Welcome to Day 1 of the 2026 baseball, softball and lacrosse playoffs.
If the WPIAL steering committee would have released the Class 4A baseball brackets a month ago, there is a chance that Knoch and Blackhawk might have ended up with the top two seeds.
On April 9, Knoch was 9-1 overall and Blackhawk was a perfect 8-0.
However, both teams cooled a bit in the second half and now are set to square off in the 8-9 game in the 4A postseason.
With Indiana, Elizabeth Forward and Valley enjoying byes, the opening round in the 4A playoffs has five games, including No. 8 Knoch against No. 9 Blackhawk at Pullman Park in Butler at 6:30 p.m.
The Knights finished in third place in Section 3-4A with an overall record of 12-8 while the Cougars dropped to third place in Section 1-4A and finished the regular season at 11-7.
Both teams lost in the first round a year ago, Knoch to Ambridge and Blackhawk to Ringgold.
The Knights are searching for their first playoff win since 2022 while the Cougars’ last postseason victory was a memorable one when as the No. 16 seed, they stunned top-seeded Belle Vernon in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
There are two common opponents played between the two teams this season.
They both lost to Montour, while Blackhawk swept Hampton in Section 1-4A action while Knoch fell to the Talbots in a nonsection contest.
There are four other Class 4A first round games Monday:
• No. 4 Beaver takes on No. 13 Derry at Deer Lakes at 4 p.m. The Bobcats won the Section 1-4A crown outright with a 15-5 record and have won five straight. The Trojans finished in fourth place in Section 3-4A with a sub-.500 record at 7-9.
• No. 5 Belle Vernon squares off against No. 12 Hampton at Gateway at 6:30 p.m. The Leopards finished tied for second place in Section 2-4A and are 14-5 this season, and the Talbots tied for fourth place in Section 1-4A with a 12-8 mark.
• No. 7 West Mifflin battles No. 10 Ambridge at Gateway at 4 p.m. The Titans tied for second place in Section 2-4A with a 13-6 record and ended a three-game skid with a win over Belle Vernon to close out the regular season. The Bridgers were tied for fourth place in Section 1-4A with an 8-9 overall mark.
• No. 6 Hopewell goes up against No. 11 Ringgold at Peterswood Park in Peters Township at 6:30 p.m. The Vikings finished strong with wins in four straight and six of their last seven games to end up in second place in Section 1-4A and 14-5 for the season. The Rams were the fourth-place team in Section 2-4A with a 9-9 record, but won five of their last six games.
Resurrected
When Frazier was swept in a Section 1-2A series by Burgettstown in late April, its playoff hopes were on life support.
The Commodores were 2-7 in the section and in sixth place in a seven-team section, three games out of a playoff spot with only three section games remaining.
But everything that had to happen did happen as No. 13 Frazier (9-9) prepares for a Class 2A first round playoff game against No. 4 Riverview (12-6) at West Mifflin at 4 p.m.
The Commodores beat the team they were chasing, Chartiers-Houston, in a make-up game to pull to within two games of fourth place.
Then while Chartiers-Houston was being swept by California last week, Frazier won both games against Beth-Center to tie the Buccaneers for fourth place.
Because the Commodores swept the Bucs, they qualified while Chartiers-Houston was left out of the playoffs.
Riverview had a chance to at least earn a share of the Section 3-2A crown as it began the final week tied for first place with South Side and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
However, the Raiders split their section series against OLSH while South Side swept Brentwood, leaving the Rams one game ahead of both the Raiders and Chargers.
There are four other Class 2A first round games Monday:
• No. 8 California battles No. 9 Freedom at Peterswood Park in Peters Township at 4 p.m. The Trojans were the runner-up in Section 1-2A with a record of 11-6 while the 2025 district champion Bulldogs are 8-10 this season after finishing in third place in Section 2-2A.
• No. 5 Laurel is challenged by No. 12 Burgettstown at Burkett Park in Robinson Township at 6:30 p.m. The Spartans were 10-6 and co-champions in a tough Section 2-2A and have won eight straight games. The Blue Devils are 8-10 and ended up in third place in Section 1-2A, but they are coming off handing top-seeded Fort Cherry its lone loss of the season.
• No. 7 Apollo-Ridge takes on No. 10 Shenango at Seneca Valley at 7 p.m. The Vikings were the fourth place team in Section 3-2A with an 11-8 record, and the Wildcats are also 11-8 after finishing tied for fourth place in Section 2-2A.
• No. 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart plays No. 11 New Brighton at Pullman Park in Butler at 4 p.m. The 2025 runner-up Chargers are 13-6 and tied for second in Section 3-2A, while the Lions are 7-7 following a run in which they finished tied for fourth in Section 1-2A with wins in five of their last six games.
Former champs now longshots
Two recent WPIAL Class A repeat champions are in a strange spot as the 2026 playoffs are about to begin.
Both Union and Bishop Canevin are double-digit seed long shots.
Union is the No. 10 seed as it prepares to play No. 7 Jefferson-Morgan at Ross Memorial Field at the W&J College Sports Complex in Washington at 6:30 p.m.
No. 12 Bishop Canevin plays No. 5 Leechburg at West Mifflin at 4 p.m.
The Scotties won back-to-back district championships in 2021 and 2022 after finishing as runner-up in 2018 and 2019.
The Crusaders earned consecutive gold in 2023 and 2024.
