2025 WPIAL baseball championship preview

Here’s a forecast of the WPIAL baseball championships, scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday at EQT Park (formerly Wild Things Park).

Class 6A

No. 3 Seneca Valley (16-6) vs. No. 4 Norwin (14-8) — 1 p.m. Tuesday

After several years of the traditional “blue bloods” duking it out for the Class 6A crown, it’s finally time for some “new blood” to take the throne in the WPIAL’s largest classification.

Since the shift from four to six classes in the 2016-17 school year, neither of these teams have advanced to the WPIAL title game, but they aren’t exactly new to the big game, either. Seneca Valley has won four WPIAL championships, including three in a four-year stretch from 2011-14, while Norwin captured the final WPIAL AAAA title in the era of four classes in 2016. The Knights also have one previous WPIAL title to their credit, which came all the way back in 1960.

The Raiders got hot at the right time, winning their final six regular-season contests before taking out No. 6 Mt. Lebanon and No. 2 Canon-McMillan on their way to the finals. They have allowed a grand total of 13 runs during their eight-game win streak, with Andrew Malichky firing a four-hit shutout in the 4-0 semifinal win against the Big Macs. On the other hand, Norwin caught fire with a nine-game win streak before dropping its last two regular-season games, but the Knights have rediscovered their winning ways when it matters most. Top-notch pitcher Brayden Wardzinski (5-0) will likely take the bump after closing out Norwin’s 7-4 semifinal win against rival Hempfield last week.

Class 5A

No. 1 Pine-Richland (20-3) vs. No. 3 Shaler (16-6) — 7 p.m. Tuesday

If you’re searching for the must-see matchup of this year’s championships, look no further than the clash for Class 5A supremacy between Pine-Richland and Shaler.

Two of the area’s most tradition-rich programs, both of these teams have six WPIAL titles in their storied history, with the Titans last claiming the Class 5A crown in 2023. The Rams, on the other hand, have spent the previous eight years competing in Class 6A, winning WPIAL titles in 2017 and 2019 in the district’s largest classification. Now down in Class 5A, longtime coach Kurt Wolfe has guided Pine-Richland to its first finals appearance in six years and its sixth trip to the championship game overall in his 20-year tenure. The Rams are 4-1 in WPIAL championship games under Wolfe’s watch, while Shaler has won both of its previous championship games under coach Brian Junker in 2019 and 2023.

After watching the Section 3 rivals split their pair of regular-season matchups along with the section title, many fans clamored for a rubber match with both teams’ coveted ace pitchers taking the hill — and now they are going to get what they wished for. Pine-Richland senior right-hander Keegan Deihl is a Baylor recruit with a record of 10-0 and a 1.45 ERA on the year to go with a career record of 20-0. As for the Titans, they boast arguably the top pitcher in the area in East Carolina recruit Colby Weber, a 6-6 righty with a record of 9-0 and an 0.35 ERA and 0.55 WHIP to go with 99 strikeouts and just seven walks in 60 innings pitched.

Class 4A

No. 1 Indiana (21-1) vs. No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (16-3) — 4 p.m. Tuesday

After a pair of heartbreaking losses in last year’s WPIAL and PIAA championship games, Indiana has been a team on a mission all season long — and that mission has led the Little Indians back to EQT Park for the second year in a row, while Elizabeth Forward is making its first championship appearance since 2011.

Indiana has been nearly flawless this spring, with its only slip-up coming via a non-section defeat against Connellsville on April 24. Since then, the Little Indians have won eight games in a row while allowing 10 runs during that span, with senior right-handers Greg Minnick and Ryan Okopal providing a potent 1-2 punch few teams can match. A Texas Tech recruit, Minnick is 7-0 with an 0.74 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 59 strikeouts to seven walks on the season, while Okopal, a Mercyhurst recruit, is 8-0 with a minuscule 0.40 ERA, 0.30 WHIP and 52 punchouts to seven walks.

These teams met in a non-section showdown on April 9, with Indiana cruising to a 6-1 victory on its home field. Although the Warriors will enter Tuesday’s championship contest as an underdog in the eyes of many, they have enjoyed a terrific season in their own right, with J.B. Crovak batting .431 with a dozen extra-base hits and 33 RBIs to go with a 4-0 record and 2.40 ERA with 54 strikeouts to 11 walks in 35 innings pitched. Senior left-hander Cy Herchelroath has also been stellar on the mound, holding a record of 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 84 strikeouts to 15 walks in 53⅔ innings.

