WPIAL Baseball: 2017 Season Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 23, 2017 | 11:42 PM

---

2016 WPIAL baseball champions covered the entire district with teams winning titles from the north (Riverside in AA), south (Serra Catholic in A), east (Norwin in AAAA) and west (Chartiers Valley in AAA). But in the new expanded PIAA and WPIAL classes, four champions is so last year. Now, the season of change heads down the stretch run and onto the diamonds as we try to figure out which teams are where in the bloated six classifications. So with the first pitch on 3/24, we give you the Preseason Top Ten and Players to Watch.

CLASS 6-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   NORWIN KNIGHTS

2)   BUTLER GOLDEN TORNADO

3)   CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS

4)   PINE-RICHLAND RAMS

5)   BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS

6)   PETERS TOWNSHIP INDIANS

7)   SHALER TIANS

8)   HEMPFIELD SPARTANS

9)   SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS

10)   NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS 

CLASS 6-A Players to Watch:

Dallas Hays – Butler

Cade Negley – Butler

Maxx Harpalani – Pine-Richland

Chad Coles – Norwin

Christopher Hough – Allderdice

Colin Loughman – Bethel Park

Tor Sehnert – Peters Township

Zch Rohaley – Canon-McMillan

 

CLASS 5-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   NORTH HILLS INDIANS

2)   LATROBE WILDCATS

3)   FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS

4)   MONTOUR SPARTANS

5)   CHARTIERS VALLEY COLTS

6)   MARS FIGHTIN’ PLANETS

7)   WEST ALLEGHENY INDIANS

8)   LAUREL HIGHLANDS MUSTANGS

9)   FOX CHAPEL FOXES

10)   MOON TIGERS

CLASS 5-A Players to Watch:

Anthony Rugggieri – North Hills

Steven Miller – North Hills

Garrett Barto – North Hills

Jared Kollar – Latrobe

Ryan Shawley – Latrobe

Zach Kokoska – Latrobe

Will Constantin – Franklin Regional

Noah Weiner – Franklin Regional

Dante Panucci – Chartiers Valley

Trent Vietmeier – Montour

Jack Anderson – Mars

Phil Conti – Hampton

 

CLASS 4-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   BLACKHAWK COUGARS

2)   BELLE VERNON LEOPARDS

3)   HOPEWELL VIKINGS

4)   SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS

5)   YOUGH COUGARS

6)   KNOCH KNIGHTS

7)   SOUTH PARK EAGLES

8)   AMBRIDGE BRIDGERS

9)   QUAKER VALLEY QUAKERS

10)   KEYSTONE OAKS GOLDEN EAGLES

CLASS 4-A Players to Watch:

Mitch Heranic – Hopewell

Mark Engle – Blackhawk

Mike Turconi – Blackhawk

Jimmy Nixon – Blackhawk

Travis Holman – Ambridge

Dom Charletta – Yough

Ryan Everly – Yough

Matt Wicker – Greensburg-Salem

Tristan Tinney – South Fayette

Jordan Zilka – Belle Vernon

Jacob Callaway – Belle Vernon

Tim Labuda – Belle Vernon

Kyle Thompson – South Park

Dominic Bucko – Knoch

Nevin DeCroo – Freeport

Collin Jackovic – Quaker Valley

 

CLASS 3-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   RIVERSIDE PANTHERS

2)   AVONWORTH ANTELOPES

3)   STEEL VALLEY IRONMEN

4)   MOUNT PLEASANT VIKINGS

5)   BURRELL BUCCANEERS

6)   CHARLEROI COUGARS

7)   NEW BRIGHTON LIONS

8)   SETON-LaSALLE REBELS

9)   SHADY SIDE ACADEMY INDIANS

10)   BEAVER FALLS TIGERS 

CLASS 3-A Players to Watch:

Chris Wagner – Mount Pleasant

Jason Beranek – Mount Pleasant

Jeremy Iellimo – Valley

Nathan Slenska – Avonworth

Alex Osborn – Avonworth

R.J. Debo – New Brighton

Trey Rohanna – Waynesburg

Sam Micelli – Charleroi

Josiah Fisher – Charleroi

Luke Virag – Burrell

Max Garda – Burrell

Nick Tarasi – Shady Side Academy

Stefano Faiello – South Allegheny

Andre Good – Steel Valley

Tanner Cannon – Steel Valley

Jimmy Wheeler – Seton-LaSalle

Nick Krugh – Seton-LaSalle

Dylan Speicher – Riverside

Dalton Cleckley – Beaver Falls

 

CLASS 2-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   SERRA CATHOLIC EAGLES

2)   OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CHARGERS

3)   NESHANNOCK LANCERS

4)   CALIFORNIA TROJANS

5)   CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS

6)   SHENANGO WILDCATS

7)   CHARTIERS-HOUSTON BUCCANEERS

8)   BISHOP CANEVIN CRUSADERS

9)   BENTWORTH BEARCATS   

10)   FREEDOM BULLDOGS

CLASS 2-A Players to Watch:

Nick Henderson – Freedom

T.J. Johnston – Chartiers-Houston

Brandon Scheidmantle – Neshannock

Ron Esposito – Shenango

Nate Luketich – California

Johnny DeFranco – California

Joel Spishock – Carmichaels

Ben Visnesky – Serra Catholic

Nate Piontka – Serra Catholic

Danny Lynch – Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

Jack Cassidy – Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

Mike Medved – Riverview

Kiefer Bishop – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Patrick Brogan – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Dylan Osheka – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Tyler Lampus – Bishop Canevin

 

CLASS 1-A Preseason Top Ten:

1)   VINCENTIAN ACADEMY ROYALS

2)   GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC CENTURIONS

3)   SEWICKLEY ACADEMY PANTHERS

4)   JEANNETTE JAYHAWKS

5)   ROCHESTER RAMS

6)   EDEN CHRISTIAN WARRIORS

7)   SPRINGDALE DYNAMOS

8)   ST. JOSEPH SPARTANS

9)   UNION SCOTTIES

10)   WEST GREENE PIONEERS

CLASS 1-A Players to Watch:

Dillon Shields – West Greene

Gage Clark – Jefferson-Morgan

Eric Hall – Jeannette

Tyler Elliott – Jeannette

Tran Blaze – Jeannette

Neal McDermott – Greensburg Central Catholic

Derrick Littlefield – Sewickley Academy

Tommy Lasorda – Sewickley Academy

Joe Straka – Sewickley Academy

Tyler Vargan – Rochester

Jordan Van Thiel – St. Joseph

Christian Fedko – Vincentian Academy

Kyler Fedko – Vincentian Academy

Seth Delposen – Eden Christian