2023 WPIAL Class A baseball championship preview: California vs. Bishop Canevin

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 | 3:04 PM

WPIAL Class A baseball championship

4-California (14-7) vs. 6-Bishop Canevin (14-3)

1 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park

On the air: Trib HSSN (video)

How they got here: After a first-round bye, California defeated No. 5 Carmichaels, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Union, 9-6, in the semifinals; Bishop Canevin beat No. 11 Western Beaver, 10-0, in the first round, No. 3 Leechburg, 4-1, in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Rochester, 9-4, in the semifinals.

WPIAL titles: California 6 (1983, 2001, ‘06, ‘14, ‘17, ‘19); Bishop Canevin 2 (1993, 2000)

Coaches: Taylor Andrisko, California; Bill Varley, Bishop Canevin

Players to watch: Aidan Lowden, California; Tyler Maddix, Bishop Canevin

Extra bases: California’s six championships are tied with Neshannock and Pine-Richland for fourth most in WPIAL history behind North Allegheny (8), Allegheny (7) and McKeesport (7). The Trojans are playing in the title game for the 11th time. California tied for the Section 1 title with a 10-2 record and has won seven straight games and 11 of its past 12. Chase Cicchitto’s two-run double and Kaden Weston’s RBI double in the seventh inning sealed Cal’s upset win over Union in the semifinals. Lowden is batting .484 with 26 RBIs, Ricky Lawson is hitting .448 with 32 RBIs and three homers, and freshman Kris Weston bats .444. On the mound, senior Addison Panepinto is 7-2 with a 1.57 ERA and 50 strikeouts. … The Crusaders, who finished second in Section 3 with a 10-2 record, are riding a 10-game winning streak after a split with section champ Eden Christian. They have outscored opponents 23-5 in the playoffs and have posted six shutouts this season. Against Rochester, Maddix, a sophomore, had 15 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Mason Glover had two doubles, and Aiden Didon, Kole Olszewski and Kellen Andruscik each knocked in two runs. Maddix is 7-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 109 strikeouts this season. Glover is batting .515 with 13 RBIs, catcher Quentin White is hitting .440 with 21 RBIs, Maddix is batting .436 with 21 RBIs, and Olszewski is hitting .358 with 21 RBIs.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, California