Twelve Westmoreland County high school baseball teams found out their opponents Friday for the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs.
While some teams play Monday and Tuesday, others will not start until May 18.
Two teams — Derry (7-9) and Belle Vernon (14-5) — will begin play on Monday in Class 4A.
No. 13 Trojans will play No. 4 Beaver (15-5) at 4 p.m. at Deer Lakes, while the No. 5 Leopards will face No. 12 Hampton (12-8) at 5 p.m. at Gateway.
Derry coach Tom Kelly said his team faces a tough draw.
“We are going to make them earn a win,” Kelly said. “If we play a full complete game, we can beat anyone. We beat Valley and we played in a tough section.
“Our section was tough. It was one of the tougher sections we have played in. When you can hang with the top two teams (Indiana and Valley), it prepares you.”
Kelly said Beaver is pitching heavy but beatable.
Senior shortstop Cason Long is hitting .500 for the Trojans. Kelly said the Shippensburg commit is one of the best shortstops around.
Junior pitcher Max Doherty will get the call on the hill.
“We need to get him help,” Kelly said.
Five more teams will play Tuesday, three in Class 5A and two in Class 3A.
No. 2 Penn-Trafford (15-5) will face No 15 Fox Chapel (12-8) at 4 p.m. at Plum in Class 5A.
The Warriors, the 2024 WPIAL champions, hope to make another playoff run. They were upset 2-1 by Connellsville in the opening round last year.
Penn-Trafford was the Section 1-5A champion, a game ahead of Plum (17-3) and Latrobe (17-3). Franklin Regional (13-6) finished fourth in the section.
“We washed the Connellsville loss earlier,” Penn-Trafford coach Lou Cortazzo said. “We are going at it as business as usual. We have played well the last five games. We are playing like a section champion.
“We have to play our game. Everyone has a No. 1, and I am sure we will see Fox Chapel’s best pitcher.”
No. 6 Latrobe will face No. 11 Bethel Park (11-8) at 6:30 p.m. at Gateway.
The Wildcats returned only one starter — Cole Short — from a team that gave Pine-Richland a scare last year. The Wildcats edged Fox Chapel, 2-1, in the first round before falling to the Rams, 8-7, in the quarterfinals.
“The kids have done fantastic job,” Latrobe coach Matt Bascaino said. “The seniors have stepped up in a leadership role. The young guys are very coachable. They adapted to what we wanted done.
“Bethel Park is always a powerhouse. They have a great program and players. We are trying to find out more about them.”
No. 7 Franklin Regional (15-6) battles No. 10 South Fayette (11-9) at 6:30 p.m. at West Mifflin.
Two local 3A teams — Mt. Pleasant and Ligonier Valley — also begin Tuesday.
The No. 8 Vikings (12-8) face No. 9 Charleroi (10-8) at Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park at 4 p.m.
The No. 14 Rams (10-10) head to Butler’s Pullman Park to face No. 3 Ellwood City (15-3).
The Class 6A tournament will begin May 18.
No. 4 Norwin (12-8) faces No. 5 Central Catholic (12-8) at 7 p.m. at Gateway while No. 6 Hempfield (10-10) faces No. 3 North Allegheny (12-7) at Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair at 7 p.m. Hempfield stunned North Allegheny in the opening round last year.
Norwin defeated Central Catholic, 6-1, early this season.
Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said his team will be ready because of the competition it played.
“Every team in 6A is good,” Buzzard said. “Hopefully, we can compete. We played in a really good section against a lot of top teams.”
Hempfield scrimmaged Connellsville on Friday, and Buzzard is going to schedule a couple more tune-ups.
“We want to stay sharp,” Buzzard said. “Nothing will be the same as a playoff game; we just want to make sure we get reps and get better.”
Greensburg Central Catholic (15-0) is seeded No. 2 in Class A and will begin the playoffs May 19 against the winner of a matchup between Jefferson-Morgan and Union.
“It is about what I expected,” GCC coach Tom Boyle said. “We were obviously in tough section.
“We have things to clean up. We are looking to stay sharp and play a scrimmage.”
Burrell (10-9) got the 11th seed in Class 3A and will face No. 6 Mohawk (14-5) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pullman Park. Valley (14-5) got the No. 3 seed in Class 4A and received a first-round bye.