Breaking down the 2026 WPIAL baseball playoffs

By: Triblive And Bill Beckner Jr. And Paul Schofield And Michael Love
Friday, May 8, 2026 | 4:11 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs breakdown

Class 6A

Favorite: Butler has the pitching to go a long way. The Golden Tornado are on a 10-game winning streak and have allowed a measly 36 runs all season. They have nine shutouts with Division I arms Kyle Casteel and Nolan Stefaniak mowing down lineups. Casteel (6-0, 57 Ks), a West Virginia commit, has 92-94 mph velocity on his fastball. So does Stefaniak (5-1), who is committed to Penn State. Catcher Mavrik Clement is a Pitt commit.

Contenders: Section 2 champion Canon-McMillan averages 7.5 runs and also has two outstanding pitchers in MJ Maruschak and Sebastian Shulsky. Maruschak (6-0, 0.88 ERA, 69 Ks) is a Winthrop commit, and Shulsky (4-3, 2.51 ERA, 66 Ks) is headed to Cincinnati. The Big Macs lost to Seneca Valley in the semifinals last season. … North Allegheny was the No. 1 seed last year. It has made the finals in two of the last three years. Jake Fritz (.356, 14 RBIs) is a key bat for the Tigers. Liam Cooper leads the pitching rotation. … Norwin tied for first in Section 2 with Canon-McMillan but was swept by the Big Macs. The Knights made the WPIAL final last year. Caden Sivrich is a Pitt commit. … Central Catholic has 112 runs, the most in Section 1. It took two of three from Seneca Valley. … Hempfield found some momentum later in the season and beat Canon-McMillan twice. The Spartans upset North Allegheny in the quarterfinals last year. … Seneca Valley dropped its last four games, but the Raiders have big-game experience as the defending champions. Andrew Palano and Luis Torrenegra are innings-eating pitchers.

Don’t overlook: Mt. Lebanon beat Canon-McMillan twice and Norwin once and also has a win over Seneca Valley. The Blue Devils have been to the finals three times in the last four years.

Prediction: Butler over Canon-McMillan

Class 5A

Favorite: Pine-Richland (14-5) swept through Section 3 with a 10-0 record. The Rams earned the No. 1 seed in last year’s WPIAL playoffs and made it to the title game before falling to No. 2 Shaler, 5-2, in eight innings. The Rams have won six of their last eight games. Five players are hitting better than .350. Senior Ben Husted, a Denison commit, leads the team with 26 RBIs. Junior Austin Cwynar has knocked in 25 runs, and senior Logan Plummer (Mercyhurst) owns 20 RBIs. Senior infielder Kyler Bell is a Tampa commit. Pine-Richland owns six WPIAL titles, the most recent coming in 2019.

Contenders: Penn-Trafford (15-5) survived a grind to claim the Section 1 title at 10-2. The Warriors won eight of nine to close out the regular season. Seniors Colton Tyburski (C) and Logan Matrisch (OF) and junior Aiden Drotos (OF/P) pace a loaded lineup. … Thomas Jefferson (16-4) lost just once en route to the Section 4 title. The Jaguars defeated Section 2 champion Moon, 12-11, in late March. TJ closed the regular season with five straight wins. … Plum (17-3) tied Latrobe for second place in Section 1 at 9-3 and split a series with the Wildcats earlier this week. Senior Braden Kemmerer (P) and juniors Brennan Ryan (OF) and Andrew Monaco (3B) front a formidable lineup. … Moon (15-4) held off a Section 2 field that featured a three-way tie for third place. The Tigers bounced back after winning six games last year. Senior Penn State commit Andrew Cross (IF) is a player to watch.

Don’t overlook: Latrobe (17-3) is one of a number of teams in a deep Class 5A field that could make a run. Senior pitcher Cole Short (first base/pitcher) and sophomores Andrew Gaskey (pitcher) and Joey Crimboli help pace the Latrobe attack.

Prediction: Pine-Richland over Penn-Trafford

Class 4A

Favorite: Indiana (15-4) has the experience after winning WPIAL and PIAA championships a year ago. No. 1 in the Trib HSSN WPIAL rankings and No. 2 in the state, Indiana heads into the WPIAL playoffs having tied for the Section 3 title with Valley at 8-2. The Indians also split with Knoch in section play. Senior third baseman and pitcher Charlie Manzi, a Seton Hill commit, is one to watch as the playoffs progress. Seniors Sully VanHoose (West Chester) and Ethan Shank (IUP) also are centerpieces in the Indians lineup.

Contenders: Elizabeth Forward (14-5) survived a battle with Belle Vernon and West Mifflin to claim the Section 2 title at 11-1. Senior JB Crovak is batting .458 to lead EF and is 5-0 with a 1.28 ERA. … Valley (14-5) swept Knoch and Highlands and split with Indiana to tie for the Section 3 title in its second year in Class 4A. The Vikings handed Class 3A power Freeport its first loss of the season 4-2 on Thursday. Senior outfielder/pitcher Nikolas Heakins is a Seton Hill commit. … Beaver (15-5) claimed Section 1 gold at 9-3, besting runner-up Hopewell. The Bobcats won nine of 10 to close the regular season. Junior Maddox Tanner (Washington & Jefferson) is batting .378 with a team-best 21 RBIs and 11 extra base hits. … Belle Vernon (14-5) finished tied with West Mifflin for second place in a competitive Section 2. Senior infielder Connor Bergman is a key player for the Leopards, who made the WPIAL semifinals last year.

