Baseball
Deer Lakes’ Jake McCaskey named Valley News Dispatch Baseball Player of the Year
June 30, 2018
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jake McCaskey Deer Lakes, senior, pitcher/shortstop Jake McCaskey tried to picture the scenario: a hitter version of himself against the pitching
Jeannette’s Tre Cunningham named Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Baseball Player of the Year
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Tre Cunningham Jeannette, Senior, Pitcher/infielder Jeannette senior Tre Cunningham did his best to get his team back to the WPIAL Class
Blackhawk’s Michael Turconi named Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Year
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Michael Turconi Blackhawk, sr., SS/P Michael Turconi is the latest two-way star for Blackhawk coach Bob Amalia, following in the footsteps
Gateway baseball, softball players earn postseason plaudits
Five members of the Gateway baseball team were recognized with first-team honors in Section 3-5A after helping the Gators to a 12-6 season. The first-team
Bruzdewicz, Fedko named state’s top coach, player by USA Today
June 28, 2018
A state title can shine a spotlight on any community, large or small. It can even come with national recognition. The Canon-McMillan baseball team was
Ringgold, Canon-Mac baseball celebrated at state Capitol
June 26, 2018
The state champion Ringgold and Canon-McMillan baseball teams were celebrated this week at the state Capitol. The two WPIAL teams were welcomed Monday and Tuesday
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 09/03/2017
September 3, 2017
While the summer unofficially comes to an end with the Labor Day Weekend, we continue to mix summer pro sports with fall scholastic sports this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The 2017 WPIAL football season continues with Week Two and The Network has 23 WPIAL and five District 6 and District 9 Week One high […]This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/28/2017
August 28, 2017
We officially raise the curtain on a new high school football season as August melts into September this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The 2017 WPIAL football season kicks off with 23 WPIAL and five District 6 and District 9 Week One high school football games for Week One starting Friday with the WPIAL Pregame Show […]This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 08/22/2017
August 22, 2017
We continue to prepare for the upcoming high school football season, including the unofficial start to the 2017 campaign as well as our continued coverage of Frontier League pro baseball this week here on the MSA Sports Network. Our 2017 Countdown to Kickoff continues with a month long daily previews of the 2017 WPIAL football season, plus […]2017 Diamond Studs Baseball All-Stars
June 24, 2017
Latrobe was the only team from the WPIAL to win a state championship in baseball this season - and Latrobe is the only team with two players on this year's MSA Diamond Studs all-star team. The Diamond Studs consists of the top 12 players in the entire WPIAL, regardless of position. It is picked by the MSA staff. The team has some players who made big impacts as two-way players - pitchers/position players. The team also includes five players who have committed to Division I colleges, including two who chose Virginia Tech. Seton Hill, a Division II school, has two recruits on the Diamond Studs team. Four of the players on this year's all-star team are juniors and the rest are seniors.
Coaches Corner – Mike Kirkwood
In this feature titled "Coaches Corner", I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts. This week features head baseball coach Mike Kirkwood of the Neshannock Lancers. Coach Kirkwood jus wrapped up his 14th season as head coach of the Lancers. In his tenure as coach, he has only finished under .500 once and has led his team to 6 WPIAL championship games, winning four of them. He has also captured PIAA gold twice in 2004 and 2015. Let's take a look inside Coach Kirkwood's corner:
Dallas King of the PIAA 4-A Mountain With Win Over South Park
June 16, 2017
Many strange things happen in the game of baseball. Although the sacrifice bunt may usually lead to a run or two for a team, it was 2 sacrifice bunt plays that South Park failed to defend that opened the door and eventually led to the Dallas Mountaineers capturing their first state baseball championship with a 5-0 win over the Eagles at Medlar Field at Penn State University.
