WPIAL baseball playoffs preview: North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Indiana, Riverside, Neshannock and Serra Catholic get No. 1 seeds
Mike White / For the Post-Gazette
The WPIAL baseball playoffs are set, and a handful of teams will be trying to make it to a championship game for the third year in a row, while one is seeking a fourth consecutive title game appearance.
The WPIAL released playoff pairings and seedings Friday, and the postseason begins Monday with a few preliminary-round games. First-round games begin Monday. North Allegheny, Bethel Park, Riverside and Bishop Canevin are all trying to make a title game for the third year in a row, while Serra Catholic attempts to make it four consecutive years.
The No. 1 seeds for each classification are North Allegheny (Class 6A), Pine-Richland (Class 5A), Indiana (Class 4A), Riverside (Class 3A), Neshannock (Class 2A) and Serra Catholic (Class 1A). The championship games will be played May 27-28 at EQT Park, home of the Washington Wild Things.
Here is a playoff forecast for all six classifications:
CLASS 6A
Top seeds: North Allegheny is first, Canon-McMillan second, Seneca Valley third, Norwin fourth.
The winner will be: Canon-McMillan. The Big Macs have played in one championship in school history (won the 2018 crown), but it’s time for another title. Canon-McMillan certainly isn’t a heavy favorite, but the Big Macs led Class 6A in runs scored (6.9) and runs allowed (2.4) per game. This team has a strong one-two pitching punch, with junior Sebastian Shulsky and MJ Maruschak. Shulsky is 5-1 with a 1.99 ERA, and Maruschak, an Ohio University recruit, is 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA and also is hitting .376.
The scoop: This classification has only 10 teams, and it’s a good bet North Allegheny gets to the championship. The Tigers are defending champion and have been in a final game in five of the past eight years and 19 times in school history. Their nine titles are the most in WPIAL history. This year’s team is not dominant, but it knows how to perform in close games, winning seven by one or two runs. The Tigers offense will be key. ... Watch Seneca Valley. The Raiders defeated North Allegheny once and enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak. ... Mt. Lebanon, a finalist in each of the past two years, finished third in Section 2. ... Butler showed some promise at times this year, but losing three games in four days to Seneca Valley to end the season hurt Butler’s seeding.
CLASS 5A
Top seeds: Pine-Richland is first, Plum second, Shaler third, Bethel Park fourth.
The winner will be: It’s hard to pick between Pine-Richland and Shaler because the two tied for a section title and split two meetings. But Pine-Richland gets a slight edge because of its two pitchers. Senior Keegan Deihl, a Baylor recruit, is 7-0 this season with a 1.45 ERA. He has literally been unbeatable in his career with a 17-0 record. Junior Drew Boivin is 5-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 31 innings. Pine-Richland has a 1.43 team ERA.
The scoop: Shaler lost to Pine-Richland 9-1 ... but also beat Pine-Richland 7-0. Shaler has one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL in 6-foot-6 Colby Weber, but a major question is how the Titans’ other pitchers will fare. ... Plum hasn’t been to a championship since 2016 when future major leaguer Alex Kirilloff was the star player. The Mustangs could make noise again this year, carrying an 11-game winning streak into the playoffs. ... Bethel Park is a section champ and allows only 2.8 runs per game. ... Thomas Jefferson is an intriguing team. The Jaguars haven’t gotten as much attention as, say, Pine-Richland and Shaler, but Thomas Jefferson is a section champ and features Cincinnati recruit Luke Kosko. Thomas Jefferson allows only 2.1 runs per game, third best in the WPIAL.
CLASS 4A
Top seeds: Indiana is first, West Mifflin second, Elizabeth Forward third, Beaver Area fourth.
The winner will be: Indiana. The Little Indians made it to the title game last year, and this is the year they win their first title. Hitting will be key, but it’s hard to go against a team that has a stellar pitching staff, including two future Division I college pitchers. Greg Minnick will play at Texas Tech and Ryan Okopal at Mercyhurst. Indiana allows an average of only two runs per game, second best in the WPIAL.
