Class 6A
Favorite: North Allegheny is the defending champion and owns a record nine WPIAL titles. The Tigers have relied on a trio of college-bound seniors in pitchers Nico Varlotta (North Alabama), Nate Persinger (Cal, Pa.) and Miles Pealer (Lycoming). The three have combined for 111 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings. Pealer also leads the team with a .345 batting average. The Tigers are seeking their third title in five seasons.
Contenders: Canon-McMillan won the Section 2 title behind a couple of junior pitchers. Ohio recruit MJ Maruschak is 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA, and Sebastian Shulsky is 5-1 with a 1.99 ERA. The pair has 110 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings. W&J recruit Alex Shank has a team-high 16 RBIs. The Big Macs last won the WPIAL title in 2018, their first since 1936. The team has 61 extra-base hits … Seneca Valley finished second to North Allegheny in Section 1. The Raiders are led by Ryan Piekutoski (25 RBIs) and Ryan Rebholz. The team has won four WPIAL titles, most recently in 2014. … Norwin finished second to Canon-McMillan in Section 2 despite taking two out of three against the Big Macs. The Knights’ Trevor Vitsas had five hits and four RBIs in that series win. Norwin seeks its third WPIAL title after winning in 2016 and 1960. … Mt. Lebanon has reached the finals three years in a row. The Blue Devils were WPIAL champions in 2022 and ’23 and runners-up in 2024. … Butler pitcher Nolan Stefaniak is 5-0 with a 1.18 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings.
Don’t overlook: North Hills took a game from both North Allegheny and Seneca Valley in their section series.
Prediction: Canon-McMillan over North Allegheny
Class 5A
Favorite: Pine-Richland is a newcomer to Class 5A. The Rams dropped down this season from 6A, where they won WPIAL titles in 2019 and ‘17. Senior pitcher Keegan Deihl, a Baylor recruit, is unbeaten in his high school career. He’s 7-0 this year with a 1.45 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. Junior Drew Boivin is 5-1 with a 1.55 ERA. Their catcher, senior Sam Heckert, is batting .426 with a team-best 24 RBIs.
Contenders: Plum seeks its first WPIAL title since winning twice a decade apart in 1998 and ’88. The Mustangs won the Section 1 title behind right-hander Braden Kemmerer, who is 8-0 with a 1.64 ERA. … Shaler tied Pine-Richland for the Section 3 title but a late-season loss to Mars cost the Titans a higher seed. Shaler could win its third WPIAL title in six seasons. Right-hander Colby Weber, a 6-foot-6 senior, is an East Carolina recruit. Senior Joe Rispoli is batting better than .500. … Bethel Park was the WPIAL 5A runner-up three of the past four seasons. Senior right-hander and IUP recruit Dylan Schumacher (4-1, 1.35 ERA) led the Black Hawks to a Section 2 title. … Cincinnati-bound outfielder Luke Kosko (.542) and pitcher Dom Metz (5-1, .093 ERA) lead Section 4 winner Thomas Jefferson. The Jaguars seek their first WPIAL title. … Penn-Trafford is the defending 5A champion after defeating Bethel Park, 4-3, in last year’s final.
Don’t overlook: Fox Chapel has regular-season victories over No. 1 seeds Pine-Richland and North Allegheny.
Prediction: Pine-Richland over Plum
Class 4A
Favorite: Indiana reached the WPIAL and PIAA finals last year, each time finishing as the runner-up. The Indians have never won a WPIAL title but have a great chance now thanks to their pitching. Greg Minnick (Texas Tech) is 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA and Ryan Okopal (Mercyhurst) is 5-0 with a 0.24 ERA. Reliever Mark Collinger is also a Mercyhurst recruit. Opponents average less than two runs per game.
Contenders: West Mifflin and Elizabeth Forward tied for the Section 2 title. … Four West Mifflin pitchers have thrown 21 innings or more led by senior Jake Martina (5-0, 2.85 ERA). The Titans won their first WPIAL title in 2022. Jayvon Thompson leads with a .431 average. … EF junior Cy Herchelroath is 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 79 strikeouts. The 6-3 lefty is committed to Akron. EF’s JB Crovak is batting .439 with 32 RBIs. The Warriors won WPIAL titles in 2011 and 1976. Beaver and Blackhawk tied for the Section 1 title. … Beaver’s Ty Butler, a Gardner Webb recruit, is 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA and a .381 batting average. … Belle Vernon senior Parker Lind (7-1, 0.85 ERA) is a tough lefty with 81 Ks.
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Don’t overlook: Sixth-seeded Blackhawk tied for the section title behind junior Carter Davis (5-0, 2.37 ERA), who’s batting .440.
