2014 WPIAL Baseball Championship Game Previews

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, May 26, 2014 | 10:52 PM

Consol Energy Field is the home of the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League but this week, the WPIAL Baseball Championships take center stage as four new champions will be crowned. Upsets(and rain) were the story of this championship tournament, who will come out on top.

Here are previews of all four games, all of which can be heard right here on The NETWORK:
 

Quad-A Championship Game
Seneca Valley Raiders (9-11) vs. Baldwin Highlanders (16-2)  5pm Wednesday on the MSA Sports Network.

The Raiders became the first #16 seed to advance to the title game by knocking off top seed Hempfield in the opening round. The Raiders will make their fourth straight title game trip, but this was the most unlikely of them all. Baldwin looks for it’s first WPIAL baseball crown. Both teams have advanced to the PIAA tournament next week.

Seneca Valley:  Head Coach:  Eric Semega
Playoff Road: Defeated Hempfield 10-5, Shaler 3-0 and Pine-Richland 5-4.
WPIAL Champions:  1994(AAA), 2011, 2012.

The Raiders look to become the sixth straight team from the Northern suburbs to claim Quad-A gold. Seneca Valley had a 3-7 record after losses to Franklin Regional and North Hills on April 16th and needed a win over Fox Chapel in their final section game to qualify for the tournament. The Raiders played almost the entire season without their top pitcher Connor Coward. Coward went 1-4 at

the plate and pitched only one inning as he battled back issues. The Virginia Tech recruit worked hard to rehab his issues and build up strength, he was the winning pitcher in both the quarter and semifinals. Vince Augustine leads the Raiders with a .467 average and 22 runs batted in, eight coming in the post-season. With Coward out for almost all of the regular season, Troy Martin was a bright spot for the Seneca Valley staff, going 4-0, he picked up the relief win in the opening round.

Baldwin:  Head Coach:  Dan Caponi
Playoff Road:  Defeated North Hills 2-1 in 9 innings, Plum 14-4 and Moon 10-2.
 
The Highlanders will play in their first title tilt. Baldwin started the season 9-0 before dropping back to back home decisions to Franklin Regional and Pittsburgh Central Catholic. The Highlanders have won seven straight coming in. Tom McCarthy led the Highlanders with a .533 average, 10th best in the WPIAL entering the playoffs. Pitchers have to be careful around Alex Pantuso, he belted six homers during the regular season and went 4-1 on the hill. Pantuso has 68 strikeouts this season with just 8 walks, the senior has signed with Slippery Rock. Watch out for Chris Eisel at the plate, the sophomore has four homers. Baldwin was 5-12 last season. During the latest winning streak, the Highlanders have allowed only 13 runs.

Class AAA Championship Game
Blackhawk Cougars (14-2) vs. West Allegheny Indians (17-4)  8pm Wednesday on WBVP 1230-AM, also on the MSA Sports Network.

This game can be summed up in two simple words. Brendan McKay. The senior lefthanded pitcher will be on the hill on Wednesday to try and pitch the Cougars to another win. McKay is 29-1 in his career and has not allowed a run in 69 consecutive innings, dating back to 2013. Over 20 major league teams have scouted McKay this season, he is likley to go in the first six rounds of the MLB Draft on June 5th. McKay threw a 6-inning no hitter against West Allegheny on April 9th, a 10-0 victory. The Indians defeated the Cougars on May 7th 2-1 at home.

Both teams have also qualified for the PIAA tournament.

Blackhawk Cougars: Head Coach: Bob Amalia
Playoff Road:  Uniontown 17-1, Indiana 4-0 and West Mifflin 15-0.
WPIAL Champions:  2004(AA), 2012.

Blackhawk has won three straight games coming into the championships. The Cougars shared the Section 1 title with Montour, it was the sixth consecutive section title for Blackhawk. For the Cougars, every talks about McKay and rightfully so, but give Joe Campagna his due, he finished fourth in the WPIAL this season with a .553 average. Amalia is in his 15th season as the head coach. The victory

over West Allegheny was the 500th in the program’s history. Dante Parente batted over .300 this season and went 6-0 on the mound. McKay’s scorless streak came into some jeopardy against Indiana, Rich Rowe made a great catch in right field to save extra bases, the Indians left a runner on third base in the seventh inning. McKay has signed with Louisville, but some experts are projecting that he could go in the first two or three rounds.

West Allegheny Indians: Head Coach:  Bryan Cornell
Playoff Road:  Laurel Highlands 5-3, Chartiers Valley 4-2 and Hampton 3-1.
WPIAL Champions: 1994(AA), 2007, 2008.

