2025 WPIAL Class 5A baseball preseason breakdown

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 12:21 AM

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Realignment has grown the most competitive classification last season, with nine new teams in Class 5A baseball.

One of the new kids on the block happens to be one of the top baseball programs this century.

Pine-Richland, owner of six district championships in the last 20 years, is moving from 6A to 5A with a large target on their green and white backs.

The Rams join an impressive class with outstanding baseball programs that was so competitive last year, 5A had three sections yet seven section champions.

The three section races were so tight, 13 of the 19 teams finished in first place or within two games of the top.

Pine-Richland isn’t the only newcomer to 5A with a recent golden history.

Let the fun begin.

Here is a rundown of the 2025 preseason top 5 teams, some of the players to watch and other diamond notes in WPIAL Class 5A baseball.

Preseason Top 5

1. Pine-Richland (17-5 last season)

The Rams won their section a year ago, but lost in the semifinals for a second straight year in Class 6A. Now they make the move to a challenging and deep Class 5A classification, but they do so loaded and ready for a run at gold. Baylor commit Keegan Deihl leads the way on the mound for Pine-Richland, joined by fellow seniors Anthony Annichine (Tiffin) and Tristan Farrar. In the infield, the Rams return seniors Jake Waddell (IUP) and Tanner Cunningham (Frostburg State) while back in the outfield are senior Anthony Menigine and junior Logan Plummer. Frostburg State commit Sam Heckert returns at catcher.

2. Shaler (17-6)

One year removed from winning district and state gold, the Titans are expected to be in the hunt for another championship thanks to senior pitcher Colby Weber, an East Carolina recruit. Joining him in the rotation will be senior pitchers Dante Deleonibus (Misercordia) and Landon Schiffhauer (South Carolina-Lancaster). Their battery mate will be senior catcher Luke Jarzynka (Marietta) with big contributions expected from senior DH Max Saban, outfielders Logan Bauer and Alex Weber (PSU-Greater Allegheny) and junior infielder Ben Yeckel.

3. Bethel Park (16-8)

What a decade this has been for the Bethel Park baseball team. All the Black Hawks have done is reach the WPIAL 5A championship game three times and captured back-to-back PIAA championships in 2021 and 2022. The winning beat should continue for the Black Hawks in 2025 with several key players returning, including senior pitcher and Virginia Tech commit Ryan Walsh. One of the top hitters in the district is also back in senior infielder Ryan Petras, who passed on a baseball offer to Northwestern to try to play football and baseball at Princeton. Three other seniors expected to contribute greatly are infielder Noah LeJeune (Seton Hill), outfielder Jack Bruckner and catcher Ethan Stanhoff.

4. West Allegheny (17-5)

Coming off a share of the section title in a very strong Section 3-5A a year ago, the Indians look to continue their strong tradition of contending baseball. Plenty of top players return this spring following a final four run last year. The pitching rotation will lean on senior Mason Gass, an Ohio University commit, and sophomore Brandon Boyce. In the West A infield are senior Jonah Buglak (Gannon) and junior Brody Malatuk while center field and the gaps will be manned by senior Penn football commit Brock Cornell.

5. Fox Chapel (14-7)

Apologies to Trinity, Franklin Regional, Montour and Mars, but Fox Chapel gets the nod for the final spot in the preseason top 5. The Foxes return some big arms from a year ago when they finished as quad-champs of Section 1-5A. Senior lefty Jeremy Haigh is back after a strong junior season. He will play his college ball at Wagner. Joining him on the hill is senior Franco Pistella (Oberlin) and junior Blake Krushinski, who has already committed to West Virginia. Another player to watch is senior infielder Antonio LeDonne (Washington & Jefferson).

