WPIAL Class 5A baseball championship preview: Upper St. Clair vs. South Fayette

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 | 4:36 PM

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WPIAL Class 5A baseball final

No. 12 Upper St. Clair vs. No. 10 South Fayette

7 p.m. Wednesday, EQT Park, Washington

On the air: Audio: Trib HSSN; Video: NFHS Network

WPIAL titles: Upper St. Clair 1 (1992), South Fayette 2 (2018, 1999)

Last championship game appearance: Upper St. Clair lost to Mt. Lebanon in the 2022 Class 6A title game. South Fayette defeated Ringgold in the 2018 4A finals.

Up next: The WPIAL 5A champion will face the No. 4 seed from District 3 in the state first round. That will be the loser of the New Oxford vs. Greencastle-Antrim District 3 consolation game. The WPIAL 5A runner-up will face the District 6 winner in the opening round. That will be the winner of the Holldaysburg vs. Central Mountain game.

Section foes: This is the third meeting of the season between the Section 2-5A foes. The Lions swept the Panthers, winning at USC, 16-5 in five innings, and then winning at South Fayette, 7-6.

Upper St. Clair (14-9)

Coach: Jeff Donati

Projected starting lineup

4, Nico D’Orazio, SS, sr.

26, Evan Smirniw, 1B, so.

7, Nolan Wilson, DH, jr.

(27, Max Dietrick, P, sr.)

23, Cooper Stutzman, RF, sr.

18, Brooks York, C, soph.

12, Grayson Valancius, LF, so.

31, Tanner Schroeck, 3B, jr.

6, Luke Marchinsky, CF, sr.

2, Finn Baird, 2B, sr.

How they got here: Upper St. Clair upset No. 5 Plum, 16-5, (six innings) in the first round, No. 4 Moon, 10-9, in the quarterfinals; and No. 8 Montour, 13-10, in the semifinals.

Coach’s quote: “The one thing I’ve noticed going through this run is our (section) hits,” coach Jeff Donati said. “Some of these other sections just didn’t hit like that. We’re a last-place team and we got hot at the right time. I don’t care about seeding. They don’t mean a thing. Just go out and beat good teams. They’re a great team, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Notable: The sticks have come to roost in the playoffs for Upper St. Clair. After averaging more than seven runs per game in the regular season, the Panthers have averaged an incredible 13 runs per game in the postseason. Everybody has contributed to this unexpected playoff run with sophomore Evan Smirniw collecting four hits in the first round, senior Nico D’Orazio delivering four hits in the quarterfinals and three more in the semis, junior Nolan Wilson and sophomore Grayson Valancius both racking up three hits in the semifinals and sophomore Brooks York driving in four runs in the quarters and having two hits, including the game winning two-run blast in the eighth inning, to beat Montour.

South Fayette (14-9)

Coach: Marc “Bubba” Snyder

Projected starting lineup

3, Trey Skeen, 2B, jr.

8, Ryan Speer, 3B, sr.

11, Bo Stover, SS, sr.

9, Cody Bungert, C, sr.

19, R.J. Borgesi, 1B, so.

27, Luca Gioia, LF, jr.

12, Evan Mizia, RF, so.

16, Jacob Bostian, DH, so.

5, Colt Cloherty, CF, sr.

How they got here: South Fayette defeated No. 7 Franklin Regional, 8-2, in the first round, No. 2 Penn-Trafford, 11-10, in the quarterfinals; and No. 3 Thomas Jefferson, 4-3, in the semifinals.

Coach’s quote: “I am really excited to be playing Upper St Clair for the WPIAL 5A championship,” coach Bubba Snyder said. “Coach Donati and I are friends and I respect him very much. It is an honor to be able to coach against him. I know he will have his team prepared to play us. They are not the same team they were when we played them earlier in the season. But then again, neither are we. It will be an epic championship game. I expect to have a huge crowd there. Baseball is about trusting all of the work when the lights are the brightest, and I believe my team has earned the right to play under those lights. We will be ready Wednesday night.”

Notable: The Lions have also leaned on offense in scoring 19 runs in the first two playoff games, then relying on the big hit to take out Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals. Senior catcher Cody Bungert doubled, homered and drove in five runs in the second-round win over the Warriors. Against the Jaguars in the semifinals, sophomores R.J. Borgesi had two big hits and drove in two while Jacob Bostian homered. In the opening round, junior Tyler Skeen was spectacular with two hits, a home run and two RBIs, plus he was the winning pitcher, allowing only two Panthers hits. This is the first season as head coach for Snyder, who had been an assistant under Ken Morgan for eight years, including the 2018 district championship team.

Tags: South Fayette, Upper St. Clair