Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for April 13, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, April 13, 2025 | 9:16 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Trib HSSN baseball player of the week – Mason Metz

School – Avonworth

Class – Senior

Position – Catcher

#Earned – Revenge was sweet for Avonworth against South Allegheny in a Section 2-3A series last week. The Antelopes only lost two section games a year ago, but splitting with the Gladiators cost the ‘Lopes a share of the section crown. Senior catcher Mason Metz helped lead the way in two impressive wins. On Monday at home, Metz hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning that extended the Antelopes’ 2-0 lead. Avonworth batted around in that 10-run fifth and Metz, batting for a second time in the inning, clubbed a grand slam that led to an early finish as the Antelopes ran away with the 12-0 win. In the second game of the series two days later at South Allegheny, Metz homered in his first two at-bats, giving him four home runs in four straight plate appearances. The Antelopes again cruised past the Gladiators, 15-4. For the week, the senior catcher went 4 for 6 with four home runs, five runs scored and nine runs batted in as Avonworth remained tied for first place with South Park at 4-0 in the section and 10-1 for the season.

Background – Metz will continue his baseball career at Seton Hill next fall. Last season turned out to be a golden year for Metz and several two-sport Antelopes. Last spring, Metz helped lead Avonworth to the WPIAL Class 3A title game against defending champion and undefeated Riverside. In the marathon final, Metz had two hits, two walks and scored three runs, including the golden run in the top of the 14th inning as the Antelopes outlasted the Panthers, 4-3. The win gave the ‘Lopes their second WPIAL baseball title and first since 1992. In the fall, Metz played a key defensive role on the Avonworth football team that capped off a WPIAL championship run with a shutout victory over Central Valley at Acrisure Stadium. The defensive end/outside linebacker had five tackles and one and a half sacks. It was the Antelopes’ third straight title game appearance and first district crown since 2019. This spring, he is batting .478 with five home runs, two doubles, two triples with 16 runs scored and 15 RBIs. When Mason was young, one of the first sports he played was hockey where he was a goaltender. He gave that up when he started playing football in third grade. He also wrestled one year when he was young and did it again as a freshman at Avonworth before turning his back on the mat.

What coach says – “The first home run that he hit (Monday) was on a 3-2 count and we were only winning 2-0,” Avonworth coach Jeff Bywalski said. “His home run at that time gave us all the momentum to put South Allegheny away. We ended up scoring 10 runs in that inning. He just changes the game with one swing of the bat.

“All I can say is that it was unbelievable,” Bywalski said of Metz’s power barrage. “He hit two home runs in his last two at-bats in the first game and then he came out in the next game against South Allegheny and in his first two at-bats, he homers again. So in four straight at-bats, he homered. He is just a tremendous hitter who is just having fun at the plate.

“Mason has always been a tremendous hitter,” Bywalski said. “His sophomore year he led us in hitting, batting .427. Then in his junior year, during the regular season he was just trying to do so much and wanting to be too good, but then when it came to the playoffs, he got back to being Mason Metz again. He was the reason we went as far as we did as he hit well over .400 in the playoffs. He has just built off of that confidence he had during our playoff run and taken it into this season, playing relaxed baseball and he has been awesome.

“Mason is one of the best defensive catchers in the WPIAL from receiving, blocking and throwing runners out,” Bywalski said. “He is everything you want from a catcher defensively.

“Mason has been the leader of this team since the first day I came to this program when he was a sophomore,” Bywalski said. “He leads by the way he works and his effort on the field. He is the hardest working player I have ever coached and ever seen. He puts in so much time to get better. Even during football season, after football practices, Mason is going later in the night to do baseball workouts. I can’t say enough about not only the player Mason is but about how he is as a kid, just awesome. He is everything you could possibly want as a player on your team. He has helped me so much as a new head coach that came to Avonworth to build a winning culture. The day Mason leaves our program I am not sure what I am going to do. He has meant so much to our team and to me as a coach.

2025 Trib HSSN Baseball Players of the Week

Week 1 – Eli Graff, Thomas Jefferson

Tags: Avonworth