WPIAL baseball playoffs
Class 4A
First round
13-Derry (7-9) vs. 4-Beaver (16-5)
4 p.m. Monday at Deer Lakes
Winner plays: Winner of 5-Belle Vernon (14-5)/12-Hampton (12-8) on May 18 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Cason Long, Derry; Junior Marino, Beaver
Extra bases: Beaver was Section 1 champion. Senior outfielder Marino is hitting .447. Junior pitcher Maddox Tanner is hitting .358 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Junior pitcher Derek Hughes is 6-1 with a 1.36 ERA. Beaver lost to Belle Vernon in the WPIAL quarterfinals in 2025. … Derry senior shortstop Long is batting .537. The Shippensburg recruit has 17 RBIs and four home runs. Junior pitcher Max Doherty is 3-2 with a 2.76 ERA. The Trojans finished fourth in Section 3. Derry lost to Belle Vernon in the WPIAL opening round last year.
5-Belle Vernon (14-5) vs. 12-Hampton (12-8)
6:30 p.m. Monday at Gateway
Winner plays: Winner of 13-Derry (7-9)/4-Beaver (16-5) on May 18 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Chase Petrosky, Belle Vernon; Brody Bruce-Fritz, Hampton
Extra bases: Belle Vernon finished second in Section 2-4A behind Elizabeth Forward. Junior outfielder Petrosky is batting .379 with 14 RBIs. Junior shortstop pitcher Zach Plymire is batting .364 with 26 runs scored, 20 RBIs and eight doubles. He is 4-1 with a 3.08 ERA. Senior pitcher Ian Porter is 6-1, and senior pitcher Maddox Ceccarelli is 4-2. The Leopards lost to Indiana in the WPIAL semifinals in 2025. … Hampton finished fourth in Section 1. It defeated Central Valley (3-0) and Norwin (6-2) this week. Senior catcher Bruce-Fritz is one of the team’s leading hitters, and senior Zach Virbitsky is the top pitcher. Hampton missed the 2025 playoffs.