Players to watch

Rory Pschirer, Jr., OF, Armstrong

Brayden Wright, Sr., DH, Armstrong

Chase Jablonski, Sr., INF, Armstrong

Nick Kinter, Sr., INF, Armstrong

Dmitri Spagnola, Sr., INF, Kiski Area

Luke Williams, Jr., INF, Franklin Regional

Darren DeRiggi, Sr., P-INF, Franklin Regional

NJ Ramchandran, Sr., P, Franklin Regional

Brady Yarabinetz, Sr., OF, Franklin Regional

Chase Lemke, Sr., INF, Franklin Regional

Luke Nipar-Smith, Sr., P-INF, Latrobe

Cooper Basciano, Sr. INF, Latrobe

Mason Leonard, Sr., OF, Latrobe

Bradyn Stone, Sr., INF, Penn-Trafford

Ethan Septak, Sr., DH, Penn-Trafford

Dom DeLio, Jr., P, Penn-Trafford

Hunter Brown, Sr., P-INF, Penn-Trafford

Dan Macioce, Sr., INF, Plum

Max Vollmer, Soph., INF, Plum

Ryan Lafferty, Jr., OF, Plum

Michael Tedrick, Jr., P, Plum

Ryan Petras, Sr., INF, Bethel Park

Ryan Walsh, Sr., P-OF, Bethel Park

Ethan Stanhoff, Sr., C, Bethel Park

Noah LeJeune, Sr., P/INF, Bethel Park

Jack Bruckner, Sr., OF, Bethel Park

Jules Prozzoly, Jr., P, Chartiers Valley

Jake Federouch, Sr., INF, Chartiers Valley

Andrew Cross, Jr., INF, Moon

Angelo Fachet, Sr., OF, Moon

Connor Kunkle, Sr., INF, Moon

Jackson Stocker, Sr., OF, Peters Township

Zach Miner, Sr., C, Peters Township

Brody Takacs, Jr., INF, Peters Township

Ethan Rose, Sr., P, South Fayette

Trey Skeen, Soph., P/INF, South Fayette

Anthony Diodata, Sr. OF, South Fayette

Matt Robaugh, Sr., INF, Trinity

Kaden Hathaway, Sr., INF, Trinity

Karson Hathaway, Soph., INF, Trinity

J.R. Rieg, Sr., P, Trinity

Jonah Williamson, Jr., C, Trinity

Nico D’Orazio, Jr., INF, Upper St. Clair

Nolan Wilson, Soph., OF, Upper St. Clair

Eli Mandler, Sr., INF, Upper St. Clair

Zack Shook, Sr., P/INF, Allderdice

Lukas Stead, Jr., INF, Allderdice

Landon Blank, Sr., INF, Allderdice

Jeremy Haigh, Sr., P/OF, Fox Chapel

Antonio LeDonne, Sr., INF, Fox Chapel

Blake Krushinski, Jr., P/OF, Fox Chapel

Franco Pistella, Sr., P/OF, Fox Chapel

Kyle Krause, Jr., P/INF, Mars

Luke Goodworth, Sr., INF, Mars

Finn Seideneck, Sr., OF, Mars

Roman Brumsell, Sr., P, Mars

Angelo DeSalvo, Sr., INF, New Castle

Dominic Miller, Jr., INF, New Castle

Sam Heckert, Sr., C, Pine-Richland

Jake Waddell, Sr., INF, Pine-Richland

Anthony Mengine, Sr., OF, Pine-Richland

Keegan Deihl, Sr., P, Pine-Richland

Anthony Annichine, Sr., INF, Pine-Richland

Tanner Cunningham, Sr., INF, Pine-Richland

Logan Plummer, Jr., OF, Pine-Richland

Tristan Farrar, Sr., P, Pine-Richland

Colby Weber, Sr., P, Shaler

Ben Yeckel, Jr., INF, Shaler

Landon Schiffhauer, Sr., OF, Shaler

Luke Jarzynka, Sr., C, Shaler

Logan Bauer, Sr., OF, Shaler

Dante Deleonibus, Sr., P, Shaler

Max Saban, Sr., DH, Shaler

Brock Cornell, Jr., OF, West Allegheny

Brandon Boyce, Soph., P, West Allegheny

Mason Gass, Sr., P, West Allegheny

Jonah Buglak, Sr., INF, West Allegheny

Brody Malatuk, Jr., INF/OF, West Allegheny

Jonathan Kelly, Sr., INF, Connellsville

Matthew Firestone, Sr., INF, Connellsville

Grayden Gillot, Sr., INF, Connellsville

Ethan Porreca, Sr., P, Connellsville

Jon Saunders, Soph., P, Gateway

Grady Dunsmore, Jr., INF/OF, Gateway

Matteo Weber, Jr., P-OF, Montour

Andrew Porto, Sr., OF, Montour

Mike Ivanoff, Jr., P/INF, Montour

Zach Black, Sr., C, Montour

Luke Kosko, Sr., OF, Thomas Jefferson

Tyler Lesko, Sr., INF, Thomas Jefferson

Dominic Bosco, Sr., P, Thomas Jefferson

Diamond notes

• If Penn-Trafford is able to repeat as WPIAL Class 5A baseball champions this spring, it will make history. In the seven years of 5A postseasons, no team has been able to win back-to-back crowns. In fact, Shaler is the only school to win multiple 5A titles, winning gold in 2019 and 2023. The last school to repeat as district baseball champs in the second-highest classification was West Allegheny winning two straight 3A titles in 2007 and 2008.

• WPIAL winner Penn-Trafford and runner-up Bethel Park both lost in the PIAA quarterfinals last year, ending a three-year run of PIAA 5A champions being from the WPIAL. Despite not winning a WPIAL title either year, Bethel Park captured state championships in 2021 and 2022 and Shaler won it all in 2023. Going back to the first Class 5A state final won by Latrobe in the spring of 2017, the WPIAL hasn’t had a team in the 5A state championship game in only three years: 2018, 2019 and 2024.

• History was made last year in Class 5A when there was a four-way tie for the Section 1-5A championship. Penn-Trafford, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional and Plum all finished with 9-3 section records. Armstrong and Gateway tied for fifth place with 3-9 records and Penn Hills was last at 0-12. No. 5 Plum lost in the first round in an 11-inning marathon to Trinity, No. 2 Fox Chapel had an opening-round bye and then lost in its first postseason game to No. 7 Penn-Trafford, 2-0. No. 6 Franklin Regional beat Connellsville and North Hills to reach the semifinals, where it lost to P-T, 10-3. So the Warriors were the lowest seed of the four tied teams, yet reached the finals and captured their first baseball title when they defeated Bethel Park, 4-3.

• Class 5A has a reputation of being very competitive no matter the sport, and the 2024 baseball campaign was no different. Besides the historic four-way tie for first place in Section 1-5A, there were co-section champions in Section 3-5A between West Allegheny and North Hills with Shaler just missing at one game behind. Two games back, Moon and Mars tied for fourth place, but the Tigers won the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Fightin’ Planets to earn a playoff berth. First place and fourth place were also separated by only two games in Section 2-5A, with Bethel Park claiming first place, one game ahead of South Fayette and two games up on Connellsville and Trinity. Peters Township missed the playoff by only one game.

• With realignment this offseason, Class 5A had the biggest growth of any of the six classifications, expanding from 19 teams and three sections to 27 teams and four sections. The top four teams in each section qualify for the district playoffs, making 5A at least a 16-team bracket. The class lost only one team from last year with North Hills moving up to 6A. Falling from 6A to 5A are Allderdice, Baldwin and Pine-Richland. Six teams moved up from 4A, including Chartiers Valley, Kiski Area, Latrobe, McKeesport, Montour and Thomas Jefferson.

2025 Alignment

Section 1: Armstrong, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Plum

Section 2: Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Moon, Peters Township, South Fayette, Trinity, Upper St. Clair

Section 3: Allderdice, Fox Chapel, Mars, New Castle, Pine-Richland, Shaler, West Allegheny

Section 4: Baldwin, Connellsville, Gateway, McKeesport, Montour, Thomas Jefferson