Waynesburg hires new baseball coach
Scott VanSickle knew he wanted to be the head baseball coach at Waynesburg Central High School.
He just didn’t expect to get the job so soon.
VanSickle, a former head coach at Carmichaels and assistant last spring under Mike Humiston at Waynesburg University, was named the Raiders’ head coach Tuesday night during a meet of the Central Greene School Board.
VanSickle was hired by a 9-0 vote.
He succeeds Kevin Pincavitch, who had his job opened in June after four seasons that included two WPIAL playoff berths and a 10-6 record last spring.
VanSickle is a former player at Albert Gallatin High School, Waynesburg University and California University. He resides in Waynesburg.
“This was a job I was really interested in, but I saw it as a long-time thing, something far in the future,” VanSickle said. “With my kids playing, I have coached in the youth program the last four years. When the job became open, I did a lot of talking with Coach Humiston and he said it was a good job.”
Waynesburg had a team loaded with underclassmen last season but advanced to the WPIAL Class AA playoffs. The Raiders lost in the first round to eventual WPIAL and PIAA champion Neshannock. VanSickle knows this is not a rebuilding job and there are expectations for the future.
“That’s always a good thing,” he said. “I’ve watched this team play a little and I know there are talented players there. I know Kevin is a good baseball guy and that he had these kids prepared and ready to go. I hope the players accept me like they would any other coach.”
Pincavitch’s ouster created a controversy in the community. At the board meeting in which Pincavitch’s job was opened – following an hour-long executive session – several parents spoke on his behalf and 10 players showed up in support of the coach. Pincavitch reapplied for the job in July.
“My main goal is to make the kids comfortable with me,” VanSickle said. “I’m going into a situation in which they don’t know me and I only know a little about them from being on the outskirts. But baseball is baseball.”
At the meeting last night, Lloyd Rohanna of Waynesburg addressed the school board prior to it going into executive session and then voting to hire VanSickle.
“It makes me sad that people who I trusted all my life are now at odds over this situation for some reason,” he said. “I’m saddened by what has happened and in what I’ve seen. Why is the truth so hard for people to find?
“What this is going to look like is a lawsuit. Is that what this community has become? I believe this board represents the people in the community. You owe every taxpayer … the truth.”
VanSickle coached Carmichaels for four seasons (2011-14) and had a 49-24 career record before resigning in September of last year. He also spent four years as assistant at Carmichaels, under highly successful coach Dave Bates, as the Mikes won two WPIAL Class A championships (2005 and 2008).
While on the recruiting trail for Waynesburg University, VanSickle has seen the Raiders and some of their section rivals.
“My first year at Carmichaels, we had Beth-Center in our section and we played Chartiers-Houston,” he said. “At the university level, we were looking at players from teams in the section. I know what kind of players these teams have. … I loved my job at the university, but I really missed coaching high school ball.”
Staff writer Chelsea Dicks contributed to this story.