After unexpected playoff exit, Plum coach reflects on 18-win season

By: Michael Love
Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Last year, the Plum baseball team entered the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs as the No. 5 seed and hoped to make a strong postseason run.

But No. 12 Trinity had other ideas and outlasted the Mustangs in 11 innings to crush Plum’s postseason desires.

The sting of a playoff upset struck the Mustangs again May 14 in their Class 5A first-round matchup with No. 15 Mars. Plum entered the playoffs with an 18-2 record, had claimed the Section 1 title at 11-1, and was riding an 11-game win streak.

But in the current playoff format, anything can happen. And it happened to the No. 2 Mustangs on that day.

The Planets collected just two hits, and the lone run in their 1-0 victory came in the first inning. Plum recorded seven hits and had chances to score but was unable to push any runs across.

Suddenly, a masterful 2025 season was over.

“It’s single elimination, and it’s baseball,” Plum coach Carl Vollmer said. “We held Mars to two hits. We threatened multiple times. We had runners on third base and less than two outs twice and just couldn’t get anyone across. Give credit to Mars and their pitcher, but looking back, we would like to have some of those at-bats back.

“It took some time to process. It was unexpected. We had high hopes coming off a great regular season. We had played well all year, and it wasn’t that we didn’t play well in that game. We did a lot of things well. We just weren’t able to push across one run.”

Junior Braden Kemmerer took the loss for Plum, despite his strong performance on the mound. It was his first defeat in nine decisions.

In addition to the two hits given up, he struck out one and walked one. The lone Mars run was unearned.

“He pitched great,” Vollmer said. “He had a really great year for us. That might have been one of his best performances of the season. He did not deserve to lose that game.”

Vollmer said the baseball playoffs in the WPIAL would be better served if the matchups were series, perhaps a best-of-three format.

“Single elimination just doesn’t work for baseball,” Vollmer said.

“It is a matter of logistics and making sure there is enough room in the schedule to allow for short series to take place. I think it would be a fairer way of determining the best teams. You’re seeing it all over.

“They went to it in the regular season. In 6A, they have three-game section series. But these are the guidelines we have to play with now, and everyone plays under those same guidelines. That’s the way it’s been for a long time. Hopefully, they are on the verge of making that change. There has been some talk.”

Vollmer said he is proud of his team’s production in winning 18 games. Plum defeated both 6A finalists, taking down Norwin in a scrimmage and Seneca Valley during the regular season.

“There were a lot of high school teams who would love to have 18 wins in a season, and we were able to experience that,” Vollmer said.

“This was a season where we might have been expected to be down after losing 10 seniors last year.”

The Mustangs’ lone section series split was against section runner-up Penn-Trafford.

Connellsville, the No. 11 seed, upset the No. 6 Warriors in the first round. No. 7 Peters Township needed 11 innings to take out Mars in the quarterfinals.

“Overall, looking at the entire season, while that playoff loss stung, we played really well on a consistent basis,” Vollmer said. “We played well defensively all year and pitched and swung the bat really well. I don’t want to take anything away from that. We had multiple guys who are being recognized as all-section players. We had multiple guys who deserved to be recognized who didn’t make the first or second teams.

“(Senior) Dan Macioce doesn’t know what it’s like to not win a section title. He’s helped win three in a row. (Junior) Timmy Ruggiero had a great year and deserved to be recognized, as well as (senior pitcher) Michael Tedrick (5-2). But it is tough to make those teams with so many good players in the section.”

Senior Jake Dombkowski, a Division I commit to Mercyhurst, was selected the Section 1 Player of the Year in a vote of the section coaches. He batted a team-best .433 with seven doubles, four triples, two home runs and 17 runs batted in.

Kemmerer, sophomore infielder Max Vollmer and junior outfielder Ryan Lafferty also made the all-section first team. Coach Vollmer was voted the section’s Coach of the Year.

Vollmer said the senior group of Macioce, Tedrick, Dombkowski, Anthony Jump and Ryan Grimm will be missed.

As Dombkowski will continue on at Mercyhurst, Tedrick will play at Penn State Altoona, and Jump will join the team at Westmoreland County Community College.

Vollmer said he is excited for every offseason and the potential of the returning players to get better and build toward what he hopes is a prominent next season.

“The goal will always be, in a step-by-step process, to win the section, make the playoffs, go deeper in the playoffs, and understand the urgency of every at-bat, every pitch and every play,” Vollmer said.

“The playoff loss hurt, but I think the returning guys recognize that and will be better off because of it. It is a life experience.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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