2025 WPIAL Class 6A baseball preseason breakdown

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, March 9, 2025 | 9:19 PM

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There is one big question entering the 2025 WPIAL baseball season.

Which Class 6A pitcher will throw a no-hitter in the district championship game in late May?

The incredible precedent has been set over the last two seasons.

In 2023, sophomore left-hander David Shields threw a no-hitter for Mt. Lebanon in the 6A title game as the Blue Devils blanked North Allegheny, 4-0.

Last spring, the tables were turned, and it was NA senior right-hander David Posey who pitched a championship game no-hitter, beating Mt. Lebanon and Shields in the rematch, 1-0.

Now Shields is in the Kansas City Royals’ organization and Posey is at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Fans will wait and see if there is May magic ahead again in Class 6A, which continues to shrink in size.

Following realignment, the classification is down from 11 to 10 teams.

Here is a rundown of the 2025 preseason top 5 teams, some of the players to watch and other diamond notes in WPIAL Class 6A baseball.

Preseason Top 5

1. North Allegheny (17-7 last season)

The biggest rival for North Allegheny from both a geographical and competitive standpoint in recent years has been Pine-Richland. With the 2024 Section 1 champion Rams moving down to 5A this season, the 6A landscape has a strong black and gold tint to it. The defending district champion Tigers have plenty coming back, making them the team to beat in Section 1 and in 6A overall. Leading the way is senior second baseman and Dartmouth commit Mason Smith, who provided the only offense in the 6A finals with a home run in NA’s title win over Mt. Lebanon. Also back are senior pitchers Nico Varlotta (North Alabama) and Jackson Walsh (Gannon), senior shortstop Augie Maslo (St. Joseph), senior catcher Michael Hershberger and sophomore outfielder J.J. Mancuso.

2. Central Catholic (10-11)

Brad Bestic takes over as the new head coach of a Central Catholic team that rallied last season to sweep Canon-McMillan in the final section series to earn a playoff berth. The Vikings’ postseason stay was short and not so sweet as they lost to Pine-Richland in the 6A quarterfinals, 4-1. Central Catholic lost Gavin Kelly, a West Virginia freshman, but they return their four top pitchers from a year ago, led by Villanova commit Ryan Tater. Joining him on the hill and in the lineup are juniors Carson Pettyjohn, Joshua McFadden and Matthew Foti. Also returning are junior outfielder Christopher Proch, junior infielder Landon Greene and sophomore infielder Chase Gelpi.

3. Hempfield (14-7)

A strong start with wins in each of its first 11 games had Hempfield thinking about a Section 2 crown and a deep district and state playoff run. However, the Spartans stumbled down the stretch, being swept by Mt. Lebanon in a three-game series that decided the section title, and losing seven of their last 10 games. The season ended after one playoff game as Hempfield lost to Seneca Valley in the 6A quarterfinals, 5-4. However, a veteran staff under the guidance of coach Tim Buzzard will have the Spartans in the mix for section supremacy thanks to the return of senior pitcher Dylan Firmstone (Penn State) and junior hurler Chase Sikorski, along with senior DH Colin Polechko.

4. Canon-McMillan (9-11)

With a lot of young talent last spring, Canon-McMillan needed just one win in a three-game series against Central Catholic in late April and early May to secure a valuable taste of district postseason experience. However, the Big Macs never got that chance as they were swept by the Vikings, and Central won the head-to-head tiebreaker to take fourth place and a playoff berth. Just about everybody is back from that heartbreak season with the hopes of forgetting the past and contending in the future. Canon-McMillan’s top five pitchers from a year ago are all back, led by juniors Sebastian Shulsky and Martin Maruschak. Senior catcher Ben Peterson and junior infielder Nico Petragas provide big sticks to the Big Macs lineup.

5. Mt. Lebanon (18-6)

Following back-to-back WPIAL Class 6A championships and a runner-up trophy in 2024, Mt. Lebanon was hit hard by graduation, including star pitcher David Shields, who graduated after his junior year and was drafted by Kansas City. The Blue Devils have one of the top sophomores in the state back in pitcher and first baseman Graham Keen. He hit .355 as a freshman with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Also back are seniors Maddox Yost and Brett Hamel.

Players to watch

Boden Lenyk, Jr., INF, Butler

Nolan Stefaniak, Jr., INF, Butler

Mavrik Clement, Jr., C, Butler

Kyle Casteel, Jr., P, Butler

Landon Greene, Jr., INF, Central Catholic

C.J. Proch, Jr., OF, Central Catholic

Ryan Tatar, Sr., P, Central Catholic

Chase Gelpi, So., P/INF, Central Catholic

Mason Smith, Sr., INF, North Allegheny

Nico Varlotta, Sr., P, North Allegheny

August Maslo, Sr., INF, North Allegheny

J.J. Mancuso, So., OF, North Allegheny

Michael Hershberger, Sr., C, North Allegheny

Jackson Walsh, Sr., P, North Allegheny

Tristin Weimann, Sr., INF, North Hills

Ryan Piekutoski, Sr., INF, Seneca Valley

Aeden Fowler, Sr., OF, Seneca Valley

Nico Patragas, Jr., C/DH, Canon-McMillan

Sebastian Shulsky, Jr., P, Canon-McMillan

Ben Peterson, Sr., C, Canon-McMillan

Chase Sikorski, Jr., P, Hempfield

Dylan Firmstone, Sr., P, Hempfield

Colin Polechko, Sr., DH, Hempfield

Graham Keen, So., P/INF, Mt. Lebanon

Maddox Yost, Sr., C, Mt. Lebanon

Nate Siberman, Sr., INF, Norwin

Ethen Culbertson, Sr., P, Norwin

Diamond notes

• Mt. Lebanon made history in 2023 when it became the first team in the seven-year history of WPIAL Class 6A baseball to repeat as district champion. The Blue Devils’ hopes of a third straight title ended in the 6A finals when they were dethroned by North Allegheny. Now the Tigers try to become the second 6A team to repeat. NA won the 6A crown in 2021 but could not repeat in 2022.

• The championship run for North Allegheny last spring was the program’s WPIAL leading ninth crown. They also captured gold in 1990, 1991, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2021 and 2024. The nine baseball championships are two more than the two schools tied for second place with seven, McKeesport and now closed Allegheny.

• With realignment this offseason, Class 6A went from 11 teams to 10 teams. Each of the two sections will have five teams with alignment below. Three teams that were part of the classification the last two years are out of 6A for the next two seasons — Pine-Richland, Baldwin and Allderdice all dropped to 5A. Two teams moving up from 5A to 6A for 2025 and 2026 are North Hills and Woodland Hills.

• For a third straight regular season in 6A, the section series each week will be three-game series. The playoff format in 6A remains the same as well. The top four teams in each of the two sections qualify. In 2024, Pine-Richland edged North Allegheny by one game for the Section 1 crown, with Seneca Valley third and Butler fourth. In Section 2, Mt. Lebanon cruised to the section championship by three games over runner-up Hempfield with Norwin third. Central Catholic and Canon-McMillan tied for the fourth and final playoff spot with the Vikings earning the district berth after sweeping the three-game section series from the Big Macs in the final regular season series.

• Five years ago, the 2020 season was canceled because of the covid-19 outbreak. In the first Class 6A championship game eight years ago, Pine-Richland defeated North Allegheny in the 2017 title game, 3-2. Defending champion North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon and Pine-Richland have each captured two 6A championships, and Canon-McMillan won the other district title in 2018. That same year, Canon-McMillan became the first and, thus far, only District 7 school to win a PIAA 6A baseball championship when it defeated Bensalem in the state finals, 10-3.

2025 alignment

Section 1: Butler, Central Catholic, North Allegheny, North Hills, Seneca Valley

Section 2: Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, Norwin, Woodland Hills

Tags: Butler, Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Hempfield, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin, Seneca Valley