Don’t overlook: West Mifflin (13-6) topped Belle Vernon, 9-3, on Tuesday to forge a tie for second in Section 2. Senior center fielder Derek Tudek hit for the cycle. West Mifflin won its lone WPIAL title in 2022.

Prediction: Indiana over Elizabeth Forward

Class 3A

Favorite: Avonworth (15-6) won the 2024 title but was upset by Quaker Valley in the 2025 quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed. Avonworth is a two-time champion with its other title coming in 1992. The Antelopes are 11-1 since an April 2 loss to Plum. Carson Franc leads the team with a .542 batting average, 27 RBIs and 15 doubles. Jack Dolan is hitting .439 with 24 RBIs and four home runs, and Case Latore is batting .413 with 21 RBIs and 11 doubles. Patrick Bykowski is 5-0 with a 2.17 ERA.

Contenders: Seton LaSalle (14-2) is seeded No. 2 and is led offensively by Ryan Kerr and Josh Burkholder. Michael Cejrowski and Anthony LoCastro anchor the pitching staff. … Ellwood City (15-3) is seeded No. 3. Two of the Wolverines’ losses were by one run. Senior catcher Jordan Keller has a .489 batting average, 10 doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs. Senior Aaron Lake is 6-0 with a 0.76 ERA and is batting .385 with five home runs. Nate Kennedy is 4-2 with a 1.66 ERA. … Freeport (17-1) was unbeaten until a loss to Valley this week. The Yellowjackets have won three WPIAL titles (1957, 1958, 1979). Junior pitcher Gage Blystone is 7-0 with a 1.95 ERA, sophomore Owen Westendorf is 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA and freshman Ashton Bricker is 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA. Junior Trey Schreckengost is batting .455 with eight doubles and 21 RBIs. Junior Kason Barker is batting .434 with 22 RBIs. Junior Gavin Tola has 21 stolen bases.

Don’t overlook: Pitchers Robert Lenzi (0.64 ERA) and Cooper Hochendoner (0.81) lead South Park (15-5), whose last WPIAL title was in 2022. … Vinny Pezzuolo (.574, 26 RBIs, four home runs) and Kamren O’Lare (.404) and pitcher Adam Deal (4-0 and 1.68) lead Mohawk (15-3). … Dylan Meyer (.468), Jackson Barner (.446) and pitcher Matt Santillo (8-1, 0.37 ERA, 12 walks, 72 strikeouts) make defending champ Riverside (10-7) dangerous. … Mt. Pleasant (11-8-1) has a strong offense led by sophomore Bobby Smithnosky (.490), senior Ian Shipley (.436) and junior Santino Marne (.431).

Prediction: Avonworth over Seton LaSalle

Class 2A

Favorite: Fort Cherry (16-1) had a perfect season stopped by Burgettstown on Tuesday. The Rangers are looking for their second WPIAL title. The other came in 1986. Junior infielder/pitcher Colton Temple (.510, 10 home runs and 33 RBIs), senior Blake Sweder (.482), junior Landan Trnazsky (.458 and 21 steals) and junior pitcher Dylan Lueck (1.27 ERA) lead the Rangers.

Contenders: Neshannock (16-3) was the No. 1 seed in 2025 but lost to Freedom in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Lancers return sophomore shortstop Nathan Rickel (.526), sophomore catcher Antonio Quahliero (.500), junior infielder Ryan Cameron (.489) and senior pitcher Cole Hutchinson (4-0, 1.93 ERA). … South Side (15-3) is seeded third and is led by Andrew Corfield (.509, 25 stolen bases), Dawson Frasier (4-1, 2.62 ERA), Ryan Shaw (4-1, 2.72 ERA) and Cole McCoy (.351, 15 RBIs). The Rams have won 10 straight. … Riverview (12-6) got the fourth seed and is led by infielder Lukas Duncan (.451 and 20 RBIs), Owen Metz (8-0, 0.82 ERA) and outfielder Miles Duncan (.412).

Don’t overlook: Freedom, last year’s champion, is seeded ninth. … Laurel (10-7) is led by senior catcher Kolton Carlson, who is hitting .500 with three home runs. … Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (13-6) is led by sophomore Dean Douglass, who is batting .491 with 21 RBIs and nine doubles. … Apollo-Ridge (10-11) is led by Gage Wingard, who is hitting .383.

Prediction: Neshannock over Fort Cherry

Class A

Favorite: Eden Christian comes from what is considered the toughest section, so the Warriors are the top seed. They have not lost to a Class A team all season and swept two games against defending WPIAL champ Serra Catholic. Brady Hull was hitting .565 late in the regular season, and Noah Emswiler is another big bat in the order. Eden Christian was the No. 2 seed last year but was upset by No. 6 Carmichaels in the semifinals. The Warriors have never won a WPIAL baseball title.

Contenders: Undefeated Greensburg Central Catholic capped a perfect regular season for the first time in program history. The Centurions have one of the top pitchers in the classification in Tyler Samide and a dangerous hitter in Penn State commit Anthony Grippo. The Centurions are averaging 11 runs and allowing 2.0. GCC made the semifinals last year and lost to eventual champion Serra Catholic, 3-2. Also keep an eye on Stephen Kochis. … Serra Catholic has five WPIAL titles and has won six of seven going into the playoffs. The Eagles feature power hitter Max Black and pitcher Jake Jellison. … Western Beaver won the Section 2 title with a 9-1 record and is allowing just less than three runs a game. … Leechburg lost in the quarters last year after winning a section title. … Four of the top eight seeds came from Section 1.

Don’t overlook: Avella finished second to Greensburg Central Catholic in Section 1 and averages nearly seven runs.

Prediction: Greensburg Central Catholic over Eden Christian