2025 WPIAL Class A baseball preseason breakdown

By: Don Rebel
Friday, March 14, 2025 | 11:26 PM

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There has always been a good balance in Class A baseball.

Over the last dozen years, there have been nine different WPIAL champions.

A team has never won three district Class A titles in a row, something Bishop Canevin will be trying to do this season.

There are seven current Class A schools that have won gold this century and another that was one win away from a PIAA state title last spring.

Great depth to the new-look classification should make for some exciting regular season action through mid-May, followed by what should be a thrilling postseason.

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

Preseason Top 5

1. Eden Christian Academy (19-6 last season)

The 2024 season had plenty of silver linings for the Eden Christian Academy baseball team. The Warriors reached the WPIAL title game only to fall to Bishop Canevin, 10-3. Then they made it to the PIAA championship game at Penn State, only to come up short against Faith Christian. Look for Eden to be in the hunt for gold again in 2025 with a lineup full of talented juniors, including pitcher Josh McFadden (Ohio), pitcher and infielders Brady Hull and Brett Feldman, pitcher and outfielder Noah Emswiller and outfielder Josh Tilden.

2. Serra Catholic (17-3)

The Eagles also tasted silver in the district playoffs, but it was in Class 2A when they fell to Seton LaSalle. Now the Eagles, who were the road warriors a year ago, return to refurbished Little Boston Field loaded with arms for Brian Dzurenda, who begins his 26th season at Serra Catholic. Leading the rotation for the Eagles are Owen Dumbroski (coming off a successful basketball season) and Tyler Skaggs. Back to bolster the lineup is senior catcher Jake Holmes and junior infielder Max Black.

3. Bishop Canevin (15-5)

Will history be in the cards for Bishop Canevin this spring as it tries to become the first district team to win three straight WPIAL Class A championships? Craig Sonson takes over as the Crusaders coach and welcomes back several talented players, including senior pitcher and infielder Tyler Maddix along with younger brother sophomore pitcher, infielder and outfielder Jackson Maddix. Also returning are senior pitcher and outfielder Kole Olszewski and senior infielder Kellen Andruscik

4. Greensburg Central Catholic (12-6)

Greensburg Central Catholic finished in second place behind Serra Catholic in Section 3-2A, which was good enough to earn the Centurions the No. 5 seed in the 2A playoffs. GCC defeated Washington in the first round before falling to Burgettstown in the quarterfinals. Along with Serra, the two move back into Class A where a decade ago, the Centurions won it all. Leading GCC this season are seniors Sean Walker (OF) and Brody Brothell (INF) along with juniors Anthony Grippo (catcher committed to Penn State), Tyler Samide (P and INF) and Ian Shipley (INF).

5. Leechburg (9-8)

With high expectations for the 2024 season following a 13-win campaign in 2023, Leechburg finished in third place in Section 2-A behind Union and Western Beaver. As the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff, the Blue Devils went quickly into the offseason with an opening-round loss to West Greene, 6-2. However, the hope is back as are most of the starters for Leechburg a season ago. Senior catcher Rocco Vigna, senior pitcher and infielder Chase Henry and senior outfielder Jayden Floyd help provide the leadership to some more talented youngsters such as sophomore infielder Jaxon Vargo.

Players to watch

Bryce Wright, Jr., P-INF-OF, Avella

Robbie Wilson-Jones, Sr., C, Carmichaels

Anthony Grippo, Jr., C, Greensburg Central Catholic

Sean Walker, Sr., OF, Greensburg Central Catholic

Tyler Samide, Jr., P-INF, Greensburg Central Catholic

Ian Shipley, Jr., INF, Greensburg Central Catholic

Brody Brothell, Sr., INF, Greensburg Central Catholic

Amari Thomas, Jr., P-INF, Jeannette

John Woodward, Jr., P-OF, Jefferson-Morgan

Brenton Barnhart, Sr., INF-OF, Jefferson-Morgan

Yeager Spencer, Sr., P-INF, Mapletown

Darren Knight, Jr., P-INF, West Greene

Rocco Vigna, Sr., C, Leechburg

Chase Henry, Sr., P-INF, Leechburg

Jaxon Vargo, Soph., INF, Leechburg

Jayden Floyd, Sr., OF, Leechburg

Logan Lyons, Sr., P-INF, Rochester

Cole Poplin, Sr., C, Rochester

Jalen Peace, Sr., P-INF, Union

Chris Staph, Jr., C-INF, Union

Dom Cucitrone, Jr., INF, Union

Vince Ross, Jr., P, Western Beaver

Ethan Wilson, Sr., C-INF, Western Beaver

August Lichtner, Soph., P-INF, Western Beaver

Lucas Picher, Sr., P-INF, Winchester Thurston

Ben Kogan, Jr., P-INF, Winchester Thurston

Sam McComb, Soph., P-C, Winchester Thurston

Tyler Maddix, Sr., P-INF, Bishop Canevin

Jackson Maddix, Soph., P-INF-OF, Bishop Canevin

Kole Olszewski, Sr., P-OF, Bishop Canevin

Kellen Andruscik, Sr., INF, Bishop Canevin

Adonte Wiggins, Soph., P-INF-OF, Clairton

Walter Clarit, Sr., C, Cornell

Brady Hull, Jr., P-INF, Eden Christian Academy

Josh Tilden, Jr., OF, Eden Christian Academy

Brett Feldman, Jr., P-INF, Eden Christian Academy

Josh McFadden, Jr., P, Eden Christian Academy

Noah Emswiller, Jr., P-OF, Eden Christian Academy

R.J. DiEugenio, Sr., OF, Monessen

Owen Dumbroski, Sr., P-INF, Serra Catholic

Tyler Skaggs, Sr., P-INF, Serra Catholic

Max Black, Jr., C-INF, Serra Catholic

Jake Holmes, Sr., C, Serra Catholic

Billy Pietragallo, Jr., C-INF-OF, Sewickley Academy

Nolan Donnelly, Sr., P-INF, Sewickley Academy

Will Straka, Sr., P-INF-OF, Sewickley Academy

Diamond notes

• Bishop Canevin became the fourth Class A team to win back-to-back WPIAL championships a year ago. The three others schools to win back-to-back district gold in Single-A were Serra Catholic in 2009 and 2010, Neshannock the following two years in 2011 and 2012 and Union in 2021 and 2022.

• Last year, WPIAL runner-up Eden Christian Academy defeated Conemaugh Township, Avella and Saegertown to reach the PIAA Class A finals, where it fell to District 1 champion Faith Christian, 4-1. Only four WPIAL schools have won PIAA Class A championships and half of them are either in a higher class or doesn’t even exist anymore. Neshannock won state gold in Class A 21 years ago in 2004 and Vincentian Academy, which captured two state titles in 2016 and 2018, closed its doors for good shortly thereafter. The other two are Greensburg Central Catholic in 2002 and Serra Catholic in 2011.

• The biggest improvement in record from 2023 to last spring belonged to the district runner-up as Eden Christian Academy went from 12 victories to 19 wins for a plus-7. Others with a marked improvement a year ago were West Greene at plus-5, Western Beaver was a plus-4 and Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Avella and Clairton were all plus-3. On the flip side, both Monessen and Summit Academy were winless last spring. The Greyhounds enter the season on an 18-game losing streak while the Knights are 0-36 since their last diamond victory back in 2019.

• Four Class A teams from a year ago were bumped up for the next two springs with California, Carlynton, Fort Cherry and Springdale all in Class 2A. Three programs have moved down from 2A with Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette and Serra Catholic back in Class A. There are two new schools that have added baseball programs and are on the WPIAL schedule with Aquinas Academy and Winchester Thurston. There are 22 teams in Class A and still three sections. Sections 1 and 3 have seven teams and Section 2 has eight teams. The top four teams in each section makes the playoffs which barring ties, would make it a 12-team playoff bracket.

• This spring marks the 26th season of WPIAL Class A baseball. In the first District 7 Class A championship game, South Fayette defeated Greensburg Central Catholic to win gold in 1999. Here are some of the other district Class A championship anniversaries being celebrated this season:

Twenty years ago, Western Beaver beat rival Rochester, 12-5, to win the 2000 Class A title at Three Rivers Stadium

Carmichaels reached the finals for a third straight year and defeated rival Chartiers-Houston in the 2005 title game, 2-0

Ten years ago, Greensburg Central Catholic knocked off defending champion California to win the 2015 Class A crown

Five years ago, the 2020 season was canceled due to the covid-19 outbreak

2025 alignment

Section 1: Avella, Carmichaels, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, West Greene

Section 2: Aquinas Academy, Leechburg, Rochester, St. Joseph, Summit Academy, Union, Western Beaver, Winchester Thurston

Section 3: Bishop Canevin, Clairton, Cornell, Eden Christian Academy, Monessen, Serra Catholic, Sewickley Academy