Westmoreland high school baseball playoff preview capsule for May 27, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, May 26, 2025 | 4:09 PM

WPIAL Class 4A

Third-place game

Belle Vernon (16-7) vs. Central Valley (12-11)

1 p.m. Tuesday at Ross Memorial Park, Washington & Jefferson

What’s at stake: The winner advances to the PIAA playoffs, and the loser’s season ends.

Players to watch: Lucas Judy, Belle Vernon; Jackson Christopher, Central Valley

Extra bases: A matchup of teams that lost in the WPIAL semifinals will determine the third-place team from the district and the final state qualifier from Class 4A. Belle Vernon, seeded fifth, lost to top-seeded Indiana, 11-2, in the semis after back-to-back playoff shutouts against Derry (7-0) and Beaver (5-0). Ace pitcher Parker Lind is 9-1 with a 0.64 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. Judy leads the team with a .444 batting average, 28 hits and 24 RBIs. Cole Matusik has a team-high 25 runs. … Central Valley defeated Greensburg Salem (6-2) and West Mifflin (3-2) in the playoffs before falling to third-seeded Elizabeth Forward, 4-1, in the semis. Central Valley, the No. 7 seed, had never made the semis in its current iteration. The school is a merger of Center and Monaca. Blake Heater delivered the winning RBI in the 11th inning to edge West Mifflin. Coach Tim Bruzdewicz was ejected from that game after arguing a balk.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon