Mirror photo by Michael Boytim Southern Fulton pitcher Kaden Saunders pitches during the Indians' District 5 Class 1A championship game against Northern Bedford on Thursday.

Northern Bedford’s high school baseball team learned it will play in the PIAA Class 1A playoffs late Sunday night.

The Mirror was told that District 5 held a hearing Sunday night to examine the eligibility of a Southern Fulton varsity baseball player ahead of today’s PIAA playoffs.

The Indians defeated Northern Bedford, 4-1, in the District 5 Class 1A championship game on Thursday.

“I just found out at 10:45 (p.m.),” Northern Bedford athletic director and head baseball coach Ryan Cherry said. “The District 5 baseball committee chair, Eric Zeznanski from Chestnut Ridge, notified me that we will be playing (Monday) against Homer-Center at McConnellsburg at 7 p.m.”

That slot was originally held by Southern Fulton. Cherry said he had no details about the specifics of the hearing, only that he was told to have his team ready to travel to McConnellsburg.

The Mirror asked Cherry if Northern Bedford was now considered the District 5 champion.

“I asked the same question,” Cherry said. “They said they can’t comment on that right now. They are going to convene and talk about that later, but that has not been decided one way or another yet.”

The Mirror received an anonymous email Friday evening that was also sent to Southern Fulton athletic director and head baseball coach Kent Hendershot and Southern Fulton principal Jeremy A. Hollinshead that questioned the eligibility of a player on the Indians baseball team.

Kaden Saunders, who allowed just one run and struck out nine in six innings on the mound for Southern Fulton in its championship win, was the player named in the email.

“We do not take action on anonymous emails but do forward to the building principal, if a school is identified,” District 5 Chairman Paul Leonard emailed to the Mirror Sunday morning after the Mirror forwarded the email to Leonard asking him for comment.

The email claimed Saunders began his varsity baseball career at District 3 school James Buchanan in the spring of 2022.

The MaxPreps page for James Buchanan lists a Kaden Saunders as a freshman who played in 14 games and had three hits in 30 at bats in 2022. He also pitched 16ª innings that season.

The Mirror could not confirm that the Saunders listed in the email playing for James Buchanan was the same as the one playing for Southern Fulton now five seasons later.

The District 5 minutes from April 16, 2025 list Kaden Saunders as a junior transfer from Saint James in Maryland but also note that no paperwork had been received on Saunders by the time of the meeting.

Fellow Southern Fulton transfer Brooks Norris, who hit .509 with 30 RBIs for the Indians this season, is listed on the same minutes but his paperwork was received March 18 and approved. Norris went on to play for the Indians last season while Saunders did not accumulate any statistics and was not listed on the roster.

This season, Saunders was the Indians’ top pitcher and is 7-0 with an 0.61 ERA. He also is batting .333 and had the walk-off double in Southern Fulton’s 4-3 District 5 semifinal win over Berlin Brothersvalley.

The Indians are the defending PIAA Class 1A champions.

Cherry reached out to his players about the possibility they could be playing today late Sunday afternoon.

“I got notified around 5 p.m. that there was going to be a hearing tonight,” Cherry said. “I communicated to my players just to make sure they were aware that we could possibly be playing (Monday). I called our bus company to make sure a bus would be available as well.”

Northern Bedford held its graduation Thursday night and is finished with school, but Cherry said he believes everyone will be available and no one from the team has left for any vacations.

The late first pitch could work in the Panthers’ favor.

“It gives us a little time,” Cherry said. “It gives us time to gather together (Monday) afternoon before we get on the bus and head to McConnellsburg. We’re going to try and get together at our field and plan a little bit for Homer-Center as much as we can with less than 24 hours notice. You just have to roll with it at this point.”