2025 WPIAL baseball postseason outlook

Here’s a look at the WPIAL baseball playoffs, which begin Monday and conclude May 27-28 at EQT Park (formerly Wild Things Park).

CLASS 6A

Defending champion: North Allegheny

No. 1 seed: North Allegheny

Best first-round game: Norwin vs. Butler

Player to watch: MJ Maruschak, Canon-McMillan. Maruschak has arguably been the top all-around player for a Canon-McMillan team that is averaging the most runs per game (6.9) and giving up the fewest (2.4) in Class 6A. An Ohio recruit, Maruschak is 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA and has struck out 51 in 37 innings while also sporting a batting average of .405.

Sleeper: Hempfield. It was an even-steven regular season for the Spartans, who both scored and gave up 87 runs and went 6-6 to finish fourth in Section 2. Sure, the Spartans have struggled, which included a five-game losing streak, but they did take two out of three against Section 2 runner-up Norwin and enter the postseason having won three of their past four.

The lowdown: Will we get a North Allegheny-Mt. Lebanon rubber match in the championship? And will there be another no-hitter? While it’s possible history repeats itself yet again — Mt. Lebanon no-hit North Allegheny in the 2023 final and North Allegheny returned the favor a season ago — it’s unlikely given that Mt. Lebanon is the No. 6 seed and neither team has been as dominant on the mound. … Section 1 champion North Allegheny has won 5 of 6, while Section 2 champ Canon-McMillan has won 4 of 6. North Allegheny is seeking its third title in five years, while the Big Macs won their only WPIAL title in 2018. Miles Pealer leads North Allegheny in hitting with a .345 average and has scored 13 runs. Sebastian Shulsky (5-0, 1.66) has teamed with Maruschak to give Canon-McMillan a terrific 1-2 punch of starters. … Seneca Valley has won five straight, including a three-game sweep of Butler. The Raiders have given up only eight runs during their win streak. … Norwin had been scorching hot, winning nine straight before closing the regular season with two straight losses. Brayden Wardzinski is 5-0 on the bump. 

Championship picks: Canon-McMillan (Brad Everett), North Allegheny (Steve Rotstein)

CLASS 5A

Defending champion: Penn-Trafford

No. 1 seed: Pine-Richland

Best first-round game: Penn-Trafford vs. Connellsville

Player to watch: Colby Weber, Shaler. Opposing hitters likely feel like they’re caught up in a web trying to hit against Weber, who has been dominant on his way to a 4-0 record and 0.18 ERA. An East Carolina recruit, Weber has fanned 60 and walked just six across 40 innings. He has not given up a run in his past five appearances, which spans 23 innings of work.

Sleeper: Penn-Trafford. The Warriors were slept on last season when, as the No. 7 seed, they claimed their first WPIAL title. They might not be as big of a sleeper this time around as they are seeded No. 6, but the Warriors could make a similar long run as the Section 1 runners-up have won eight of their past nine games. Logan Matrisch is hitting .386 with 23 RBIs.

The lowdown: Pine-Richland and Shaler shared the Section 3 title and both could make long runs. The teams split a pair of meetings last month. Weber tossed a one-hitter and struck out 11 to lead Shaler to a 7-0 win, while Baylor recruit Keegan Deihl fired a complete game to help Pine-Richland to a 9-1 win. Deihl has also been fantastic, going 7-0 with a 1.45 ERA to go along with 48 strikeouts in 43⅓ innings. Sam Heckert leads Pine-Richland with a .426 batting average. … Plum comes in as the hottest team in the classification, having won 11 games in a row. The Mustangs have lost just twice, those coming against defending WPIAL Class 6A champ North Allegheny and defending Class 5A champion Penn-Trafford. Braden Kemmerer and Jake Dombkowski have been strong on the mound. Dombkowski (.452) also leads the team in hitting. … Bethel Park has had loads of postseason success in recent seasons, and the Black Hawks could make more noise as the Section 2 champs take an eight-game win streak into the playoffs. Senior shortstop Ryan Petras is a four-year starter who is hitting .407. … Thomas Jefferson captured the Section 4 title and has won seven in a row. The Jaguars have five shutouts in their past 11 games and give up only 2.1 runs a game.

