WPIAL, PIAA champions among 2021 TribLive HSSN Baseball All-Stars
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Sunday, June 27, 2021 | 11:00 PM
New Castle pitcher Rocco Bernadina delivers during the WPIAL Class 4A championship game against Montour on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
West Allegheny’s Luke Lambert celebrates his triple in the bottom of the seventh inning of a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal against Penn-Trafford on Friday, May 21, 2021, at North Allegheny High School.
Bethel Park pitcher Eric Chalus delivers against West Allegheny during a WPIAL Class 5A semifinal on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at Matulevic Field in Shaler.
North Allegheny’s Cole Young celebrates after defeating Hempfield, 4-0, in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
Shenango pitcher Shane Cato delivers against Seton LaSalle during the WPIAL Class 2A championship game on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
Franklin Regional’s Louie Kegerreis gives up a thumbs up to the dugout after driving in two run against Latrobe on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at Haymaker Field in Murrysville.
New Castle’s Anthony Miller celebrates during a PIAA semifinal game against Montour on June 14, 2021, at Neshannock.
Hopewell pitcher Roman Gill delivers during the WPIAL Class 3A championship game against South Park on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
New Castle’s Anthony Miller celebrates his RBI double against Quaker Valley on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at Esmark Field.
New Castle pitcher Rocco Bernadina visits with the student section while waiting on-deck during the WPIAL Class 4A championship game against Montour on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
Bethel Park pitcher Eric Chalus delivers against Franklin Regional during the WPIAL Class 5A championship game on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
Hopewell pitcher Roman Gill celebrates after getting a double play during the WPIAL Class 3A championship game against South Park on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
West Allegheny’s Luke Lambert drives in two runs with a double against Montour on Wednesday, May 13, 2021, in North Fayette.
North Allegheny pitcher Kyle Demi delivers against Hempfield during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
Montour’s Gannon Kadlecik doubles in a run against Quaker Valley during a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Monday, May 24, 2021, at Fox Chapel High School.
North Allegheny’s Cole Young tags out Butler’s Cooper Baxter at second base during their WPIAL Class 6A semifinal on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at Matulevic Field in Shaler.
Franklin Regional’s Louie Kegerreis scoops up a ball hit by Hempfield’s Michael Hosni for the last out on Friday, March 26, 2021 at Haymaker Park.
Shenango pitcher Shane Cato celebrates with Craig Colaizzi after defeating Seton LaSalle, 2-1, in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at Wild Things Park.
North Allegheny pitcher Kyle Demi delivers during a game against Seneca Valley on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, in McCandless.
Montour pitcher Gannon Kadlecik delivers against West Allegheny on Wednesday, May 13, 2021, in North Fayette.
Among the six teams crowned WPIAL baseball champions this spring, their individual stories varied greatly.
A few were first-time winners. Others won their first title in a decade or two. Another, North Allegheny, won its eighth WPIAL title, setting a record for most championships in league history.
It was a year to remember, after a year to forget.
Many of those championship teams are recognized here in the TribLive HSSN Baseball All-Stars, a 10-member team that honors the best from the 2021 season.
Trib HSSN Baseball All-Stars
Rocco Bernadina
New Castle, P/INF, senior
The Kent State recruit went 7-4 on the mound with a 2.36 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. The right-hander was at his best in the Class 4A postseason. Bernadina led the Red Hurricanes to their first WPIAL title, and they added their first state championship a couple of weeks later. He also batted .403 with 20 runs, 27 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits.
Shane Cato
Shenango, P/INF, senior
Cato was a two-way star in Shenango’s run to its first WPIAL title. The Grove City recruit batted .492 with a team-high 37 RBIs, 24 runs, 16 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was .650. On the mound, the right-hander went 10-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. The Wildcats won the WPIAL Class 2A title and finished as runners-up in the state tournament.
Eric Chalus
Bethel Park, P/CF, senior
The Kent State recruit was unbeatable on the mound this spring. The left-hander went 11-0 and pitched the Black Hawks to a victory in the PIAA Class 5A championship, silencing one of the state’s top offenses. Chalus finished with a 0.97 ERA in 72 innings, and showed great control by striking out 91 batters and walking only four. He batted .386 with 23 RBIs and 18 runs.
Kyle Demi
North Allegheny, P, senior
Demi was rather unknown when the season started but quickly emerged as one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL. The right-hander went 9-1 with an 0.87 ERA and struck out 81 batters in 48 1/3 innings. He led the Tigers to a WPIAL Class 6A title and didn’t lose a game until the state finals. Opposing teams batted .149 against him.
Roman Gill
Hopewell, P/3B, senior
The right-hander went 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA as the ace for WPIAL Class 3A champion Hopewell. Opponents batted .175 against him. The Cal (Pa.) recruit struck out 11 batters in a game three times. Gill finished the season with 85 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. He batted .333.
Gannon Kadlecik
Montour, CF/P, senior
Kadlecik was a versatile cog in a Montour lineup that reached the WPIAL Class 4A finals and the PIAA semifinals. The Radford recruit had a .562 on-base percentage with 26 runs, 22 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits. He batted .377, but also contributed on the mound with a 4-1 record, two saves, a 1.26 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 39 innings.
Louie Kegerreis
Franklin Regional, SS, senior
Kegerreis led the Panthers to a WPIAL Class 5A title with his bat and glove. He batted .544 with a team-best 28 runs, 24 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits. His on-base percentage was .617. In the field, Kegerreis turned 10 double plays and posted a .963 fielding percentage with only three errors in 81 chances.
Luke Lambert
West Allegheny, C, senior
Lambert was a force in West Allegheny’s lineup. The Pitt recruit batted a team-best .487 with 43 RBIs, 21 runs and 14 extra-base hits, leading the Indians to the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. His on-base percentage was .533. Lambert also was error-free behind the plate and threw out nearly 30% of would-be base stealers.
Anthony Miller
New Castle, SS/P, sophomore
Miller formed a terrific tandem with Bernadina and finished off the PIAA championship in relief. The Notre Dame recruit went 9-1 on the mound with a 1.60 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 57 innings. He struck out 12 in the state semifinals, but Miller also was one of the Red Hurricanes’ top hitters. He batted .429 with 34 runs, 25 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits.
Cole Young
North Allegheny, SS, junior
Young was a top run-producer in a championship lineup but also earned accolades for his defense. The Duke recruit turned 12 double plays and had a .952 fielding percentage with five errors in 105 chances. The Tigers won the WPIAL Class 6A title and were state runners-up. Young batted .437 with 33 runs, 23 RBIs and 14 extra-base hits. He struck out only five times in 101 plate appearances.
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Trib HSSN Postseason Awards
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: Bethel Park, Franklin Regional, Hopewell, New Castle, North Allegheny, Shenango, West Allegheny
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