Championship-winning Shaler baseball coach Brian Junker resigns after 3rd WPIAL title

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, July 10, 2025 | 2:05 PM

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Weeks after leading Shaler to a WPIAL baseball title, Brian Junker has resigned as coach after 16 years.

Junker announced his departure in a social media post Thursday, saying he intended to spend more time with family. Shaler won three WPIAL titles and one state championship under his guidance. The Titans won WPIAL titles in two of the past three seasons.

“I grew up in Shaler, spending my childhood watching Shaler High School baseball and attending every camp I could from age seven on,” Junker said in his Facebook post. “I idolized the teams and players that came before me and dreamed of the day I’d wear a Titans uniform myself. All I ever wanted as a kid was to play for the legendary Coach Jerry Matulevic — a man who shaped not just ballplayers, but generations of young men. When my playing days ended, all I wanted was to come back and coach the program that gave me so much — and to give back just as much in return.

“When I was hired 16 years ago, it felt like being named manager of the New York Yankees for all the reasons above. It did not disappoint. This has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling chapters of my life — and I am proud of what we accomplished.”

Shaler went 20-7 this season and defeated section rival Pine-Richland in the WPIAL Class 5A finals. The WPIAL title was the program’s seventh overall, including those won under Junker in 2019 and ’23.

Shaler also reached the state finals for the second time in three years this spring, finishing as the state runner-up. The Titans won the PIAA title in 2023.

“My goal from day one was simple: help build young men of character, bring a state championship back home, and make Coach Matulevic and our community proud,” Junker said. “Together, we did just that. We brought home a state championship, three WPIAL gold medals, and a state runner-up — all while doing things the right way. Our priority was always to help our players become good students, good teammates, and good community members first, because only then could they reach their full potential on the field.

“I was by no means perfect — as we teach our players, there’s no such thing — but I can say this proudly: I have no regrets. I gave you all I had.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Shaler