2016 MSA SPORTS DIAMOND STUDS

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 24, 2016 | 3:58 PM

A first-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft, one of the winningest pitchers in WPIAL history, another pitcher who rarely gave up a run and a hitter who had one of the highest batting averages in WPIAL history. Those are a few of the players who highlight the MSA Sports Diamond Studs all-star team.

The Diamond Studs are the top 10 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position. They are picked by the MSA Sports staff.

This year’s team has seven seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. Who knows? You might see one of these players in a future College World Series. Two former Diamond Studs are in the CWS that is ongoing. They are the University of Arizona’s J.J. Matijevic (Norwin High School graduate) and Coastal Carolina relief pitcher Austin Kitcher (Mt. Lebanon).

Here is a look at the Diamond Studs all-star team:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ALEX KIRILLOFF, PLUM
OF-1B-P, Senior

It might not be an overstatement to call Kirilloff one of the best players to come out of the WPIAL ever. He was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, 15^th overall. He is only the fifth WPIAL player to ever be selected out of high school in the first round. He signed with the Twins on Thursday, and the slotted signing bonus for the 15^th pick is just over $2.8 million.

At Plum, Kirilloff was worth a lot also.  He was a four-year starter and was a tremendous hitter. But Kirilloff also was a top pitcher for the Mustangs, leading them to a 25-2 record this season. Their only losses were in the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAAA championship games.

For the season, Kirilloff hit .524. He is a good power hitter and that showed with a slugging percentage of 1.036. He had 16 doubles, five triples and four home runs. As a pitcher he was 6-1 with a 1.48 ERA. His only loss came in the WPIAL final.

TOR SEHNERT, PETERS TOWNSHIP
OF – Junior

Sehnert was a starter for Peters Township last year, but didn’t show much power. This year, no one in the WPIAL showed more home-run power than Sehnert. Sehnert led the WPIAL in home runs during the regular season with eight. He also hit .450 and had 29 RBIs in helping Peters Township make the WPIAL playoffs. He already has made a verbal commitment to Coastal Carolina, one of the teams still alive in the College World Series.

MIKE BOSWELL, RIVERSIDE
Pitcher – Senior

It was rare when Boswell gave up a run. In fact, he finished the season by not giving up a run 42 2/3 consecutive innings. That streak included nine shutout innings in a 1-0 victory against Neshannock in the WPIAL Class AA championship. For the season, Boswell was 9-1 and he allowed only six runs (five earned) all season. He pitched 69 2/3 innings and gave up only 27 hits for a team that won the WPIAL title and made it to the PIAA semifinals. His ERA was 0.50 ERA and he had 98 strikeouts. He will play next season at Tiffin, a Division II college in Ohio.

JAKE JESSEL, WOODLAND HILLS
C-IF-P – Senior

Woodland Hills made the WPIAL playoffs this season for the first time since 2009. Jessel was the primary reason. He was a force as a pitcher and also at the plate. He finished 6-2 and was second in the WPIAL in strikeouts in the regular season with 79. As a hitter, Jessel had a .365 average with 19 RBIs. He is a Pitt recruit.

FRANK FRASCHETTI, NESHANNOCK
Pitcher – Senior

It’s not an overstatement to say Fraschetti was one of the most successful pitchers in the history of the WPIAL. He finished his career with a 33-6 record. The 33 victories are the second-most in the history of the WPIAL. He helped Neshannock win WPIAL and PIAA titles as a junior, winning both championship games. This year, he was 9-3 for the WPIAL runner-up. He had a 1.10 ERA. He has signed to play at Harford Community College in Maryland next season.

TRENT VIETMEIER, MONTOUR
P-IF – Junior

Vietmeier gave a Spartan-like effort for Montour this season. He had a 5-0 pitching record for a Spartans team that made the WPIAL playoffs. He also had a 0.98 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. At the plate, he hit .473 with 17 RBIs and a .531 on-base percentage. Vietmeier has a future at a big-time college. He committed to LSU as a sophomore.

TOMMY PELLIS, GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC
SS – Senior

Pellis had a memorable season at the plate. He hit .745 during the regular season and it is not known if any WPIAL has ever hit above .700 in the regular season. He helped Greensburg Central Catholic reach the WPIAL Class A championship. He finished the season with a.629 average, seven triples and 30 RBIs. He is an excellent athlete. He was the Centurions’ starting quarterback in football the past few years. He will play baseball in the Ivy League next season at Pennsylvania.

COLE HOREW, CHARTIERS VALLEY
P-IF – Senior

Things were “Cole” with Chartiers Valley this season. Horew was the driving force in the Colts’ run to their first WPIAL championship. He was the winning pitcher in the WPIAL title game against Blackhawk. Hit well and pitched well. He hit .355 with four triples and 19 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA. He struck out 54 in 59 innings pitched. He is a Point Park recruit.

LOUDEN CONTE, CALIFORNIA
P-IF – Senior

Conte was a four-year starter who was a most versatile player for the Trojans. He hit above .500 as a sophomore and junior and batted better than .400 this season. He had a most unusual talent in that he could pitch right-handed or left-handed. He stayed as a right-hander this year and was right on most of the time, going 9-1 during the regular season. The nine wins were the most in the WPIAL in the regular season. He also was among the leaders in RBIs with 20 and runs with 25.

KYLER FEDKO, VINCENTIAN ACADEMY
2B – Sophomore

Fedko had a sensational sophomore season. He helped the Royals win the PIAA Class A title with his hitting and defensive talent. Fedko had a tremendous season hitting, finishing with a .600 average and 14 doubles and four home runs. He also scored 33 runs and had 23 RBIs. He teamed with his brother, Christian (shortstop), to make an excellent up-the-middle combination.

Tags: California, Chartiers Valley, Greensburg C.C., Vincentian Academy, Woodland Hills