WPIAL Baseball – 2013 Baseball PREVIEW

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 30, 2013 | 8:58 PM

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Seneca Valley in Class AAAA, Blackhawk in Class AAA and Ellwood City in Class AA are all ready to defend their WPIAL baseball titles. One thing we know even before section play begins is there will be a new champion crowned in Class A. Neshannock, winners of back-to-back Single-A crowns, has moved up to Class AA for the next two years. defending PIAA champion Riverside will also add to the mix in Class AA.

Here is a look at the new section alignment, players to watch in each class and the pre-season MSA Sports Top Ten in each classification.

2013 WPIAL BASEBALL REALIGNMENT:

CLASS AAAA ~ 31 Team

SECTION 1      SECTION 2         SECTION 3        SECTION 4        SECTION 5

Butler              Albert Gallatin     Baldwin             Allderdice          Bethel Park

Fox Chapel       Connellsville       Central Catholic Moon                 Brashear

New Castle       Hempfield          Franklin Reg      Penn Hills          Canon-McMillan

North Allegheny Kiski Area          Gateway           Pine-Richland     Mt Lebanon

North Hills         Latrobe             McKeesport       Shaler               Peters Township

Seneca Valley   Norwin              Plum                 Woodland Hills   Upper St Clair

                       Penn-Trafford

 

CLASS AAA ~ 32 Teams

SECTION 1        SECTION 2        SECTION 3       SECTION 4        SECTION 5

Ambridge          Derry                Chartiers Valley Belle Vernon      Hampton

Blackhawk         Greburg-Salem  Keystone Oaks   Carrick              Highlands

Central Valley    Indiana             McGuffey           Elizabeth Forw   Kittanning

Hopewell           Laurel High        South Fayette   Ringgold            Knoch

Montour            Mt Pleasant        Trinity             South Park         Mars

West Allegheny  Uniontown          Waynesburg   Thomas Jeff        Valley

Yough                                     West Mifflin

 

CLASS AA ~ 38 Teams

SECTION 1        SECTION 2        SECTION 3       SECTION 4        SECTION 5

Avonworth         Bentworth         Apollo Ridge      East Allegheny   Beaver

Brentwood         Beth-Center       Burrell              Greensburg CC  Beaver Falls

Carlynton          Brownsville        Deer Lakes        Jeannette          Ellwood City

Freedom           Burgettstown     Ford City           Shady Side Ac.   Laurel

New Brighton     Char-Houston    Freeport            S. Allegheny      Mohawk

Quaker Valley    Charleroi           Summit Ac.        Southmoreland  Neshannock

Seton LaSalle     Ft. Cherry         West Shamokin   Steel Valley      Riverside

S.S. Beaver       Washington                                                       Shenango

 

                                              CLASS A ~ 29 Teams

SECTION 1       SECTION 2        SECTION 3        SECTION 4        SECTION 5

Avella               Bishop Canevin  Aliquippa           Leechburg         Cornell

California          Clairton             Quigley             North Catholic    Northgate

Carmichaels      Frazier              Rochester          Riverview         OLSH

Jeff-Morgan      Geibel                Union                St. Joseph        Sewickley Academy

Mapletown        Monessen          Western Beaver Springdale        Sto-Rox

West Greene     Serra Catholic                                                   Vincentian Academy

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2013 WPIAL BASEBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Class AAAA:
Sam Fragale – Seneca Valley
Jon Dorogy – Seneca Valley
Jimmy Divosevic – North Allegheny
J.J. Matijevic – Norwin
Tyler Smith – Penn-Trafford
Joey DeFloria – Hempfield
Tyler Dubovich – Albert Gallatin
Tyler Grashoff – Bethel Park
Regis Sauer – Brashear
Chris Hawkins – Brashear
Cameron Balego – Pittsburgh Central Catholic
M.P. Buckley – Pittsburgh Central Catholic
Dan Toner – Gateway
Shawn Neary – Penn Hills
Dan McGrath – Franklin Regional
Justin Zak – Allderdice
Max Kennedy – Allderdice

Class AAA:
Stefan Mrkonja – Hopewell
Ryan Cox – Hopewell
Brendan McKay – Blackhawk
Joe Simsic – Belle Vernon
Adam Ferita – Belle Vernon
Dylan Pietrantoni – Belle Vernon
Dom Gizzo – Carrick
Jake Terrick – Elizabeth Forward
Max Ponzurick – Greensburg-Salem
Jake Horew – Chartiers Valley
Matt Mulvihill – Chartiers Valley
Aaron Fonner – South Fayette
Mike Fetchet – South Fayette
Zach Walker – South Fayette
Carter Grote – South Park
Nick Yobbi – South Park
Nick Riotto – Trinity
Ryan Ribeau – Keystone Oaks
Sam Mersing – Montour
Dan Clark – Indiana
Tom Radziminski – Hampton
David Bednar – Mars

Class AA:
Austin Logan – Beaver
Ben Herstine – Beaver
Ian Sutherland – Riverside
Blaise McCarty – Riverside
Brandon Ritchie – Laurel
Seth Miley – Ellwood City
Jake Pilewicz – Quaker Valley
David Boehme – Seton-LaSalle
Tyler Spohn – Brownsville
Jordan Allen – Washington
Kolton Kobrys – Fort Cherry
Dylan Pounds – Chartiers-Houston
Kevin Begley – Deer Lakes
Adam Fredley – Deer Lakes
Levi Negley – Freeport
Robbie Miller – Freeport
Zack Abel – Burrell
Justin Retzer – Ford City
Anthony Rocco – West Shamokin
Tanner Baylor – Apollo-Ridge
Paul McCullough – Shady Side Academy
Chuckie Scales – Shady Side Academy
Garrett Brooks – Greensburg Central Catholic
Derek Morrison – Steel Valley
Josh Miller – Beth-Center

Class A:
Anthony Malky – Riverview
Jake Columbus – California
Logan Bowman – Jefferson-Morgan
Ty Cole – Carmichaels
Dylan Kugler – Serra Catholic
Preston Falascino – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Carrington Bell – Union
Wayne Seamans – Union
Robert DiMaggio – Western Beaver
Nick Miller – Western Beaver
Todd Weischedel – Rochester
Zach Chinchilla – Quigley Catholic
Phil Madonna – Vincentian Academy

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MSA SPORTS PRE-SEASON TOP TEN:
(2012 Record in Parenthesis)

Class AAAA:

1)    SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS  (18-5)

2)    PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS  (17-5)

3)    BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS  (18-3)

4)    NORWIN KNIGHTS  (17-1)

5)    NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS  (13-10)

6)    HEMPFIELD SPARTANS  (16-6)

7)    PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS  (10-9)

8)    PLUM MUSTANGS  (14-6)

9)    UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS  (15-5)

10)  FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS  (9-11)

Class AAA:

1)    BLACKHAWK COUGARS  (22-3)

2)    BELLE VERNON LEOPARDS  (19-6)

3)    HOPEWELL VIKINGS  (18-5)

4)    SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS  (16-8)

5)    CHARTIERS VALLEY COLTS  (15-7)

6)    SOUTH PARK EAGLES  (15-6)

7)    MARS FIGHTING PLANETS  (15-5)

8)    HAMPTON TALBOTS  (14-7)

9)    GREENSBURG-SALEM GOLDEN LIONS  (15-5)

10)  MONTOUR SPARTANS  (12-8)

Class AA:

1)    RIVERSIDE PANTHERS  (22-6)

2)    SHADY SIDE ACADEMY INDIANS  (17-4)

3)    BEAVER BOBCATS  (12-8)

4)    FREEPORT YELLOWJACKETS  (12-7)

5)    BROWNSVILLE FALCONS  (16-6)

6)    NESHANNOCK LANCERS  (22-3)

 

7)    ELLWOOD CITY WOLVERINES  (21-3)

8)    LAUREL SPARTANS  (16-6)

9)    DEER LAKES LANCERS  (11-9)

10)  BURRELL BUCCANEERS  (10-8)

Class A:

1)    CALIFORNIA TROJANS  (22-3)

2)    OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CHARGERS  (18-7)

3)    RIVERVIEW RAIDERS  (11-8)

4)    WESTERN BEAVER GOLDEN BEAVERS  (11-9)

5)    UNION SCOTTIES  (13-8)

6)    BISHOP CANEVIN CRUSADERS  (12-7)

7)    SERRA CATHOLIC EAGLES  (13-6)

8)    CARMICHAELS MIGHTY MIKES  (10-10)

9)    VINCENTIAN ACADEMY ROYALS  (13-6)

10)  SPRINGDALE DYNAMOS  (13-7)