2023 WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship preview: Mt. Lebanon vs. North Allegheny

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 | 3:56 PM

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WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship

5-Mt. Lebanon (12-10) vs. 2-North Allegheny (16-6)

7 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park

On the air: Trib HSSN (video)

How they got here: Mt. Lebanon defeated No. 4 Seneca Valley, 2-1, in the quarterfinals and beat No. 1 Pine-Richland, 3-0, in the semifinals; North Allegheny topped No. 7 Norwin, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and No. 6 Butler, 5-2, in the semifinals.

WPIAL titles: Mt. Lebanon 5 (1959, ‘93, 2002, ‘06, ‘22); North Allegheny 8 (1990, ‘91, 96, 2003, ‘05, ‘09, ‘13, ‘21)

Coaches: Patt McCloskey, Mt. Lebanon; Andrew Heck, North Allegheny

Players to watch: David Shields, Mt. Lebanon; Spencer Barnett, North Allegheny

Extra bases: Mt. Lebanon is the defending WPIAL Class 6A champion after defeating Upper St. Clair, 2-1, last season. The Blue Devils are chasing their sixth district title. They started 0-8 this season before winning 10 of the next 11. In the semifinal win over Pine-Richland, Tyler Smith knocked in two runs, and Matthew Delvaux tossed a three-hitter with five strikeouts. Shields, a sophomore pitcher committed to Miami, boasts a 1.17 ERA and 77 strikeouts. … North Allegheny has won a WPIAL-leading eight championships, including the 2021 title. Barnett, a West Virginia recruit, leads the Tigers after batting .431 in the regular season. Andrew Hart, a Gardner-Webb commit, carries a 1.29 ERA on the mound, and junior pitcher J.D. Costanzo, also a WVU recruit, has a 1.47 ERA and 76 strikeouts. The Tigers have won four straight after a 3-2 nonsection loss to Shaler. In the semifinal win over Butler, Andrew Hart was 2 for 3 with an RBI, and David Posey allowed four hits and two runs with seven strikeouts in a complete-game victory.

Bill Hartlep is the sports editor of the Tribune-Review. You can contact Bill at bhartlep@triblive.com or via Twitter @BHartlep_Trib.

Tags: Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny