WPIAL’s youth movement shows in 2019 Trib HSSN baseball all-stars
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Sunday, June 23, 2019 | 12:19 AM
Seton LaSalle pitcher Drew Lafferty delivers against Serra Catholic during the WPIAL Class 2A final Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at Wild Things Park.
Pine-Richland’s Matt Wood celebrates his triple with head coach Kurt Wolfe against Penn-Trafford during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game Thursday, May 30, 2019, at Wild Things Park.
Pine-Richland shortstop Troy LaNeve (15) looks to tag Penn-Trafford’s Anthony Sherwin (2) April 2, 2019 at Pine-Richland.
Steel Valley’s Andre Good celebrates after the final out in a 5-4 win over Hopewell in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at Wild Things Park.
North Allegheny shortstop Cole Young makes a play against Bethel Park during their WPIAL Class 6A consolation game May 28, 2019, at W&J.
Serra’s Eli Kite (13) and Pat Brennan celebrates with catcher Mark Black after beating Seton LaSalle Tuesday, June 11, 2019 during PIAA 2-AA baseball semifinals at West Mifflin Area High School.
Beaver’s Harrison Pontoli (10) celebrates with Vincent Mastrangelo after scoring against Blackhawk during the WPIAL Class 4A championship game Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at Wild Things Park.
WPIAL baseball has witnessed an influx of talented freshmen in recent years and their arrival is reflected in the Trib 10.
Seton LaSalle’s Drew Lafferty and North Allegheny’s Cole Young, both ninth graders with bright futures, joined a list of talented upperclassmen in this season’s TribLive HSSN all-star selections.
Lafferty was a two-way star for a WPIAL champion, and Young led his team deep into the state tournament in the largest classification with his bat and glove.
Just don’t overlook the upperclassmen, including four who celebrated WPIAL championships. Two selections, Beaver senior Harrison Pontoli and Serra Catholic junior Mark Black, led their teams to the state finals.
TRIB 10 ALL-STARS
Jarett Bach
Yough, Sr., P/1B
The Pitt recruit went 7-1 with a 0.57 ERA and led Yough to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Bach struck out 112 batters, including 25 in the postseason. He also batted .333.
Mark Black
Serra Catholic, Jr., C
With good reason, playoff opponents often chose to walk Black rather than pitch to him. The St. John’s recruit batted .521 with 14 home runs, 41 RBIs and 33 runs scored.
Andre Good
Steel Valley, Sr., OF/P
Good went 3 for 5 and drove in the game-winning run in the WPIAL Class 3A final. Overall, the Youngstown State recruit batted .420 with 30 runs, 26 RBIs, four triples and five home runs.
Drew Lafferty
Seton LaSalle, Fr., SS/P
Only a freshman, the Kentucky recruit was a two-way standout for the WPIAL Class 2A champion. He batted .446 and posted a 6-1 pitching record with a 2.31 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.
Troy LaNeve
Pine-Richland, Sr., INF
The Vanderbilt recruit batted .324 with a .429 on-base percentage for the WPIAL Class 6A champions. He scored 20 runs and drove in 21.
Jake McGovern
Hopewell, Jr., OF/P
McGovern, who ranked among both the WPIAL hitting and pitching leaders, led Hopewell to the Class 3A finals. He went 8-1 with a 1.46 ERA, and batted .377 with 27 RBIs.
Ryan Perretti
Shenango, Sr., OF
The Radford recruit led Shenango to a No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. He ranked among the WPIAL leaders in home runs (six), runs (24) and RBIs (43).
Harrison Pontoli
Beaver, Sr., SS
Pontoli provided a steady presence with his bat and his glove for the WPIAL Class 4A champions and state runners-up. The IUP recruit batted a team-best .411 with a .516 OBP and led the Bobcats in runs (26).
Matt Wood
Pine-Richland, Sr., C
Wood was instrumental in Pine-Richland’s WPIAL championship run. The Penn State recruit batted .429 with a .564 OBP with a team-high 26 RBIs and five home runs.
Cole Young
North Allegheny, Fr., SS
Young hardly plays like a freshman. The youngster led North Allegheny in batting average (.414), on-base percentage (.500) and RBIs (26). He also scored 19 times and hit three homers for the state Class 6A semifinalist.
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Beaver, Hopewell, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Shenango, Steel Valley, Yough
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