Union is 6-10 and is the third place team from Section 2-A.
Its opponent, Jefferson-Morgan, finished 11-8 as the third-place team from Section 1-A.
Bishop Canevin is 6-10 and ended up in a tie for third place in Section 3-A after finishing tied with Serra Catholic and Eden Christian for the section crown last season.
It will take on a Blue Devils team that is 9-7 and was runner-up to Western Beaver in Section 2-A.
There are two other Class A opening round games set for Monday:
• No. 8 Carmichaels goes up against No. 9 Sewickley Academy at Ross Memorial Park at the W&J Sports Complex in Washington at 4 p.m. Both teams finished tied for third place in their respective sections with the Mighty Mikes sitting at 8-8 and the Panthers at 8-9.
• No. 6 Avella battles No. 11 Aquinas Academy at Burkett Park in Robinson Township at 4 p.m. The Eagles were the runners-up in Section 1-A with a record off 11-7 and the Crusaders finished fourth in Section 2-A with a mark of 9-5.
Three in a row?
The Hampton softball program has finished the district postseason at Lilley Field at PennWest in California the last two seasons with mixed results.
In 2024, the Talbots lost to Elizabeth Forward, 10-2.
A year later, Hampton claimed WPIAL gold with a victory over Blackhawk, 4-3.
Now the Talbots will try to take that first step toward defending their crown Monday when No. 4 Hampton faces No. 13 Greensburg Salem at Gateway at 5 p.m.
The Talbots had an up-and-down season, losing three of their first five games before going 11-2 to close out the season at 13-5.
Hampton finished tied for second place in Section 3-4A, one game behind Blackhawk.
The Golden Lions are 5-8 and ended up tied for fourth place in Section 1-4A.
Greensburg Salem limps into the postseason having lost four in a row.
There are four others Class 4A first round softball playoff games Monday:
• No. 8 Beaver battles No. 9 Derry at Gateway at 3 p.m. The Bobcats finished in fourth place in Section 3-4A with a record of 9-7, but have won three straight and five of their last seven. The Trojans are 10-4 and ended up in third place in Section 1-4A and have won six straight. The winner plays top-seeded Elizabeth Forward on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
• No. 5 Indiana goes up against No. 12 Uniontown at Norwin at 4 p.m. The Little Indians were runners-up in Section 1-4A with a 14-5 record while the Red Raiders are 10-8 after ending tied for third in Section 2-4A.
• No. 7 North Catholic clashes with No. 10 West Mifflin at Montour at 5 p.m. The Trojans are 12-5 and finished in third place in Section 3-4A, and the Titans are 12-8 and ended up tied for third place in Section 2-4A. This is a rematch from the opening round a year ago when West Mifflin outscored North Catholic, 9-6. The victor meets No. 2 Knoch in the quarterfinals Thursday.
• No. 6 Laurel Highlands takes on No. 13 Freeport at Norwin at 2 p.m. The Mustangs are 10-5 and were the runners-up to Elizabeth Forward in Section 2-4A and have won six of their last seven games. The Yellowjackets had to scramble to finish in a tie for fourth place in Section 1-4A with an 8-10 mark. The winner advances to face No. 3 Blackhawk in the quarters on Thursday.
Lax lid lifters
The 2026 WPIAL lacrosse playoffs begin with four Class 2A first round girls matches Monday.
Chartiers Valley has reached the district finals two years in a row, losing both times to Mars, falling 14-6 in 2024, and 16-5 last year.
This season was a struggle for the Colts, as they finished tied for fifth place in Section 2-2A and are a game below .500 overall with a 6-7 record.
No. 10 Chartiers Valley will travel to play at No. 7 Indiana in a first round match at 7 p.m.
The Little Indians were the third-place team in Section 1-2A and have an overall record of 11-4.
These two schools battled in a quarterfinal in the 2022 postseason with Chartiers Valley defeating Indiana, 17-5.
The Colts went on to win the WPIAL Class 2A championship.
The winner of this match will take on No. 2 Hampton in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
There are three other Class 2A first round girls lacrosse playoff matches Monday:
• No. 8 Oakland Catholic (10-5) battles No. 9 Freeport (9-6) at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to play top-seeded Mars on Wednesday.
• No. 5 Franklin Regional (11-4) hosts No. 12 Seton LaSalle (5-12) at 7 p.m. as the winner moves on to visit No. 4 South Fayette on Wednesday.
• No. 11 Trinity (9-7) visits No. 6 Blackhawk (8-6) at 7 p.m. with the winner traveling to face No. 3 Quaker Valley Wednesday in a quarterfinal match.
Monday on Trib HSSN
There are eight broadcasts and two podcasts you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 11th day of May.
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast with the WPIAL Softball Player of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast with the WPIAL Diamond Team of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Frazier vs. Riverview at 6:30 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class A First Round: Bishop Canevin vs. Leechburg at 4 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 2A First Round: Shenango vs. Apollo-Ridge at 7 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A First Round: Burgettstown vs. Laurel at 6:30 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net and on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 2A: New Brighton vs. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at 4 p.m. on the OLSH Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class A First Round: Union vs. Jefferson-Morgan at 6:30 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class A First Round: Aquinas Academy vs. Avella at 4 p.m. on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Video Stream – Freeport vs. Laurel Highlands at 2 p.m. on WMBS-AM 590, WMBS-FM 101.1 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com