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At this time last year, Northwest High baseball coach Matt Noble had one of the county's best pitchers. He had the luxury of building his rotation around Dominique Vattuone, who went on to win the 2009 Gazette Player of the Year award.

Vattuone was guaranteed to start at least once a week. He was likely to go five or more innings, rack up strikeouts to take pressure off his defense and keep his team in each game he pitched.

It was a stark illustration of the difference an ace can make at the high-school level. With Vattuone and his impressive collection of pitches off to college, Noble has embarked on a much different strategy this preseason.

"We don't have a Vattuone or a [former Northwest and University of Maryland starter] Jensen Pupa, but we have a lot of depth," Noble said. "We're comfortable with putting seven kids out there on the mound. Hopefully, we'll get the right combinations. Get someone out and someone else comes in. It's just a question of finding the right rotation."

Vattuone is not the only absent ace this spring. Seven All-Gazette first- or second-team pitchers graduated in 2009, so Noble will likely be just one of a handful of Montgomery County coaches relying on a committee this season.

Avalon lost Bennie Sanchez (6 wins, 103 strikeouts), who has gone 2-0 with a 2.77 earned-run average in 26 innings at the Savannah (Ga.) College of Art & Design this spring. Left-hander Mike Ryan (8-2, 1.35 ERA) left Quince Orchard for Towson University and Seneca Valley said goodbye to Tyler Klitsch (7-2, 3.27) and Brian Black (3-0, 2.86). Klitsch and Black combined for 10 of the team's 13 wins in 2009.

Paint Branch and Damascus graduated ace hurlers Mike Noyes (8-1, 1.95) and Brian Anders (5-1, 1.59), respectively.

"We have a lot of pitching, but we don't have anybody to blow it by anybody," Wootton coach J.D. Marchand said. "Defense is big key for us."

Screaming Eagles coach Terry Changuris echoed that sentiment: "We're deep with pitching, but all are kind of average. Our defense is good, but it needs to be better, because the pitching won't dominate."

Conversely, Blake, Blair, Gaithersburg, Georgetown Prep, Sherwood, and Walter Johnson bring back bona fide ace pitchers.

Tommy Cunningham (3.12 ERA, 53 strikeouts), Nick Riley (5-2, 1.89), Will Bouey (6-2, 1.89), and Robin Mowatt (3-1, 1.28) return to lead the Blake, Gaithersburg, Sherwood and Walter Johnson staffs, respectively. Cunningham, Riley and Bouey were named to the Maryland Baseball Coaches Association's Pre-Season All-State team. Kevin Tenebaum returns as the Bullis ace.

"Nick Riley is a preseason All-State selection ... and he needs to have a big year on the mound and at the plate for us to be successful," said Trojans coach Jeff Rabberman, whose ace will be assisted by junior John Hallock (1-1, 3.88).

Blair and Georgetown Prep each bring back a pair of talented starters. Sammy Denenberg and Peirce Marston are crafty hurlers atop the Blazers' rotation, while Rob Tatum and Charles Zubrod (8-2) were All-Interstate Athletic Conference performers a year ago for the Little Hoyas.

The two pairs are also helped by the return of Division I college prospects. Alex Egber, Blair's four-year starting backstop, is being recruited by the United States Naval Academy and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Georgetown Prep's Austin Richards will play at Maryland next year.

Quince Orchard and Whitman lie somewhat in between the two poles.

The Cougars lost Ryan, who led them to the Class 4A state final, but return Brett Sliwiak (3-1, 2.10), who will anchor an otherwise inexperienced staff. Sliwiak missed most of last season because of injury but returned in time to pick up a win in the state semifinal victory against Linganore.

"Brett Sliwiak is one of the top pitchers in the county, [but] how well we do will depend on who else steps up on the mound for us," Quince Orchard coach Jason Gasaway said.

The Vikings graduated the hard-working, inning-eating Ethan Thompson (4-4, 2.27) but return a strong combination in Reid Kellam (4-0, 2.69) and Michael Flack (3-0, 3.11). Flack, a sophomore, looks poised to be one of the best all-around players in the county.

"Kellam and Flack should lead the way on the mound, but we will also have seniors Ross Olchyk, Sam Sharpe, and Dan Shanahan trying to get innings on the mound," Whitman coach Joe Cassidy said. "Junior Ross Peterson and sophomore Ryan McGill will also push for innings, so we have kids who throw strikes. We just need to find the best kids at getting people out."