Sewickley Herald notebook: Eden Christian among WPIAL’s top Class A baseball teams

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, June 22, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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There have been 25 PIAA Class A baseball champions crowned since Camp Hill from District 3 won the inaugural classification championship in 1999.

Since then, five WPIAL teams been Class A state champions: Vincentian Academy twice (2016 and 2018), Serra Catholic (2011), Neshannock (2004) and Greensburg Central Catholic (2002).

Eden Christian Academy is 9-4 all-time in the PIAA baseball playoffs in four appearances. Eden qualified for the state playoffs every year this decade except in 2020 (no season) and 2023.

The Warriors are 0-3 in PIAA championship games after losses to Halifax in 2021, 9-1, to Faith Christian Academy in the 2024 state finals, 4-1, and to Southern Fulton, 14-3, this year.

Eden and Southern Fulton met in the 2021 PIAA semifinals with the Warriors winning 8-3 by scoring two runs each in the first, second, third and sixth innings.

Raymond Stierer had two hits and two RBIs and scored two runs for Eden. Caleb Emswiler was the winning pitcher, striking out six in six innings.

The Warriors are 2-1 in the PIAA playoffs against District 5 teams. Southern Fulton is 4-4 against WPIAL opponents in the state playoffs.

Unbeatable Lancers

It seems noteworthy to touch on the recent success attained by the brilliant Neshannock softball program.

The Lancers (26-0) won their second consecutive undefeated state title this season and the third in the last four years by rallying past South Williamsport, 8-3, in the PIAA Class 2A championship game June 12 at Nittany Lion Softball Park at Penn State.

Neshannock owns a state-record winning streak of 52 games, and the Neshannock senior class finished with a record of 100-1 with the lone loss coming in the 2023 PIAA semifinals.

Did you know?

Did you know that Southern Fulton, Eden Christian’s opponent in this year’s PIAA Class A baseball championship game at Penn State, is located in Warfordsburg, Bethel Township, in Fulton County, and lies just north of the Mason-­Dixon line near Interstate 70.

The school is located just across the Maryland state line, about 100 miles south of Penn State.

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