A-K Valley baseball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 13, 2025

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, May 12, 2025 | 3:34 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 3A

First round

9-Charleroi (10-6) vs. 8-Burrell (12-8)

3 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Riverside (13-2)/winner of 16-Shady Side Academy (7-13)/17-McGuffey (10-9) in quarterfinals May 19 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Jacob Gelder, Charleroi; Brayden Mell, Burrell

Extra bases: Charleroi was the runner-up in Section 4 at 8-4. The Cougars average 5.7 runs. They won four straight games before dropping their section finale to Waynesburg, 11-2. Pitcher Jacob Gelder tossed a gem in a 2-1 win over Waynesburg last week. He tossed a five hitter with 10 strikeouts in an eight-inning complete game. … Burrell tied for the Section 3 title at 8-4. The Bucs have won three straight nonsection games. Junior Brayden Mell has been a key factor for the Bucs at the plate and on the mound, batting near .300 and boasting a 1.36 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. Senior Stephen Hasson has also be a reliable starter with a 4.38 ERA in 38 1/3 innings. Mell knocked in two runs, and Trey Coury was 3 for 3 with two RBIs in a 9-1 win over Leechburg last week. The Bucs advanced to the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA tournament last season.

13-Freeport (13-6) vs. 4-Waynesburg (15-3)

5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 5-South Park (12-6)/12-Mt. Pleasant (12-6) in quarterfinals May 19 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Michael Hanz, Freeport; Alex VanSickle, Waynesburg

Extra bases: Freeport shared the Section 3 title at 8-4. The Yellowjackets average 8.4 runs per game. They have won six straight games and nine of their past 10. Michael Hanz is coming off a strong week at the plate, where he went 7 for 10 with a homer and seven RBIs in two wins over Southmoreland and a victory over Highlands. … Waynesburg also had a high-scoring offensive attack, averaging 9 runs per game en route to winning the Section 4 title at 11-1. Senior Alex VanSickle is batting .567 with three homers and 20 RBIs and also has a 1.15 ERA. Senior Derek Turcheck is hitting .442 with 19 RBIs. Senior Tyler Groves is 8-0 with a 1.51 ERA and 55 strikeouts.

11-Mohawk (10-9) vs. 6-Deer Lakes (9-6)

4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Ellwood City (14-5)/14-Seton LaSalle (10-6) in quarterfinals May 19 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Vinny Pezzuolo, Mohawk; Ben Shurina, Deer Lakes

Extra bases: Mohawk finished fourth in Section 1 at 5-5. The Warriors won three straight games before falling to Sharpsville, 11-9, last week. They average 7.8 runs. Junior Vinny Pezzuolo is batting .492 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. He also has a 3.21 ERA. … Deer Lakes tied for the Section 3 title at 8-4 and has won four of its past five games. The Lancers averaged and allowed 6.0 runs per game. They are coming off a two-game sweep over Yough. Sophomore Ben Shurina is batting .404 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. Senior Anthony Smith is hitting .364 with four homers and 14 RBIs and also has a 3.73 ERA and 57 strikeouts. The Lancers bounced back after finishing 5-13 last season.

Class 2A

First round

9-Apollo-Ridge (8-7) vs. 8-Freedom (11-7)

7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Plum

Winner plays: 1-Neshannock (16-4) in quarterfinals May 19 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Noah Stewart, Apollo-Ridge; Tommy Ward, Freedom

Extra bases: Apollo-Ridge finished fourth in Section 3 at 7-5. The Vikings averaged 5.3 runs. They were riding a six-game winning streak before falling to Greensburg Salem last week. Noah Stewart is batting .419 with 11 RBIs. Gage Wingard, Anthony Massari and Brody Henderson make up the pitching rotation. The Vikings were 2-14 last season and have made a six-game improvement in the win column. … Freedom finished third in Section 2 at 8-4 and averaged 8.8 runs in the regular season. The Bulldogs have won four of their past five games. Junior Xavier Robbins leads the team with a .465 batting average and 17 RBIs. Senior Tommy Ward is batting .462 with 17 RBIs. Junior Zach Kuntz has 21 RBIs.

11-California (8-9) vs. 6-Riverview (12-6)

4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Norwin

Winner plays: 3-Burgettstown (12-4) in quarterfinals May 19 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Logan Hartley, California; Eli DeVita, Riverview

Extra bases: California placed third in Section 1 with a 7-5 mark. The Trojans rebounded from a three-game losing streak to win three straight at the end of the season, including a sweep over Chartiers-Houston. Logan Hartley is batting .395 and also has a 1.35 ERA. Caden Monticelli has a 1.11 ERA with 54 strikeouts. … Riverview was second in Section 3 with a 9-3 record. The Raiders average 8.5 runs per game. They have lost four straight games. Senior Eli DeVita has a .510 batting average with two homers and 18 RBIs. Sophomore Lukas Duncan is 5-1 with a 1.29 ERA and 57 strikeouts.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, California, Charleroi, Deer Lakes, Freedom, Freeport, Mohawk, Riverview, Waynesburg