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Raiders change coaches again; Maples, Pioneers seek playoff berths

By Adam Brewer, For The Greene County Messenger 4 min read
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The 2018 high school baseball season will bring new expectations and perhaps playoff berths for Mapletown, West Greene and Waynesburg Central.

The Maples and the Pioneers missed the playoffs last season in Section 2-A. Both squads are currently battling long playoff droughts.

The last time Mapletown made the playoffs and had an above .500 record was in 2005, when it finished with an 11-9 overall record and lost in the first round.

West Greene hasn’t qualified for the postseason since the early 1990s and its best season over the last two decades came in 2012 when it compiled an overall record of 9-11.

The Raiders are coming off a playoff berth in Class AAA and finished second in Section 3 behind Brownsville and Mount Pleasant. Waynesburg’s season came to an end after a first-round upset by South Side Beaver, 4-1.

After the forced resignation of coach Scott VanSickle in January, meaning the Raiders will be under their third different head coach in four years, it will definitely be a new era in the Red and Black dugout this spring. Waynesburg went 18-17 in two seasons under VanSickle.

The following are the season previews for Mapletown, Waynesburg Central and West Greene.

Mapletown Maples

Coach: Dominic DeCarlo (4th year).

2017 Record: 4-13 overall/3-9 in Section 2-A.

Seniors Lost: 8.

Section Outlook: Even though Jefferson-Morgan is the defending section champion, Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette are the heavy preseason favorites to top the section in 2018. The Maples defeated Geibel Catholic twice last season and pulled off an 8-7 upset of fourth-place Monessen late in the year.

Team Outlook: Senior Dylan Rush had an impact year in 2017 at the top of the Maples’ lineup with a .571 batting average and 39 stolen bases. Other key pieces to the offense and the pitching rotation will be senior Kevin Hayes, senior Lane Powell, senior Brian Bogden and junior Brandon Donley.

Section Opener: at Geibel Catholic April 3.

Key Section Games: at West Greene April 9, vs. Monessen April 30, at Jefferson-Morgan May 4.

Waynesburg Central Raiders

Coach: Jamie Moore (1st year).

2017 Record: 12-5 overall/9-3 in Section 3-AAA.

Seniors Lost: 4.

Section Outlook: Brownsville and Mount Pleasant returns a lot from last year’s squads and will once again lead the way in the section. Waynesburg had a chance of claiming the section title last year, but a pair of one-run losses to Brownsville and Charleroi derail those hopes. Seton-LaSalle, Southmoreland and Washington round out the section.

Team Outlook: One of the four seniors the Raiders lost was pitching ace and three-hole hitter Hunter Robinson. They will need several players to fill in his role as a leader, too. Some returning starters for Waynesburg are seniors Trey Rohanna, Brandon Turcheck and Tyler Rush, juniors Kyle Shriver and Kyle Blasco, and sophomore Luke Robinson.

Section Opener: at Seton-LaSalle April 3.

Key Section Games: vs. Charleroi April 9, at Brownsville April 16, at Mount Pleasant April 30.

West Greene Pioneers

Coach: Shawn Lohr (5th year).

2017 Record: 4-12 overall/4-8 in Section 2-A.

Seniors Lost: 3.

Section Outlook: The Pioneers posted a section record of 4-0 versus Mapletown and Geibel last year, but went 0-8 against the top four teams in the section. All eight losses in section play were by 10 runs or more. If West Greene wants to end its playoff drought this season, it must find a way to compete with the top teams in Section 2-A.

Team Outlook: West Greene will bring plenty of experience at the plate and on the rubber this spring. Some names to watch out for will be seniors Zachary Abbott, Patrick Brady and Zach Pettit, juniors Kylar Amos and Joey Reed, and sophomore Gavin Scott.

Section Opener: vs. Jeannette April 3

Key Section Games: vs. Mapletown April 9, at Jefferson-Morgan April 11, vs. Monessen April 23.

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