Prediction: Indiana over Elizabeth Forward
Class 3A
Favorite: Riverside coach Dan Oliastro can become the first coach in WPIAL history to win seven baseball titles. The 81-year-old is in his 57th season. The Panthers were runners-up last year after winning the title in 2023. Their success starts with two senior pitchers: Zach Hare (5-0, 1.41 ERA) and Christian Lucarelli (4-1, 1.41). Hare, a Slippery Rock recruit, has 72 strikeouts to seven walks. Lucarelli, a Duke commit with a mid-90s fastball, has 58 Ks.
Contenders: Avonworth defeated Riverside, 4-3, in last year’s final that lasted 14 innings. Antelopes catcher Mason Metz, a Seton Hill recruit, is batting .433 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. The team has 17 homers. Avonworth starters Carson Franc (4-0, 0.80 ERA) and Cooper Scharding (4-0, 3.16) are both juniors. … Ellwood City bounced back after missing the 2024 playoffs. Wolverines pitcher Aaron Lake (6-0, 0.62 ERA), a 6-4 junior, threw seven scoreless innings with 10 Ks to beat Riverside in April. … Riverside, Avonworth, Ellwood City and Waynesburg all averaged at least nine runs per game. … Waynesburg’s Alex VanSickle and Derek Turcheck combined for 39 RBIs. Raiders starter Tyler Grove (8-0, 1.51 ERA) has 55 strikeouts. … South Park, a 2022 WPIAL champion, split its section series with Avonworth. Eagles junior Cooper Hochendoner is a standout pitcher and hitter. … Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Ligonier Valley and Mt. Pleasant tied for first in Section 3.
Don’t overlook: Seton LaSalle won WPIAL Class 2A titles each of the past two years.
Prediction: Avonworth over Riverside
Class 2A
Favorite: Neshannock has seven players batting better than .400 and averages 10.4 runs per game. The lineup got a late-season boost when senior Gannon recruit Dom Cubellis (.615, 12 RBIs) returned from a wrist injury after two months. Lucca Mezzanotte (23 RBIs), Hunter Wilson (22) and Ryan Cameron (22) also drive the offense. The Lancers as a team are batting .424 with 52 extra-base hits.
Contenders: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart won the Section 3 title behind catcher Thomas Medwig, a .500 hitter. The Chargers seek their first WPIAL title. … Shenango tied Neshannock for the Section 2 title by splitting the section series. The Wildcats lost 11-0 in Game 1 but won the rematch 2-1 in eight innings. Joey Campoli (5-2, 1.36 ERA) has a .421 average and 22 RBIs. Shenango won its first WPIAL title in 2021. … Burgettstown and Fort Cherry shared the Section 1 title after splitting a high-scoring series (Burgettstown won 12-11. Fort Cherry won 14-11). … Fort Cherry sophomore Colton Temple is batting .667 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs. The Rangers have 22 home runs. … Burgettstown has three players batting .400 or better: Sam Elich (.432), Matt Bredel (.409) and Brian Charles (.400).
Don’t overlook: Riverview was highly ranked in the WPIAL before two late losses to OLSH.
Prediction: Neshannock over Burgettstown
Class A
Favorite: Serra Catholic will try to outhit opponents on its way to a fifth title. Five Eagles have driven in more than 20 runs this year, led by senior Tyler Skaggs, who’s batting .446 with 32 RBIs and 29 runs. As a team, they’re batting nearly .400. Owen Dumbroski has scored a team-high 35 runs while batting .517. Skaggs (6-1, 1.04 ERA) and Dumbroski (3-1, 2.17 ERA) also pitch. Serra Catholic was the WPIAL 2A runner-up the past two seasons.
Contenders: Eden Christian, Bishop Canevin and Serra Catholic finished in a three-way tie for the Section 3 title. They all split their head-to-head section series. … Bishop Canevin is a two-time defending champion. The Crusaders’ Jackson Maddix is batting .512 with a team-high 19 RBIs. Tyler Maddix (5-3, 2.63 ERA) has 49 Ks in 29 innings. … Eden Christian was the WPIAL runner-up in 2022 and ’24. The team averages 10.6 runs. Brady Hull is batting .577 with 35 RBIs. The team has a .339 batting average. Eden pitcher Noah Emswiler (2.14 ERA) has 59 Ks in 39 innings. … Section 1 champion Greensburg Central Catholic is led by Jackson McMullen (.425, 24 RBIs), Tyler Samide (.327, 24 RBIs) and Anthony Grippo (.660, 25 RBIs), a Penn State recruit. The Centurions were WPIAL champions in 2015. … Leechburg is chasing its first WPIAL title behind Jake Cummings (.537, 23 runs) and Mason Bertino (.509, 27 runs, 25 RBIs). The Blue Devils went undefeated in winning the Section 2 title.
Don’t overlook: Winchester Thurston reached the playoffs in its first season playing WPIAL baseball.
Prediction: Eden Christian over Serra Catholic