The Eden Christian Academy baseball team, a PIAA runner-up in 2025, is rated No. 1 in Class A in the Trib HSSN WPIAL preseason rankings.
After starting out 6-0 and 12-2 last year, the Warriors ended up in a three-way tie with Serra Catholic and Bishop Canevin at the top of the Section 3-A standings.
Eden was a WPIAL semifinalist and PIAA finalist, finishing with a second consecutive 19-6 overall record.
And Eden was a state runner-up for the second year in a row, winning 38 of 50 games during that span.
More than halfway through this decade, the Eden baseball program has enjoyed tremendous success. The Warriors have reached the WPIAL and PIAA championship game four times in the last five years, finishing as district runners-up in 2024 and second in the state in 2021, 2024 and again last spring.
The Warriors lost only one senior starter to graduation from last year, giving the club a ton of experience this season.
“There are a lot of very good teams in the WPIAL, including three strong teams in our section,” Eden coach Mark Feldman said.
“Our expectation is to compete hard every game and continue to improve as the season goes on.
“We’re excited about this group of players. They’ve put in a lot of work during the offseason, and we’re looking forward to seeing how they compete and grow throughout the season. The team has been working extremely hard during the preseason. There’s a lot of excitement within the group, and they’re eager to get the season underway.”
Eden’s leading players include seniors Brett Feldman (INF/P), Brady Hull (INF/P), Noah Emswiler (OF/P), Josh Tilden (C), Luke Burford (OF), Christian Watkins (P/INF) and Levi Parrott (2B), along with sophomore Levi DeFazio (OF/P).
“We’re proud to have three players who have made college commitments,” said Feldman, naming his son Brett (Washington & Jefferson), Hull (Slippery Rock) and Emswiler (Lipscomb). All three are fourth-year starters.
Eden has been on an impressive postseason run in this decade. The Warriors reached the PIAA finals for the third time in five seasons in 2025.
“I feel there is no team better than us,” Emswiler said, “because we are a family and we push to work harder every day by helping each other be better players and people.”
The Warriors pounded the cover off the ball last season, finishing with a .333 team batting average. Five of the returning players hit .300 or close to it.
Eden was led offensively last spring by Hull, whose final numbers went through the roof. Hull had a .539 batting average, .575 on-base percentage, .882 slugging percentage and 1.456 OPS with 41 hits in 76 at-bats including 15 doubles, three home runs and 44 RBIs.
He hit .533 with runners in scoring position, had 12 two-out RBIs, 19 extra base hits and 67 total bases.
“I feel great about my season,” said Hull, who was plagued by a nagging stress fracture injury last year. “I played good baseball on both sides. I swung it well and played good defense to help my team win.”
Hull was particularly effective in the state playoffs.
“I think my best defensive game was against DuBois Central and my best offensive game was against Clarion,” Hull said. “Just stepping up in huge spots for my team.”
Emswiler and Feldman hit .458 and .415 last year, and Emswiler’s .576 on-base percentage led the squad.
He also had a .778 slugging percentage and 1.354 OPS with 33 hits, including four triples, and drove in 34 runs.
“We didn’t win a championship,” Emswiler said, “but we competed in every game and each player left it all on the field. Although we fell short, we have a lot of players returning, which allows us to have the confidence of making another run.
“The younger guys really stepped up, filling a role for the group of seniors that left, and that really showed during the season.”
Feldman, with 82 official at-bats in 100 plate appearances, logged a .510 on-base percentage, .524 slugging percentage and 1.034 OPS to go along with 34 hits, including 27 singles, 47 runs scored and a team-leading 24 stolen bases. He struck out only twice all season.
Watkins hit .333 while DeFazio wasn’t far behind with a .292 average.
“We have several new players who will be pushing for playing time this year,” said the elder Feldman, who was lauded as the Trib HSSN Coach of the Year for Class A.
“Some names to keep an eye on include Andrew Sharpless, Jonathan Feldman and Brody Yurkovac, just to name a few.”
Sharpless and Jonathan Feldman are freshmen while Yurkovac is a senior.
Others looking to make an impact in this year’s star-studded lineup include sophomore outfielders Carson Beck (P/OF), Miles Bailey, Andy Ray and Zach Bonner and junior Luca Natale (INF).
Emswiler was the workhorse of the pitching staff a year ago, starting 14 games and tossing 62 2/3 innings while compiling an 11-2 record and 1.68 ERA. He recorded 93 strikeouts while allowing 42 hits and 15 earned runs.
The talented left-handed hurler was one of five pitchers named PSBCA first team all-state in Class A. Hull and Feldman also were lauded as first team all-state infielder selections.
Emswiler’s battery mate, Tilden, a third-year starter, worked on building up his strength in the offseason.
“I had my ups and downs (last) year, but I thought I performed pretty well overall,” Tilden said.
“I grew a lot as a defender. My batting average wasn’t what I was expecting, but I was much happier with my bat in the playoffs. I found ways to help my team, and I think I grew a lot as a player and person.
“I expect us to be back in the mix. We have a young group of guys that I’m excited to see develop. We have some roles to fill and figure out, but I think everyone on this team is very capable. It’s all about the next step for us.”
Eden’s pitching staff this season includes Emswiler, Brett Feldman, Hull, DeFazio, Watkins, senior Jackson Bremmer and Beck.
“Those are most of them,” said their affable coach, “but we expect to have several other arms contribute throughout the year, as well.”
The Warriors’ pitching corps racked up 195 strikeouts in 145 innings and achieved a 3.09 team ERA in 2025.