Championship picks: Shaler (Brad Everett), Pine-Richland (Steve Rotstein)

CLASS 4A

Defending champion: North Catholic

No. 1 seed: Indiana

Best first-round game: Central Valley vs. Greensburg Salem

Player to watch: Greg Minnick, Indiana. While Class 5A features a hurler headed to Baylor, Class 4A has one going to Texas Tech. Minnick is a senior right-hander who will take a 7-0 record into the playoffs. He’s got tons of big-game experience, too, having started last year’s WPIAL and PIAA championship games.

Sleeper: Belle Vernon. Keep an eye on Belle Vernon, the third-place finisher out of Section 2. The Leopards have a potent offense (7.5 runs per game) and were 14-3 before losing their final three regular-season games. Parker Lind is a Kent State recruit who is 7-1 with a 0.85 ERA and has fanned 81 in 41 innings. Luke Judy is 4-2 and is hitting a team-best .481 with 23 RBIs.

The lowdown: After advancing all the way to the final as the No. 9 seed a season ago, Indiana won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season. The Indians have dropped only one game and were the lone team in the largest three classes to not lose a section game. Minnick and fellow senior Ryan Okopal headline one of the WPIAL’s top pitching staffs. … West Mifflin and Elizabeth Forward split the Section 2 title. West Mifflin has won 11 of 13 while Elizabeth Forward has won 7 of 8. Jayvon Thompson leads West Mifflin with a .431 batting average, and Jake Martina is 5-0 on the mound. Elizabeth Forward might not have Cy Young, but Cy Herchelroath has done just fine. He’s 5-1 and has struck out 79 in 45⅔ innings. Charlie Nigut is hitting a team-best .453 and has scored 28 runs. … There was also a tie atop Section 1, where Beaver and Blackhawk shared the section title. Beaver is led by Gardner-Webb recruit Ty Butler, who is 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA and is hitting .381. Blackhawk’s Carter Davis is 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA and is batting .440. … Last year’s champion, North Catholic, did not qualify for the postseason.

Championship picks: Indiana (Brad Everett), Indiana (Steve Rotstein)

CLASS 3A

Defending champion: Avonworth

No. 1 seed: Riverside

Best first-round game: Quaker Valley vs. Ligonier Valley

Player to watch: Zach Hare, Riverside. It’s pick your poison when you play Riverside, which features Hare and fellow senior standout Christian Lucarelli. Hare has been outstanding on the mound and at the plate. He’s 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA while striking out 72 and walking just seven in 34⅔ innings. Hare is also hitting .423 to go along with team highs of four home runs and 24 RBIs.

Sleeper: Quaker Valley. After going just 4-13 last season, Quaker Valley has rebounded to go 12-6 and finished third behind Riverside and Ellwood City in Section 1. The Quakers split with Ellwood City and lost to Riverside by scores of 4-1 and 8-4. This team can score some runs (7.6 per game) and are led by Todd Kagle, who is hitting .462 with four home runs and 32 RBIs.

The lowdown: Riverside was the preseason favorite, and that has not changed. The Panthers are looking for another title after going unbeaten in 2023 and then falling in last year’s final. Lucarelli is a Duke recruit who is 4-1 with a 0.77 ERA and has 58 strikeouts in 27⅓ innings. The Panthers have given up a WPIAL-low 23 runs in their 15 games. … Avonworth, the reigning WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up, has dropped just three games by a combined four runs. The Antelopes average 9.2 runs per game and are led offensively by Mason Metz (.533, 8 home runs, 23 RBIs) and Jack Dolan (.562, 19 RBIs). Cooper Scharding (4-0) and Carson Franc (4-0) give the Antelopes two terrific starting pitchers. … Section 4 champion Waynesburg could make a run. Tyler Groves (8-0, 1.51) has been one of the top pitchers in Class 3A and Alex VanSickle is batting .567 with 20 RBIs. … Freeport, Burrell, Mount Pleasant, Ligonier Valley and Deer Lakes all tied for the Section 3 title after posting 8-4 records. Ligonier Valley is the hottest of the bunch, having won eight games in a row. … Ellwood City handed Riverside its only section loss and has won six of its past seven games. Aaron Lake is 6-0 with a 0.62 ERA. … South Park dealt Avonworth its only section defeat. Cooper Hochendoner has been a two-way standout for the Eagles. … Seton LaSalle won Class 2A titles the past two seasons before moving up this season. The Rebels are the No. 14 seed after finishing third in Section 4.

Championship picks: Riverside (Brad Everett), Avonworth (Steve Rotstein)

CLASS 2A

Defending champion: Seton LaSalle

No. 1 seed: Neshannock

Best first-round game: Freedom vs. Apollo-Ridge

Player to watch: Colton Temple, Fort Cherry. Temple, just a sophomore, has had a remarkable season, ranking among the WPIAL leaders in batting average (.667), home runs (10) and RBIs (36). He boasts an on-base percentage of .731, has a pair of two home run games, and has driven in a run in all but two of Fort Cherry’s 18 games. Oh, and he’s also 6-1 on the mound.

Sleeper: Riverview. As the No. 6 seed, Riverview appears to have a big uphill climb. But having good pitching can take teams a long way, which gives the Raiders a shot. They give up only 2.6 runs per game and have given up more than five runs just twice this season. The Raiders also have two excellent starters in Lukas Duncan (5-1, 1.29) and Johnny Bertucci (5-2, 1.97).

The lowdown: Neshannock won its past four section games to earn a split of the Section 2 title with Shenango. Neshannock has been led by an offense that has pumped in 10.3 runs per game. Jake Rynd ranks among the top hitters and is also a standout pitcher. Shenango gives up only 3.7 runs a game. A strong pitching staff includes Joey Campoli (5-2, 1.36), Tyler Houk (4-1, 3.95) and Trey Ross (3-0, 1.56). … Fort Cherry and Burgettstown split a pair of high-scoring games this week, so the two shared the Section 1 title. Fort Cherry, which has won 10 of 11, averages 10.5 runs a game. Another sophomore, Ryan Huey, is having a big season for the Rangers, hitting .532 with 13 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs. Burgettstown hopes to take the next step after falling in the semifinals the past two seasons. Matt Bredel has been one of the stars. He’s 7-1 with a 1.97 ERA and is hitting .409. Sam Elich is batting .432 and Brian Charles has 22 RBIs. … Section 3 champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart hunts a championship after losing in the quarterfinals in 2023 and the semifinals last season. Thomas Medwig, a 6-foot-5 catcher-pitcher, has been one of OLSH’s top performers.

Championship picks: Burgettstown (Brad Everett), Fort Cherry (Steve Rotstein)

CLASS 1A

Defending champion: Bishop Canevin

No. 1 seed: Serra Catholic

Best first-round game: Jefferson-Morgan vs. Winchester Thurston

Player to watch: Tyler Maddix, Bishop Canevin. A senior left-hander, Maddix has fueled Canevin’s surge toward a third consecutive WPIAL title. Maddix is 5-3 with a 2.62 ERA and has struck out 49 in 29⅓ innings. He’s a big-game performer, as he was the winning pitcher in the WPIAL final each of the past two years. A .341 hitter, Maddix also homered in last year’s final.

Sleeper: Carmichaels. Carmichaels made the semifinals last season and could make another long run after finishing in a tie for second behind Greensburg Central Catholic in Section 1. The Mighty Mikes have won five straight and were the only team to beat the Centurions in section play. Robbie Wilson-Jones is hitting .420 and Colin Andrews (5-1, 2.61) leads a strong pitching staff.

The lowdown: Bishop Canevin, Eden Christian and Serra Catholic shared the Section 3 title, a trio of teams that are no strangers to playoff success. Canevin is looking to become the first team to win three consecutive WPIAL titles since Pine-Richland (2004-06). Eden Christian was the WPIAL and PIAA runner-up last season. Serra lost in the Class 2A final the past two seasons. Maddix’s brother, Jackson, is Canevin’s top hitter (.512). Eden Christian’s Brady Hull is batting .577 with 35 RBIs, while teammate Brian Feldman is hitting .483 and has scored 37 runs. Serra has won 12 of its past 13 games. Owen Dumbroski and Tyler Skaggs have been two-way stars for the Eagles. Dumbroski is hitting .517 and is 3-1 on the mound, while Skaggs is batting .446 and is 6-1 with a 1.04 ERA. … Leechburg didn’t drop a game in winning the Section 2 title. The Blue Devils average a WPIAL-best 11.1 runs a game and have scored 200 in total. Mason Bertino is hitting .509 and has driven in 25 runs. … Section 1 winner Greensburg Central Catholic carries an eight-game win streak into the playoffs. Tyler Samide leads the pitching staff and Anthony Grippo has been one of the offensive standouts. 

Championship picks: Serra Catholic (Brad Everett), Bishop Canevin (Steve Rotstein)