekonk High four-year starter and catcher Cody Callahan and Norton High infielder-pitcher Dave Billotte, another varsity veteran of four seasons.

Mr. On-Base, leadoff batter Dan Rayburg of North Attleboro High is joined on the All Sun Chronicle roster by fellow Rocketeers, .435 hitter and shortstop Brendan Picini, six-win pitcher Mike Mancini, five-win pitcher Greg Dusel and .377 hitter Kevin Connolly. The heart of the King Philip High infield, second baseman Chris Horne and third baseman Luke Darling, both .300 hitters for the upstart Warriors were selected to the All Sun Chronicle Team with Attleboro High three-year starting catcher James Kelly, Bishop Feehan High's Lucas Gagne and Ryan Lee, Mansfield High's near .400 hitter John Garabedian, Seekonk High's six-win pitcher Colby Andrade, Tri-County High's .400 hitter Greg King, a pair of Foxboro High Warriors, Brian Swanton and Joe Nixon along with two bashers of the baseball from Norton High, .511 hitter Sean Ryan and .478 hitter Ricky Travers.

It was a great season for Dighton-Rehoboth, which won 21 games overall, beating No. 18 Sharon, No. 7 Milton and No. 6 Oliver Ames to reach the Division 2 finals. It was a great season for North Attleboro, which won 17 games, beating No. 13 Weymouth and No. 5 Barnstable. It was a great season for King Philip, which won 14 games overall, beating No. 19 Old Rochester and No. 3 Hopkinton en route to the quarterfinals.

It was both a great and sad season in that one of the coaching legends, in any sport, Norton High's Dave Mollica made out his final lineup card after 31 seasons of patrolling Adams Field. The Lancers won 14 regular season games, beat Holbrook in the opening round of the Division 3 South Sectional and then lost a one-run game to Westwood in the quarterfinals (one of their five one-run losses during the season).

"It's always been about the kids," said Mollica of his fueling legions of the Lancer baseball family. That's why Mollica always wore No. 13. If there was any bad luck or bad decisions or bad losses, it was his fault - the Lancers weren't prepared well enough.

"People don't understand what kind of relationship you develop if you haven't ever coached," Mollica said of his mentorship. "As far as I'm concerned I have the greatest job in the world, I'm a gym teach and I'm a coach - I've loved coming to work."