Latrobe Greater Than Whitehall to Win PIAA 5-A Gold
June 15, 2017
After a playoff run that featured multiple come-from-behind victories, Greater Latrobe left no doubt in the state title game. The Wildcats cruised to a 7-0 rain-shortened win against District 11 champion Whitehall to claim the first PIAA 5A Championship at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The game was called after more than an hour delay in the top of the sixth, and with no end in sight for the steady downpour. The rain did not dampen the celebration, though, as the Wildcats savored their first state title, just weeks after securing the team's first WPIAL crown.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Sam Mersing
June 5, 2017
As the spring sports season nears a conclusion, the WPIAL Alum Q&A takes a look back at a former Montour star who just concluded a successful baseball career at the University of Pittsburgh. Sam Mersing is this week's feature for the final spotlight for the 2016-17 school year. Mersing began his varsity career with the Spartans as a freshman in 2010, and helped the team qualify for the postseason, following a three-year absence. That campaign, Montour went 15-7, defeating Greensburg Salem in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs, but then falling to Hopewell in the semifinals.
Pine-Richland Sweeps Past North Allegheny for First 6-A Baseball Title
June 1, 2017
For the third time this year, the Pine Richland Rams defeated the North Allegheny Tigers. This win came at Wild Things Park and resulted in their 5th WPIAL title and the first-ever 6-A WPIAL Baseball Championship. The Rams got a sterling pitching performance by Ryan Okuda, who got the win the first two times these two teams met as well.
Latrobe Wins First WPIAL Baseball Title With Win Over Mars
May 31, 2017
The last time the Latrobe Wildcats played in a WPIAL Championship baseball game, things were much different than they are now, in 2017. On May 30, 1985, Latrobe lost to Bethel Park in the Class AAA title game. Gas was $1.20 per gallon, Ronald Reagan was the President and there were only two classifications in the WPIAL. On May 31, 2017, Latrobe won its first ever baseball crown by defeating another team looking for its first championship, in its first championship appearance, Mars, by a final of 6-2. Coming into the game, both coaches, Matt Basciano of Latrobe and Andy Bednar of Mars, emphasized the importance of their team getting and holding an early lead.
Jeannette Stuns Rival Greensburg CC for 1A Baseball Gold
On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 history was made for the Jeannette High School baseball program. The Jayhawks won their first WPIAL Championship in program history defeating the Greensburg Central Centurions 7-3. Greensburg Central Catholic struck first in the bottom of the 3rd inning scoring two runs. Centurion Nicholas Ruggeri led off the inning by walking and working his way to second on a stolen base. Neal McDermott scored Ruggeri from second with a RBI triple and later scored on a throwing error. Jeannette would strike next in the top of the 4th inning. Eric Hall tallied a one-out single and Blaze Tran followed suit notching a single to advance Hall from first to third. Seth Howard drove in Hall from third with a RBI single.
Blackhawk Blanks South Park for 4-A Baseball Crown
As is the case with tightly contested title games, one inning can be the difference between championship gold and being left behind as the WPIAL runner up. South Park starter Kyle Thompson took a no hitter into the fourth inning and appeared to be en route to a gem of a performance, but not before Blackhawk got to him in the bottom of that very inning en route to a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night at Wild Things Park in Washington (PA). Blackhawk's Nick Cerani and Michael Turconi had back-to-back hits in the bottom of that fourth inning, before Mark Engel bunted them over to secure runners on second and third.
California Outlasts Freedom to Win WPIAL 2-A Title
May 30, 2017
All year, the California Trojans baseball team has relied on their pitching and defense to win games. A solid defense keeping the score low has allowed the Trojans offense to scatter runs over seven innings of play. On Tuesday, it took more than seven innings. California scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning to claim a 3-1 victory over Freedom in the WPIAL Class 2A Championship on Tuesday at Wild Things Park in Washington. The victory gave the Trojans their fifth WPIAL Championship in program history, ranking fifth all-time.
Golden Panthers Again as Riverside Wins 3-A Title
Last year, it took nine innings and only one run to give the Riverside Panthers the Class AA crown with a 1-0 win over Neshannock. In 2017, it was a new class and opponent but the end result was still the same as the Panthers cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Mount Pleasant Vikings at Wild Things Park to take the 3A baseball trophy back to North Sewickley Township. It is the fifth WPIAL title for Dan Oliastro's team, he has racked up four state titles as well in an amazing 49 year career. Christian Cicchinelli was the winning pitcher, allowing a run and three hits over the first six innings. The senior also got the job done at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI singles.