The scoop: West Mifflin and Elizabeth Forward tied for the Section 2 title and are both capable of winning it all. Elizabeth Forward features stellar pitcher Cy Herchelroath, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior who is 5-1 with 79 strikeouts in 45⅔ innings. But West Mifflin did get six runs and five hits against Herchelroath in 4⅔ innings. ... Belle Vernon finished third in Section 2 behind Elizabeth Forward and West Mifflin, but Belle Vernon is a team to watch because of its pitching. Senior Parker Lind is 7-1 with a 0.85 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 41 innings. ... How good are Beaver Area and Blackhawk? It’s tough to say, but they did tie for a section championship.
CLASS 3A
Top seeds: Riverside is first, Avonworth second, Ellwood City third, Waynesburg Central fourth.
The winner will be: Riverside. It’s hard to pick between Riverside and Avonworth. Maybe flip a coin to decide between them. But we’ll go with Riverside, as the Panthers want a little revenge after losing to Avonworth in 14 innings in last year’s title game. Riverside has a terrific one-two pitching punch in Christian Lucarelli and Zach Hare. Lucarelli is 4-1 with a 0.77 ERA this season, while Hare is 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA. They both average 2.1 strikeouts per inning. They have 36 career wins between them, but they aren’t unbeatable. Ellwood City beat Lucarelli this season. Riverside’s hitting will be key.
The scoop: Avonworth’s statistics are similar to Riverside’s. Avonworth averages 9.2 runs per game and allows only 2.5, while Riverside averages 9.0 and gives up only 1.5. Avonworth has two .500 hitters. Jack Dolan is hitting .562, while Mason Metz is batting .533 with eight home runs. ... Ellwood City is a sleeper. Besides beating Riverside, the Wolverines average 9.2 runs per game, and junior pitcher Aaron Lake is 6-0 with a 0.62 ERA. He pitched a three-hitter and shut out Riverside 4-0 early in the season. ... In what might have been a first in WPIAL baseball, five teams tied for a section title. Freeport, Burrell, Mount Pleasant, Ligonier Valley and Deer Lakes all tied at 8-4 and all made the playoffs. The WPIAL seeded Deer Lakes sixth, Burrell eighth, Ligonier Valley 10th, Mount Pleasant 12th and Freeport 13th.
CLASS 2A
Top seeds: Neshannock is first, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart second, Burgettstown third, Fort Cherry fourth.
The winner will be: Neshannock. Neshannock and Shenango tied for first in Class 2A Section 2 and split two meetings. But Neshannock beat Shenango 11-0, while Shenango won only 2-1. Neshannock’s offensive numbers are impressive, averaging 10.3 runs per game and holding a .424 team batting average. Jake Rynd leads at .482 and is 5-0 as a pitcher. How Neshannock’s pitchers fare will be a key.
The scoop: This appears to be an extremely balanced classification, with a handful of teams that could make postseason runs. Tying Neshannock for a section title shows Shenango’s potential. ... Fort Cherry and Burgettstown tied for the Section 1 title and split two high-scoring games this week. Fort Cherry won 14-11, and Burgettstown won 12-11. Fort Cherry averages 10.5 runs per game, and sophomore Colton Temple hit .636 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. Burgettstown’s Matthew Bredel hit .409 and was 7-1 as a pitcher. ... Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is only 13-7, but the Chargers are a section champ and played a strong nonsection schedule.
CLASS 1A
Top seeds: Serra Catholic is first, Eden Christian second, Leechburg third, Bishop Canevin fourth.
The winner will be: Eden Christian. The Warriors lost in the title game in two of the past three years, but now is their time to get to the top of the mountain. They are experienced and come from a highly competitive section. Juniors Brady Hull and Brett Feldman are hitting .577 and .483, respectively.
The scoop: Two-time defending WPIAL champion Bishop Canevin tied for the Class 1A Section 3 title with Eden Christian and Serra Catholic, and all three are capable of winning the title. That section had a lot of offensive power, as Eden Christian and Serra Catholic both averaged 10.6 runs per game, which tied for second in the WPIAL in the regular season. Bishop Canevin averaged 9.3 runs. ... Can Leechburg’s offense take the Blue Devils to a title game for the first time since 1983? Leechburg led the WPIAL in runs during the regular season at 11.1 per game. ... Watch Greensburg Central Catholic. The Centurions are strong offensively (9.4 runs per game) and have good pitching. Junior Anthony Grippo is a Penn State recruit who hit .660.
Mike White: [email protected] and Twitter @mwhiteburgh