Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for May 12, 2024

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 12, 2024 | 4:35 PM

Trib HSSN baseball team of the week: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers

Coaches: Phil McCarren (15th season)

Records: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is 13-1 in Section 2-2A, 16-4 overall

#Earned: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart entered the Section 2-2A series showdown last week against Seton LaSalle one game behind the defending district champions. On Monday in Brookline, OLSH had a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh inning before scoring four more runs to blow the game open, hanging on to win 8-2 and forge into a tie for first place. In the section championship game the next day at Youthtown, the Chargers exploded for six runs in the first inning and cruised to a victory and the section crown, 12-4. The triumph earned Our Lady of the Sacred Heart an 11th straight victory and the No. 2 seed in the upcoming WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

Standout performers: The pitching was impressive for OLSH in last week’s showdown series as they limited the high-scoring Rebels to six total runs in two games. Junior Iseia Schulz was the starter and winner Monday, improving to 3-0. On Tuesday, senior Quinn Santilli picked up the victory to improve to 4-1. Juniors Sean Hudac and Vann Kavals also saw time on the hill in the sweep for the purple and gold. Offensively, Schulz was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, and Hudac was 2 for 2 with an RBI in the opening victory. The next day, Hudac was 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, and Kavals and junior Anthony Hansen also went yard in the Chargers convincing victory. OLSH has scored double-digit runs in 9 of its last 11 games thanks to senior catcher Brandon Brazell hitting .468 for the season and junior shortstop Gino Williams batting .406.

Last Year: Though OLSH came out on top in a two-team chase for the top spot in Section 2-2A this season, last year it was a four-team battle for first place. The final outcome in the section once again came down to the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart/Seton LaSalle series. It was the Rebels sweeping the Chargers to finish first, whereas OLSH dropped into a tie with South Side for third place, two games behind Seton LaSalle and one game in back of runner-up New Brighton. The Chargers blanked Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the 2A playoffs before ending their season in a WPIAL quarterfinals loss to Serra Catholic, 8-3. OLSH finished the season with a record of 13-9.

Remember when: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is one of the top contenders in the Class 2A postseason, as the No. 2 seed, to win its first baseball championship. The closest the Chargers came was 11 years ago when they lost in the WPIAL Class A finals. In 2013, OLSH was undefeated Section 5-A champion and defeated Monessen, Union and California to reach its first baseball title game. Thanks to the pitching of Preston Falascino, the Chargers led heading into the seventh inning 2-1. Western Beaver rallied with two runs to come back and beat the Chargers, 3-2.

2024 Trib HSSN Baseball Teams of the Week

Week 5 — Plum Mustangs

Week 4 — Valley Vikings

Week 3 — Pine-Richland Rams

Week 2 — Eden Christian Academy Warriors

Week 1 — Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Tags: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart