Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Healthy Luke Williams boosts Franklin Regional

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 | 11:26 PM

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One good sign for Franklin Regional at the start of a new baseball season is the return of shortstop Luke Williams, who injured his ankle in a WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff loss to Bethel Park and went through months of rehabilitation.

The talented senior is healthy and ready to lead the Panthers.

A Vanderbilt commit, Williams hit .345 with a 1.106 OPS, 19 RBIs, 27 runs and 27 stolen bases last spring.

Williams initially committed to Virginia but amended his decision after a coaching change.

“Having Luke back on the baseball field is, obviously, huge for us,” Panthers coach Bobby Saddler said. “He worked extremely hard this offseason to get back to full strength, and we are looking for him to have a big year. The way he works on and off the field sets a great example for our team.

“Having the best players on the team also being the hardest working sets a great standard.”

Franklin Regional, which finished 10-9, also brings back junior second baseman Anthony Mitchell (.323, 15 RBIs), junior first baseman Nico Fioravanti, senior catcher Trey Muhitch and sophomore third baseman Liam Bernadowski.

Senior James Templeton (26 IP, 21 K’s), Fioravanti (4.78 ERA) and Mitchell (3.70 ERA) will handle the bulk of the pitching.

New assistant

Norwin coach Craig Spisak added a new assistant to his staff.

Former Knights slugger Nick Fleming, who played at Division I Mount St. Mary’s, will help lead his alma mater.

Spisak and Fleming have worked together under pressure before. They are both PIAA basketball referees and have worked some of the same games.

Two teams ranked

Two Westmoreland County teams made the TribLive preseason rankings in their respective classifications.

Hempfield is No. 5 in Class 6A, and Greensburg Central Catholic opens at No. 5 in Class A.

Hempfield upset No. 1 seed North Allegheny in the WPIAL quarterfinals, 3-1, and brings back a pair of Mercyhurst commits — Ian Kovalcik and Chase Sikorski — along with Cal (Pa.) commit Owen Shuglie and Evan Dunlap.

Catcher Anthony More is a State College of Florida-Manatee commit.

GCC won the Section 1 title and reached the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals.

TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year Anthony Grippo returns for the Centurions, along with standout pitcher Tyler Samide.

Two other key players, Bobby Smithnosky and Ian Shipley, transferred back to Mt. Pleasant.

Hempfield, Norwin, GCC and Belle Vernon made the WPIAL semifinals, with Norwin advancing to the Class 6A final.

Wildcats win two

Latrobe, like it does every year, opened the season with a road trip.

It started 2-0, defeating host Scranton Prep, 7-2 and 11-3, last weekend.

In the first game, Cole Short and Ty Wisniewski went 2 for 3 with a double each, and Joey Crimboli drove in two runs.

In Game 2, Noah Noel went 3 for 4 with a double, Josh Short drove in three runs and Aaryn Chappel had two hits and two RBIs. Winning pitcher Aaron Gaskey allowed one hit over four innings.

Short is the team’s only returning starter.

Bush league

Ligonier Valley coach Jason Bush received special recognition from the American Legion.

Bush, who coaches the Latrobe Jethawks, received the Post 515 Civic Award.

The award — part of the post’s 106th birthday — shines a light on those who “uphold the American Legion’s four pillars of community service: veterans affairs and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism and youth programs.”

Bush will be honored at a dinner March 28.

Past winners include Fred Rogers, late Mayor Angelo Caruso, Joseph Mosso and the Latrobe Fire Department.

Quinn to WCCC

Franklin Regional senior Tyler Quinn plans to play at Westmoreland County Community College. Quinn is an outfielder and pitcher.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Norwin