All six of the 2026 Trib HSSN baseball coaches of the year were raising gold last month as newly crowned WPIAL champions.
Half of them made it through three rounds of the PIAA baseball playoffs and were one win away from district and state gold.
Two of them had to settle for silver, but Indiana became the fourth WPIAL school (Moon, Riverside, Bethel Park) to win back-to-back PIAA championships.
Trib HSSN salutes all of the coaches and their assistants for their great work they did on the baseball diamonds this spring. However, these coaches receive a special “one flap down” Jeffrey Leonard salute as they sit at the head of the class as coaches of the year in 2026.
Class 6A
Josh Forbes, Butler
In 2025, the Butler baseball program finished a few games over .500 and was one and done in the district postseason. Things were different this spring as the Golden Tornado blew away the competition to live up to half of their nickname. Behind dominant pitching and clutch hitting, Josh Forbes’ team won the Section 1-6A regular season title by two games over traditional power North Allegheny and headed into the playoffs on a 10-game winning streak. Butler defeated Mt. Lebanon, Norwin and North Allegheny to win the program’s first WPIAL title, then eliminated Mifflin County, Chambersburg and Owen J. Roberts to reach the state finals before falling to Neshaminy and finishing 23-4.
Class 5A
Jeff Donati, Upper St. Clair
Upper St. Clair coach Jeff Donati doesn’t recommend the path to the postseason taken in 2026 by his Panthers. Broom sales went through the roof as USC either swept or was swept by its six Section 2-5A foes. Tiebreakers got the Panthers into the postseason and then the magic happened. Edge-of-your-seat wins over Plum, Moon and Montour in which Upper St. Clair scored a combined 39 runs paved the way to the Class 5A finals. The semifinal win over the Spartans saw the Panthers lose a 10-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh only to win 13-10 in eight innings. USC claimed its second WPIAL crown and first in 34 years when it edged South Fayette, 3-2.
Class 4A
Dan Petroff, Indiana
The tradition continues. Three years ago, in his final season as head coach at Indiana, Bill Thompson was named the Trib HSSN Class 4A Coach of the Year. Now it is three straight honors for the man who took over the program prior to the 2024 campaign, Dan Petroff. Indiana became the fourth school in PIAA baseball history (Serra Catholic, Neuman-Goretti and Eden Christian Academy) to play in three straight state title games. The Little Indians reached the championship game for the first time in program history when they were WPIAL and PIAA runners-up in 2024. Now, they are back-to-back district and state champions after finishing the 2026 campaign with a record of 22-4.
Class 3A
Chris Weisz, Ellwood City
Ellwood City has a rich and golden tradition in baseball. The program won its first two WPIAL championships six decades ago in 1962 and 1968. There was a 33-year drought before the next two titles came to Lincoln High as the Wolverines captured district gold in 2001 and again in 2003. Championship No. 5 was 14 years ago when EC beat rival Riverside in the 2012 finals. Crown No. 6 came in large part thanks to great pitching depth and a love of small ball. In the 3A finals against South Park, three straight successful bunts called by coach Chris Weisz turned a 1-0 deficit into a five-run sixth inning and a 5-2 win for the Wolverines.
Class 2A
John Quahliero, Neshannock
The one coach who avoids the spotlight to no end could not avoid the golden glow cast on him during this 2026 season. John Quahliero says coaches are nothing without talented, hard-working players. However, those players at the high school level need to be molded into winners by a top-notch head coach and his staff. That was the perfect combination used by Neshannock to outlast a deep Class 2A playoff field and beat Fort Cherry in the finals for the school’s seventh district crown. As long-time assistant to legendary coach Mike “Bub” Kirkwood, Coach Q got the chance to celebrate his first title as dugout leader of the Lancers in what turned out to be his 100th victory as head coach of Neshannock.
Class A
Mark Feldman, Eden Christian Academy
For the second straight year, Mark Feldman of Eden Christian Academy is the Trib HSSN Class A Coach of the Year. However, this time around the final story written has a golden feel to it. In this decade, the Warriors have become the kings of the silver linings. They have puffed on many a “close but no cigars.” In 2026, they finally had their moment in the championship winners circle. Eden Christian Academy has been the PIAA runner-up three straight years, including a loss to Dock Mennonite last week in the 2026 PIAA finals, 5-3. However, after losing in the 2022 and 2024 WPIAL title games, the Warriors clinched their first district championship last month with a 5-1 victory over previously undefeated Greensburg Central Catholic.