Class 3A

No. 1 Riverside (16-2) vs. No. 7 Quaker Valley (15-6) — 5 p.m. Wednesday

Back in the WPIAL championship game for the third year in a row, top-seeded Riverside will try to bring legendary coach Dan Oliastro his seventh WPIAL title in his unparalleled 57-year career at the helm, while Quaker Valley is seeking its first WPIAL title in 41 years.

For the Panthers, a win would help erase the memories of last year’s devastating 14-inning defeat against Avonworth, which cost them a chance at back-to-back titles following their historic perfect season in 2023. Many of the team’s top players from that 2023 team are still playing starring roles for Riverside this season, including two-way stars Hunter Garvin, Zach Hare and Christian Lucarelli. A Duke recruit, Lucarelli is 4-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 60 strikeouts on the year, while Hare has been especially dominant this postseason. Holding a record of 7-0 with an 0.92 ERA and 99 strikeouts on the year, Hare pitched 12 combined innings of no-hit ball in the Panthers’ past two playoff wins against Burrell and South Park.

For the Quakers, Todd Kagle is batting .462 with 10 doubles, 4 home runs, 32 RBIs and 19 runs scored, while Ryan Finamore is hitting .500 with eight doubles, a homer and 21 runs scored. Meanwhile, Quaker Valley’s pitching staff has found its mojo just in time for the postseason, with the Quakers allowing only seven combined runs over the course of their current seven-game win streak while giving up two runs or less in each of their past seven contests.

Class 2A

No. 2 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (15-7) vs. No. 8 Freedom (14-7) — 2 p.m. Wednesday

Regardless of the result on Wednesday afternoon, there will be a first-time champion crowned in Class 2A, with OLSH and Freedom each vying for their first WPIAL title in school history.

After reaching the WPIAL quarterfinals in 2023 and the WPIAL semifinals last season, the Chargers are playing in the big game for the first time since 2013. Like OLSH, the Bulldogs have made just one prior appearance in the WPIAL finals, losing in 10 innings to California in the 2017 title game. Freedom knocked off top-seeded Neshannock with a 3-0 upset victory in the quarterfinals, then the Bulldogs out-slugged No. 12 Laurel in an 8-7 semifinal win. The Chargers scored an 8-0 win against No. 10 New Brighton in the quarterfinals, followed by a 3-1 win against No. 6 Riverview to clinch a spot in the championship game.

Freedom has a handful of elite hitters from the top to the bottom of its lineup, including Boden Hilliard (.404 average, 6 doubles, 20 RBIs), Zach Kuntz (.365 average, 4 doubles, 25 RBIs), Mason O’Donnell (.308 average, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, 23 RBIs, 24 runs scored), Xavier Robbins (.434 average, 19 RBIs) and Tommy Ward (.467 average, 19 RBIs, 26 runs scored). On the other side, OLSH pitcher-catcher Thomas Medwig is batting .581 while impacting the game in several different facets for the Chargers, while southpaw Iseia Schulz ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL with 82 strikeouts during the regular season.

Class 1A

No. 1 Serra Catholic (19-3) vs. No. 6 Carmichaels (15-4) — 11 a.m. Wednesday

You can search far and wide, but you won’t find a more consistent and successful program in the WPIAL over the past quarter-century than the Serra Catholic Eagles, who now find themselves playing in the WPIAL title game for the fourth year in a row and the ninth time overall since Brian Dzurenda took over as coach in 2000.

After reaching three consecutive championship games and four of the past five in Class 2A, Serra is now back in the Class 1A final as the top seed and prohibitive favorite to bring home its fifth WPIAL title. But don’t count out Carmichaels just yet, because these Mighty Mikes have lived up to their namesake during their underdog run through the postseason. First, Carmichaels dominated No. 11 Union, 9-1, before taking down No. 3 Leechburg in the quarterfinal round, 6-3. The Mighty Mikes then followed that up with another upset against No. 2 Eden Christian, holding on for a 4-3 win to reach their first title game since 2014.

Colin Andrews leads a solid pitching staff for Carmichaels that has allowed three runs or fewer in five consecutive games, with the Mighty Mikes riding a nine-game win streak into Wednesday’s championship showdown. For the Eagles, standout seniors Owen Dumbroski and Tyler Skaggs are putting up nearly identical numbers at the plate, and both are extremely reliable pitchers as well. Both Dumbroski and Skaggs have tallied 10 doubles, 2 triples and a home run, with Dumbroski batting .533 with 22 RBIs and 36 runs scored and Skaggs posting a .439 batting average with 33 RBIs and 30 runs scored.