Trib HSSN baseball player of the week – Charlie Manzi

School – Indiana

Class – Senior

Position – Pitcher, third base

#Earned – There aren’t many players in WPIAL baseball history that can match the golden career for individual and team success recently concluded by Indiana senior Charlie Manzi.

He started as a sophomore on a Little Indians team that reached both the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championship game for the first time in school history; however, losses to North Catholic and Holy Ghost Prep in those title games left very motivated group returning in 2025.

Manzi played a much bigger role as a junior in helping Indiana beat Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL title game and Montoursville in the PIAA championship contest to capture district and state gold.

So what did Manzi and the Little Indians do for an encore? They swept gold again.

After defeating Elizabeth Forward again to repeat as District 7 champs, Indiana continued a postseason role in which nothing meant everything.

In all three WPIAL postseason wins and their first two victories in the PIAA playoffs, Indiana did not allow a run, outscoring their opponents 28-0 with Manzi getting the win in three of those games.

In the PIAA semifinals last Monday, Indiana finally gave up a run, four in fact, to District 12 runner-up Archbishop Wood.

However, a big fifth inning in which the Little Indians scored eight runs paved the way for a return trip to Happy Valley in a 13-4 win over the Vikings.

Manzi was 1 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.

He also picked up the win, pitching 4⅔ innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

In the 2026 PIAA 4A title game, it was a rematch of the 2024 state finals as Indiana took on District 1 champion Holy Ghost Prep.

Manzi was once again in big man beast mode, going 3 for 4 with a double and a home run.

He picked up the save for starter Brady Oakes, but it wasn’t without drama.

The Firebirds scored twice, had the tying run in scoring position with no outs and the potential winning run at the plate just hit a pitch about four feet wide of the left field foul pole.

Manzi buckled down and got the final outs as he and his band of Little Indians proved once again they come up large when they need to.

Manzi will continue his academic and baseball career this fall at Seton Hill.

2026 Trib HSSN Baseball Players of the Week

Week 10 – Mavrik Clement, Butler

Week 9 – Denny Joseph III, Neshannock

Week 8 – Jordan Keller, Ellwood City

Week 7 – Cooper Hochendoner, South Park

Week 6 – Andrew Corfield, South Side

Week 5 – Carson Franc, Avonworth

Week 4 – Nico D’Orazio, Upper St. Clair

Week 3 – Cody Bungert, South Fayette

Week 2 – James “Booboo” Armstrong, Hopewell

Week 1 – Logan Plummer, Pine-Richland