Four teams seeded 4th in WPIAL baseball playoffs
Four local teams earned a No. 4 seed when the WPIAL Baseball Playoffs get underway this week, to mixed reviews.
The pairings for the six classifications were released early Friday afternoon with Laurel Highlands (Class AAAAA), Ringgold (AAAA), Brownsville (AAA), and Carmichaels (AA) all seeded fourth.
The Falcons won the Section 3-AAA title with a 10-2 record. Brownsville (12-2) received a first-round bye and are scheduled to open the Class AAA quarterfinals on Monday, May 21, against the winner of Valley (10-6) and Beaver Falls (6-8).
“We got a good seed and a first-round bye,” said veteran Brownsville coach Skooter Roebuck. “We played Valley last year. They were pretty good and they were young last year.”
The Falcons have over a week off with the opening round bye, a mixed bag according to Roebuck.
“Our starting second baseman is dealing with (an injury), so the time will help,” said Roebuck. “We’re scrambling to find scrimmages. I had talked to Mike Smith and Scott DeBerry for a scrimmage with Laurel Highlands, but they play in the opening round because of the extra teams (in the playoffs). We are scrimmaging Carmichaels on Monday.
“You practice as much as you can, but there is nothing like playing a game.”
Roebuck believes his squad is poised for a strong playoff run.
“We had today off. It was the prom,” said Roebuck. “The kids are good (to go).”
Ringgold is seeded fourth in Class AAA. The Rams (14-3) won the Section 3-AAAA crown with a 12-2 record, an accomplishment coach Don Roberts believes was glossed over in the seedings process.
“We’re not real happy about that,” Roberts said of the fourth seed. “We were thinking we’d get at least a three. I thought we’d be on the opposite side of (No.1) Blackhawk.
“I checked and South Fayette (14-5 overall, second-place team which got the No. 3 seed) only beat four teams with a winning record, the best of which was 11-9. We beat five teams with winning records: West Mifflin (14-5) twice, Belle Vernon (11-5), South Park (14-6), which was the state runner-up last year, and North Catholic (15-5 in Class AA).”
Roberts continued the thought, adding, “When you compare us two, we had a better record, better wins, better run differential, better batting average, better ERA … I mean, I’ve always heard about this (WPIAL) northern bias, but this is the first time I got to experience it myself.”
Roberts took over the Rams after the season began last year and qualified for the playoffs with a strong run.
“I feel like we’ve turned the program around pretty well. This is two years in a row we’ve had a good record (13-6 last year when the Rams finished third in the section), and our JV team is going pretty good right now, too,” said Roberts. “I like the direction the program is going.”
Ringgold plays either Freeport (12-3) or New Castle (11-9) in the quarterfinals on May 21.
The Mustangs (15-3) won the Section 3-AAAAA title, but weren’t give a bye into the quarterfinals. Coach Scott DeBerry’s team, who drew the No. 4 seed, opens up on Tuesday at Hempfield against Fox Chapel (9-10). The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
“We need to go out there and prove ourselves,” DeBerry said. “I have done some research on Fox Chapel, but I haven’t made any decisions on who I am going to start or anything like that.”
Laurel Highlands played at Hempfield to finish the regular season, but DeBerry doesn’t see any advantage in playing at the home of the Spartans two times in less than a week.
“I really don’t see any advantage because we have played at our home field at times and didn’t play good,” DeBerry said. “We have the prom today (Friday), but we will try to get some work in. We will be ready to go on Tuesday.”
Carmichaels, winner of the Section 1-AA title, also earned a No. 4 seed. The Mikes are 11-5 overall and will play the Shenango (12-7)-Bishop Canevin (8-7) winner on Monday, May 21.
West Greene last played in the WPIAL baseball playoffs 25 years ago. The Pioneers (7-10) play Cornell (9-4) in the first round of the Class A playoffs on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Peterswood Park.
“It’s awesome. We’ll play anywhere. We’re very happy to get in,” said West Greene’s fifth-year coach Shawn Lohr. “To be honest, I thought we might we one of the lower seeds, but to be a nine (out of 12) I feel is great.”
The Pioneers upended Jeannette, the second-place team out of the section, early in the season.
“I think that early win against Jeannette was huge for us. I told the boys, ‘You just beat the defending WPIAL champions. This could go a long way to us getting to the playoffs,'” said Lohr. “Then, I thought our win over Jefferson-Morgan later in the season was just as big. Jefferson seems to have our number and they beat us the first time, but we played a very good second game against them and won.”
Lohr is quickly trying to gather information of Cornell.
“I’m going to try to make some phone calls. I don’t know much about Cornell, but I was checking their record and they seem like a very good baseball team. If we pitch well, I believe it will be a good game,” said Lohr. “Patrick Brady will likely start for us. He’s come on strong and has come through when we’ve needed a big performance.”
The remaining playoff schedule for locals teams is: Class AAAA, Tuesday, May 15, Belle Vernon (11-5) vs. Hopewell (11-5), at Hempfield, 4:30 p.m.; Class AAA, Wednesday, May 16, Waynesburg Central (9-4) vs. Shady Side Academy (6-9), at Peterswood Park, 6:30 p.m., Burrell (9-3) vs. Mount Pleasant (8-7), at Latrobe, 4:30 p.m., Steel Valley (10-7) vs. Charleroi (11-5), at Boyce Mayview, 2 p.m.; Class AA, Tuesday, May 15, Carlynton (12-3) vs. California (9-7), at Burkett Park, 7 p.m.; and Class A, Wednesday, May 16, Monessen (10-6) vs. Western Beaver (9-7), at Burkett Park, 2 p.m.