TribLive Westmoreland County baseball all-stars: Anthony Grippo leads Greensburg Central Catholic at, and behind, plate

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, June 21, 2025 | 5:50 PM

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Player of the Year

Anthony Grippo

Jr., C, Greensburg Central Catholic

Athletes who play with confidence tend to stand out among the crowd.

Greensburg Central Catholic junior Anthony Grippo is that type of athlete. He does not boast about how well he plays; he lets his play do his talking.

Grippo led the Centurions on offense this season, batting .648 with 35 hits, 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and 26 RBIs. But his cannon of an arm shut down the opponent’s running game.

“You just cannot run on him,” Carmichaels coach Richard Krause said. “He’s a special player.”

That is why Grippo is the 2025 TribLive Westmoreland County Baseball Player of the Year. He was selected over Belle Vernon pitcher Parker Lind and Franklin Regional senior infielder/pitcher N.J. Ramchandran for the honor.

“Anthony became a leader and took ownership of the team,” Greensburg Central Catholic coach John Boyle said. “Not only was he a great hitter, but he was also a wall behind the plate. Nothing got past him, and the pitchers knew he blocked everything.

“He is a diligent worker and does everything he can to be the best. I am looking for big and better things from him.”

Grippo was one reason for the success of the 2025 Centurions.

But playoff losses to Serra Catholic in the WPIAL semifinals and to Clarion in the PIAA quarterfinals still bother him.

“We had a great season, but the loss to Clarion grinds at me,” Grippo said. “We should have won the game, but then again you cannot win big games with six errors and eight walks. It is something as a team we must improve on for next season.

“The program is in a good spot. We have a lot of guys returning.”

The Centurions return a solid core that could make them one of the preseason favorites. Returning players include junior third baseman Ian Shipley, junior pitcher Tyler Samide and freshman outfield Bobby Smithnosky.

“Not to sound cocky, but I am confident in my abilities at the plate,” Grippo said. “But there are still a lot of things I need to improve on if I want to become an elite player. My goal is to play professional baseball.”

That is why he chose to commit to play at Penn State.

“Honestly, Penn State was not a big thing for me until coach Mike Gambino was hired,” Grippo said. “He is doing amazing things for the program. The facilities have been upgraded, and we are getting some top recruits.”

Grippo will spend the summer playing for Team Ohio Pro Select. The team travels around the country to play in tournaments.

“I need to polish up my game and be a more efficient player,” Grippo said. “That is what I’m striving for. To be a professional player, you must be more efficient in everything.”

First team

Dane Firmstone

Jr., 2B, Mt. Pleasant

The Vikings infielder batted .422 with one home run, five doubles, 13 runs scored and 15 RBIs. He helped the Vikings reach the WPIAL playoffs.

Parker Lind

Sr., P, Belle Vernon

The Belle Vernon lefty was 9-1 with 105 strikeouts and helped the Leopards win two WPIAL playoff games. He was named to the Class 4A all-state first team. He will attend Kent State.

Logan Matrisch

Jr. OF, Penn-Trafford

The Warriors junior is coming off a big season. He hit .373, scored 16 runs, had 22 hits, 23 RBIs, eight doubles and two home runs.

N.J. Ramchandran

Sr., INF/P, Franklin Regional

The Panthers star could not pitch through much of the season because of injury, but he batted .396, scored 23 runs, had 21 hits and 17 RBIs. He is committed to Fairfield.

Tyler Samide

Jr., P/1B, Greensburg Central Catholic

The Centurions ace was 6-0 with an ERA of 1.79. In 43 innings pitched, he recorded 60 strikeouts. He also hit .339 with 26 RBIs.

Ian Shipley

Jr., 3B, Greensburg Central Catholic

The Centurions third baseman batted. 418 with 23 hits, 26 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples and 16 RBIs. He has been a three-year starter.

Cole Short

Jr., P, Latrobe

The Wildcats ace pitched a complete game 2-1 victory against Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. He also pitched a strong five-plus innings against a powerful Pine-Richland lineup in the playoffs.

Nate Silberman

Sr., SS, Norwin

The Seton Hill commit batted .407. He had 22 hits, scored 15 runs and walked 17 times. He also was strong defensively. He helped the Knights to the WPIAL Class 6A finals.

Brayden Stone

Sr. SS, Penn-Trafford

The Warriors’ four-year starter is a Seton Hill commit. He batted .338, scored 17 runs, had 25 hits, six doubles and three triples. He was part of the 2024 Class 5A championship team.

Brayden Wardzinski

Sr., P/INF, Norwin

The senior was strong on the mound and at the plate for the Knights. He was 6-0 with an ERA of 2.33. In 33 innings, he had 31 strikeouts. He also hit .316 with 25 RBIs.

Quinn Wilkins

Sr., SS/P, Hempfield

The senior helped the Spartans in the field and on the mound. He batted. 268 with four doubles and was 0-2 with an ERA of 4.15. He struck out 16 batters in 13 innings.

Luke Williams

Jr., SS, Franklin Regional

The Panthers’ slick-fielding shortstop recently decommitted from Virginia after a coaching change. He batted .306, with 15 hits and 16 RBIs. He also had three doubles and two home runs.

Second team

Cooper Basciano, Sr., SS, Latrobe

Hunter Brown, Sr., P, Penn-Trafford

Peyton Chismar, Sr., C, Greensburg Salem

Ethan Culbertson, Sr., P,, Norwin

Brendon Geho, So., OF/P, Southmoreland

Austin Harr, Jr., OF/P, Ligonier Valley

Lucas Judy, Sr., P/INF, Belle Vernon

Jayden Kennedy, Jr., SS, Jeannette

Chase Lemke, Sr., 2B, Franklin Regional

Cason Long, Jr., INF/P, Derry

Ty Martin, Sr., INF/P, Greensburg Salem

Brady Yarabinetz, Sr., CF, Franklin Regional

Honorable mention

Nathaniel Bell, Jr., INF/P, Yough

Connor Bergman, Jr., 3B, Belle Vernon

Brady Bothell, Sr., SS, Greensburg Central Catholic

R.J. DiEugenio, Sr., IN/CF/P, Monessen

Duncan Foust, Sr., INF/P, Ligonier Valley

Jacob Kitz, Sr., P, Mt. Pleasant

Santino Marne, Jr., CF, Mt. Pleasant

Luke Nipar-Smith, Sr., OF/P, Latrobe

Noah Rattigan, Jr., CF, Jeannette

Owen Shuglie, Jr., 1B, Hempfield

James Templeton, Jr., P, Franklin Regional

Robert Visnick, Jr., INF, Greensburg Salem

Trevor Vitsas, Jr., C, Norwin

John Wasnick, Sr., CF, Derry

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.