Baseball, softball coach finalists were hits in 2015
It was a season of emotional highs and dramatic finishes for this year’s finalists in softball and baseball for the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association Coach of the Year award.
In softball, Jim Armstrong of Waynesburg, Tony Barbetta of Jefferson-Morgan and Shawn Gray of Trinity made the cut.
Nick D’Amico of California, Scott DeBerry of Laurel Highlands and Scott Roebuck of Brownsville are the finalists in baseball.
The six will be honored and winners announced at the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association Coach of the Year Banquet at 5 p.m., Sunday, April 24, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadow Lands.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are on sale at Washington High School, 201 Allison Avenue, Washington, PA, 15301. Reservations can be made by calling Washington athletic director Joe Nicolella at 724-223-5085, ext. 2091.
All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.
Only coaches from schools in the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association are eligible for the award, which is based on the 2015 season.
Gray maneuvered the Hillers to a second-place finish in Section 3-AAA with a 9-3 record. They won their first two games in the WPIAL playoffs before falling to Yough, 10-1, in the semifinals. Trinity beat Southmoreland, 10-1, in the third-place game to reach the state playoffs.
The Hillers ripped off three straight wins to earn a spot in the PIAA finals, where they came up short, losing 2-0 to Bethlehem Catholic. Shortstop Olivia Gray, a Pitt recruit, and first baseman Delaney Elling made the all-state team. Trinity ended the season with a 20-6 record.
Armstrong directed the Raiders to a third-place finish in Section 2-AA and a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Waynesburg lost 10 of the first 13 games but Armstrong led them to four straight victories at the end of the season.
Waynesburg lost to South Allegheny in the first round finished with an 8-12 overall record.
Barbetta led the Rockets through more than just the section schedule. He guided them through the emotional trauma of one of his assistants – Chris Dugan, father of second baseman Camryn Dugan – fighting a losing battle with cancer. They rallied together to not only win Section 1-A, but to capture the WPIAL title and go on to victory in the first PIAA playoff game in the school’s history.
The Rockets won a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chartiers-Houston to capture the WPIAL Class A title, then knocked off Smethport, 2-1, in the first round of the state playoffs. Cochranton ended J-M’s season with a 1-0 win by international tiebreaker.
In baseball, Damico guided the Trojans to a 10-0 record in capturing the Section 1-A title. Cal won the final 11 games of the regular season, including two over Carmichaels that clinched the title.
The top seed in the WPIAL playoffs, Cal won two games to reach the finals, where Greensburg Central Catholic stopped the run with a 6-4 win. In the state playoffs, the Trojans beat Oswayo Valley, 10-0, before losing to Juniata Valley in the quarterfinals.
DeBerry finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, all on the road, putting Laurel Highlands in second place in Section 4-AAA and earning a berth in the WPIAL playoffs.
The Mustang’s season came to an end in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs after a loss to Indiana. Laurel Highlands finished with a 10-10 record.
Brownsville finished strong under Roebuck, winning 11 of 12 games on the way to capturing the Section 2-AA title and earning a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. The Falcons scored in double figures in seven of the victories.
In the playoffs, Brownsville defeated Ford City in the first round but was upended by Steel Valley in the second round. The Falcons finished with a 16-3 record.