2025 WPIAL Class 3A baseball championship breakdown: Riverside vs. Quaker Valley

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 2:07 PM

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WPIAL Class 3A baseball final

No. 1 Riverside vs. No. 7 Quaker Valley

5 p.m. Wednesday, EQT Park, Washington

On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network

WPIAL titles: Riverside 6 (2023, ‘17, ‘16, ‘11, ‘06, 1996), Quaker Valley 1 (1984)

Riverside (16-2)

Coach: Dan Oliastro

Projected starting lineup

17, Sean Hayes, C, 5-9, sr.

26, John Bowser, RF, 5-9, sr.

3, Hunter Garvin, CF, 6-2, sr.

27, Zach Hare, P, 6-4, sr.

14, Drake Fox, 3B, 5-10, sr.

10, Christian Lucarelli, 1B, 6-3, sr.

1, Dylan Meyer, SS, 5-8, so.

28, Jackson Barber, LF, 5-9, jr.

21, Logan Young, 6-2, jr.

How they got here: Riverside defeated No. 16 Shady Side Acadeny, 4-3, in the first round; No. 8 Burrell, 11-0 (5 innings) in the quarterfinals; and No. 5 South Park, 1-0 (12 innings) in the semifinals.

Notable: Riverside has reached the WPIAL finals for the third year in a row. The Panthers were champions in 2023 and runners-up last year when they lost to Avonworth, 4-3, in 14 innings. … The 81-year-old Oliastro could win his seventh WPIAL title, which would set a record. The longtime coach is in his 57th year. … Riverside allows a WPIAL-best 1.4 runs per game thanks to a pitching staff led by Hare, Lucarelli and Garvin. … Hare, a Slippery Rock recruit, is 7-0 with a 0.94 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 52 innings. Hare pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the quarterfinals and threw seven no-hit innings in a semifinal that lasted 12 innings. … Garvin (3-1, 0.98 ERA) earned the semifinal win in relief. He has 39 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. … Lucarelli, a Duke recruit, hasn’t pitched since May 15 because of a sore arm, Oliastro said. Lucarelli is 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 29 innings. … Riverside’s lineup averages 8.3 runs per game. … Five players are batting better than .300 led by Garvin (.478) and Hare (.433). … Garvin (26) and Hare (22) also lead the team in RBIs. The top run scorers are Hayes (28) and Garvin (22).

Quaker Valley (15-6)

Coach: Rich Garbee

Projected starting lineup

6, Oscar Roig, 2B, 5-9, sr.

4, Henry Zupanc, LF, 6-2, jr.

97, Ryan Finamore, CF, 5-11, sr.

27, Todd Kagle, 3B, 6-2, jr.

23, Nolan Wagoner, P, 6-1, sr.

5, Jack Cindrich, SS, 5-11, sr.

99, Kolton Johnson, RF, 6-3, so.

30, Bradley Semonik, C, 5-8, jr.

11, Kyle Rader, DH, 6-1, sr.

(1, Michael Semonik, 1B, 5-10, fr.)

How they got here: Quaker Valley defeated No. 10 Ligonier Valley, 4-2, in the first round; No. 2 Avonworth, 1-0, in the quarterfinals; and No. 11 Mohawk, 5-2, in the semifinals.

Notable: Quaker Valley lost twice in the regular season to section foe Riverside, which swept their late-April section series, 4-1 and 8-4. … The Quakers have reached the WPIAL finals for the first time in a decade. They were Class 2A runners-up in 2015 and ’13. … Quaker Valley averages seven runs per game and allows 4.4. … Six players are batting better than .300, including Finamore (.500), Kagle (.462) and Roig (.397). … Kagle leads the team in RBIs (32), extra-base hits (14) and home runs (four). … Roig leads with 35 runs scored. The leadoff batter, Roig went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI in the semifinals. … Five pitchers have thrown at least 10 innings, led by Wagoner with 29 1/3. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA and 34 strikeouts. … In the playoffs, Wagoner allowed two runs in seven innings in the first round and pitched five scoreless innings in the semifinals. … Seven different Quaker Valley pitchers have earned a win this year. Finamore is 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. Roig is 1-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 22 innings. … This is Garbee’s third season as coach. He oversaw a breakthrough season this spring after going 8-23 the past two years.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Quaker Valley, Riverside