Storylines to follow in WPIAL baseball and softball
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Canon-McMillan’s Austin Berger pitches during the third inning of the game against Peters Township on Monday, May 4.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Canon-McMillan’s Nick Serafino is one of several key returners for the Big Macs this spring.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Hunter Robinson and catcher Brandon Turcheck are both back this season.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Trinity’s team celebrates with Delaney Elling after Elling hit a home run in the second inning of the game against West Allegheny on Tuesday, May 19.
Brittany Crawford crosses the plate with Canon-McMillan’s second run in the first inning against Shaler and is greeted by catcher Giorgiana Zeremenko.
The WPIAL baseball and softball seasons are less than two weeks away, and there is plenty to get excited about for 2016.
Jefferson-Morgan will try to defend its WPIAL Class A title, there are teams on the rise and others rebuilding. Before we talk predictions, players to watch or guess how many cancellations we’ll have this spring, let’s take a look at the top story lines this spring.
Canon-McMillan caught some people by surprise last spring, winning its final six Section 5-AAAA games to reach the WPIAL playoffs. The Big Macs received the seventh seed, but lost to Shaler, which lost in the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals.
They lost eight seniors from last year’s team, including outfielders Jared Beach and Chandler Palyas, but there’s plenty of optimism with the roster returning. C-M has quality pitching, power throughout the order and should be strong on defense.
I’ll be curious to see C-M looks with a new head coach, Timothy Bruzdewicz, who was hired in August to replace Frank Zebrasky, who led the Big Macs to three consecutive playoff appearances. Bruzdewicz spent last season as an assistant coach at West Allegheny. The Indians went 17-7 last spring with a trip to the WPIAL Class AAA championship, where they lost to eventual state champion Knoch, and the PIAA quarterfinals.
There’s no reason to believe that Canon-McMillan won’t compete for the section title and this is a team built for a postseason run.
Much was written about Kevin Pincavitch’s position as Waynesburg’s head coach being opened and the long process of hiring a replacement ended with former Carmichaels head coach Scott VanSickle taking the job.
The hiring and the Raiders’ returning players, make them the team to beat in Section 2-AA. They 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.
If you aren’t familiar with VanSickle, he coached Carmichaels for four seasons (2011-14) and had a 49-24 career record. 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). He spent last season as an assistant coach at Waynesburg University.
Waynesburg lost four seniors, but junior Hunter Robinson, the team’s best hitter, is back, as well as a deep pitching staff. The biggest obstacle will be Washington, which has Connor Bedillion and Jordan West back, but the Raiders are in position to be a team to watch in Class AA.
California is the popular pick to win the WPIAL Class A title for the second time in three seasons because of pitching, defense and an offense that can hit one through nine.
Junior Nathaniel Luketich should take over as the Trojans’ ace after not being able to pitch last spring. He still had a major impact, batting a team-best .552 with 45 RBI, 34 runs, 10 doubles and three triples as the Trojans’ No. 3 or No. 4 hitter.
Junior Johnny DeFranco, senior Louden Conte and senior Casey Zajicek are also back. Losing center fielder Aaron Previsky, the O-R’s Player of the Year in 2015, will hurt the batting order, but California always reloads.
Conte should help fill the void on offense and I can see him taking a big step forward. Remember, he batted .514 with an area-best 50 run last season. He drove in 19 runs and stole 29 bases in 23 games.
Conte hitting in front of Luketich in the order will mean big numbers for California.
It was an unforgettable season for Trinity softball last season with a trip to the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA championship game, where it lost to Bethlehem Catholic, 2-0.
The Hillers were fantastic on defense and had a prolific offense with two Division I players. Shortstop Olivia Gray, who is now starting for Pitt, was voted the Class AAA Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association and was the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year.
First baseman Delaney Elling, a Penn State recruit who is a senior this spring, was also a first-team all-state selection, batting .580 with 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs and finished third on the team with 40 hits.
She’ll lead a promising offense this spring, but the Hillers also lost second baseman Madison Hornak and six other players from last season’s team. That means inexperienced players will have to step up, but it helps having senior pitcher Paige Galentine back after she gained so much experience last season.
The road to a repeat will be difficult though. Belle Vernon, the defending WPIAL Class AAA champions, will likely be the section favorite with the return of sophomore pitcher Bailey Parshall, a Penn State recruit, and plenty of talent returning. Elizabeth Forward should also be very good after losing only one senior. The Warriors split with Trinity last season.
Canon-McMillan lost three of its final four games last season, including a 6-3 defeat to North Allegheny in the WPIAL quarterfinals, and has to replace its starting pitcher and top offensive threat.
I have not spoken to head coach Michele Moeller yet about who is expected to replace Tara Fowler in the circle, but the Big Macs will have plenty of option to help replace McCartney, who batted .588 with 20 runs, 28 RBI, five home runs last season.
There’s senior shortstop Linda Rush, a Drexel recruit, and junior Brittany Crawford, a Saint Francis (Pa.) recruit. Both should continue to put up big numbers, but a player to watch is sophomore Katelyn Greaves, who hits for power.
Aside from Fowler, who took a big step forward as a pitcher last season, C-M only had two other pitchers on last season’s roster: senior Kaylee Gohring and sophomore Abi Michelucci.
If the Big Macs improve on defense and find a capable replacement at pitcher, they should have another strong season.
It’s easy to pick Jefferson-Morgan as the favorite to win another Section 1-A title, but the Rockets lost six seniors, including pitcher Madison Ludrosky and catcher Reagan Rush – two of Class A’s best players at their respective positions.
Chartiers-Houston, which lost to J-M in last season’s title game, returns Kayla Alderson, Macie Kesneck and Kayla Ellion, but it also has a solid pitcher.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Dittrich had a 19-4 record and a 1.00 ERA in 133 innings. She struck out 72 and walked only 16, while holding opponents to a .216 average. She doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts so the Bucs, who are low on numbers this season, will need great defense.
Neither is the team to beat in Section 1-A.
That would be West Greene, which returns all but one player from last season’s playoff team and has a very impressive freshman class.
The Pioneers also have the section’s top pitcher, senior Bailey Bennington, a California University recruit. She struck out 98, walked just 21, finished with a 3.68 ERA and held opponents to a .222 batting average. Bennington did damage at the plate with a .455/.662/.873 slash line with three home runs and 22 RBI.
Sophomore Madison Renner also hit .480 with five home runs and 30 RBI. The Pioneers struggled a bit on defense last season, but should be much improved with freshmen McKenna Lampe, Madison Lampe and Kaitlyn Rizor.
West Green is ready for a breakout season in 2016.