Westmoreland County high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant’s Shipley, Hempfield’s Kovalcik commit to Mercyhurst
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Sunday, September 21, 2025 | 2:07 PM
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ian Shipley, who has since transferred to Mt. Pleasant, celebrates after driving in a run with a triple against West Middlesex during their PIAA Class A first round state playoff game Monday, June 2, 2025, at Slippery Rock University.
A pair of Westmoreland County baseball players are primed for college careers at the NCAA Division I level.
A pipeline has opened to Erie.
Mercyhurst, a second-year Division I program that formerly competed in the D-II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, will be the college home to a pair of Ians — Ian Shipley of Mt. Pleasant and Ian Kovalcik of Hempfield.
Both have given a verbal commitment to the Lakers.
“I am extremely excited,” Shipley said. “It’s been the goal (to play Division I baseball) since Day 1.”
Shipley is a senior third baseman who spent the last three years at Greensburg Central Catholic, where was a three-year starter, but transferred to Mt. Pleasant. Last year, he was a TribLive Westmoreland first-team all-star after hitting .418 with nine doubles, two triples, 16 RBIs and 26 runs scored.
Shipley also had an offer from Bucknell.
“I chose Mercyhurst because the coaching staff was very welcoming and I loved the campus,” he said.
Shipley helped GCC (18-5) reach the WPIAL Class A semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals.
Kovalcik, a senior catcher who also played in the outfield for the Spartans, played sparingly as a sophomore but hit .354 with 17 hits, including three doubles, and a .516 on-base percentage last spring.
He threw out five base runners.
“I was drawn to Mercyhurst because of the great coaches,” Kovalcik said. “Coach (Jimmy) Latona and Coach (Jake) Marinelli both were catchers. That’s a big advantage in my development since I am a catcher. I also used to train with (former Norwin players) Ty Cupp and Landon Deberadin. I was also drawn there because of their facilities and campus.”
Mercyhurst sees Westmoreland County as fertile ground for recruiting. The Lakers recently received a commitment from Norwin senior pitcher Matt O’Neil. This season, they had six Norwin alums on the roster.
Linked in
The field of local players is set for the first rounds of the WPIAL golf championships.
Boys’ first round tournaments will be Monday at Willowbrook Country Club (3A) and Hill Crest Country Club (2A).
The girls’ first round for 3A and 2A will be Tuesday at Seven Oaks Country Club.
Final rounds will be Sept. 29 at Butler Country Club (3A boys), Sept. 30 at Valley Brook Country Club (2A boys) and Oct. 1 at Sewickley Heights Golf Club (girls 2A/3A).
The top 36 boys and girls will advance to the final rounds, and 36-hole scoring will be cumulative.
The boys’ 3A field will include seniors Jack Sacriponte, Parker Berk, Noah Dixon and Jeremy Lazarchik of Latrobe; seniors Aiden Dzurko and Jake Lenart and junior Kyle Worthington of Penn-Trafford; seniors Trevor Donsen and Mats Martz and freshman Matteo Santamaria of Hempfield; junior Landon Stoner of Norwin; seniors Jordan Mocello and Jack Edwards of Belle Vernon; and seniors Jose Balza, Dylan Mauser, Colin Holt, Luca Bertucci and Anthony Poole of Franklin Regional.
Class 2A qualifiers include sophomore Luke Sikora of Greensburg Salem; senior Tyler Jones and sophomore Rocco Harris of Ligonier Valley; and senior Brody Charnesky of Southmoreland.
Westmoreland County girls 3A qualifiers are seniors Adalena Robb of Norwin; Kat Devito of Hempfield; and Gianna Johnson and Athena Neuschwander of Franklin Regional.
Girls 2A finalists are senior Alayna Stawovy and junior Kennedy Kelly of Greensburg Central Catholic; senior Addy Witcoski of Ligonier Valley; junior Sydney Stark of Belle Vernon; junior Morgan Miller of Mt. Pleasant; and junior Kendall Campbell and senior Kearlyn Fedorko of Southmoreland.
Record breaker
Senior Addy Witkoski of Ligonier Valley broke two school records that she owned at the Section 1-2A tournament at Donegal Highlands Golf Course.
Witkoski shot 81, breaking her 18-hole mark of 82, and just surpassed the nine-hole mark of 38 with a 37 on the front side.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland
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