The Indians entered the tournament as a number 10 seed. West Allegheny has won seven straight games.The Indians have two strong pitchers, Colin Claus and Tyler Amadure. Claus was the winning pitcher in the semifinal win over Hampton, Amadure pitched 1.2 innings and fanned four of the five batters he faced. Claus has been the winner in all three playoff games, he is expected to get the start

on Wednesday at 9-0 on the season. Claus fanned nine in the opening round win over Laurel Highlands.  

Class AA Championship Game
Seton LaSalle Rebels (15-5) vs. Steel Valley Ironmen (17-2)  5pm Tuesday on the MSA Sports Network

The Rebels have been the Kardiac Kids of these championships with two extra inning walk-off wins. Steel Valley entered the tournament as the great unknown in the field, many experts were not sure how far the Ironmen could go.

Seton LaSalle: Head Coach: Shawn Trainor
Playoff Road:  Brownsville 14-5, Neshannock 3-2 in 9 innings, Deer Lakes 3-2 in 8 innings.
WPIAL Title:  1995, the Rebels fell to North Catholic in the 2007 title game.

Seton LaSalle has won three straight games. The Rebels have played on the Consol Energy Park field before, falling to South Side Beaver in a section game on April 16th. Carson Rebel may get the start on the mound, the junior picked up the quarterfinal victory over the top-seeded Lancers, he is 7-1. David Boehme posted a .528 average over the first 17 games. Matt Wilke also bats over .400. Liam Sweeney led the Rebels in runs batted in with 24.
 
Steel Valley:  Head Coach:  Tim Vickers 
Playoff Road:  Chartiers-Houston 6-1, Riverside 14-7 and Quaker Valley 1-0.

The Ironmen have never won a WPIAL title and will play in their first championship game. Steel Valley won Section 4 with a 12-0 record, the Ironmen fell to AAA playoff qualifiers Thomas Jefferson and Moon. Steel Valley is on a three game winning streak. Brandon Donovan leads the Ironmen in hitting, Cole Eged was second and Andrew Chuba was third, all three batted over .480, with Derek Morrison not far behind. Donovan was third in the WPIAL with 31 runs batted in. Morrison was 5-0 on the hill entering the playoffs, after not pitching last season after Tommy John surgery. The senior has signed with University of South Carolina-Aiken, a Division II school as a hitter. Donovan is also a capable pitcher, going 6-0, he has allowed three hits and struck out 23 in the post-season.

Class A Championship Game
California Trojans (19-0) vs. Carmichaels Mighty Mikes (14-2)  8pm Tuesday on WJPA 1450-AM, the Greene County Sports Network and also the MSA Sports Network.

Prime Time on Tuesday night for both of these teams, a huge crowd is expected with both teams close to the Washington area. California is the only undefeated team left in the tournament, the Trojans handed the Mighty Mikes both of their defeats. Class A was the only bracket largely unaffected by the wet weather, both of these teams will have eight days between the semifinals and finals.

California: Head Coach: Nick Damico
Playoff Road:  First round bye, Cardinal Wurhl North Catholic 2-0, Sewickley Academy 16-5.
WPIAL Titles:  1983(AA), 2001, 2006.

California took both meetings, 14-0 at home on April 9th, and 6-5 at Carmichaels on May 6th.The second win was in comeback fashion, the Trojans scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Trojans have scored 194 runs this season while allowing only 37. Louden Conte was a huge part of the offense, hitting .527 over the first 17 games. Watch out for Aaron Previsky. Josh Luko is 9-0 on

the season, including a no-hitter in the first win over the Mighty Mikes, he’ll get the start. Garrett Woodburn was 6-0. Woodburn and Nathaniel Luketich pitched the final three innings in the semifinals after Luko was pulled in the third. It’s the second trip in three years for the Trojans to the title game. Coach Damico is in his first season. The Trojans are very good at drawing the base on

balls, they have over 100 walks on the season, which also drives up opponent’s pitch counts.

Carmichaels: Head Coach: Scott Van Sickle
Playoff Road:  Springdale 10-2, Western Beaver 17-8, Riverview 9-0.
WPIAL Titles:  2003, 2005, 2008.

The Mighty Mikes have won four straight games. Mike Blasinsky batted .512 during the regular season, Ryan Zalar was right behind at .488. Blasinsky and Ty Cole were the leading RBI guys for Carmichaels. Brandon Lawless went 6-1 with the only loss coming at the hands of the Trojans in the second meeting, Lawless did not play in the first game. Lawless will get a second chance at California, he’ll be on the hill. The senior pitcher retired 15 straight batters in the semifinal victory over Riverview.The two coaches know each other quite well, being roommates at Cal U. 

Tags: Baldwin, Blackhawk, California, Carmichaels, West Allegheny