Westmoreland County high school notebook: WCCA adds baseball showcase

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, June 24, 2023 | 11:32 AM

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The Westmoreland County Coaches Association added a new event to its calendar.

The WCCA’s first baseball showcase will take place at 8:30 a.m. July 17 at Westmoreland County Community College.

College coaches will be present to evaluate players graduating in 2023, ’24, ’25 and ’26.

Cost for each player is $50.

Registration at ccaonline.net.

WCCA events

In less than a month, the WCCA 7-on-7 championship will return to Latrobe. It is set for July 20.

The WCCA boys golf championship will be Aug. 31 at Latrobe Elks Golf Club, and details of the girls tournament have yet to be announced.

Y hoops finals

The Greensburg YMCA summer high school basketball league playoffs are winding into the semifinals and finals at Seton Hill.

The semifinals will be Sunday. Southmoreland will play Indiana at 3 p.m., followed by Yough and Greensburg Central Catholic at 4.

For the girls, Greensburg Salem received a bye into the finals, and Hempfield plays Franklin Regional in a semifinal Sunday.

The girls championship is set for 6 p.m. Monday, with the boys final to follow at 7:30.

MVI hoops

A number of area basketball players are playing in the Mon Valley Independent Summer League at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center in Elizabeth.

The league recently held its annual entry draft, and some notable girls’ selections included Erica Gribble of Greensburg Central Catholic (Team Monessen Florist), Bella Furno of Norwin (D.T. State Farm), Saylor Lee of Belle Vernon (AMD Industries), Venicia Vignoli of Jeannette (Lee Supply), Anna Fraser of Norwin (AMD Industries), Marielle Wilson of Penn-Trafford (D.T, State Farm) and Adriana Allison of Jeannette (Edward Jones).

Local boys draft picks were Brady O’Rourke and David Wachinski of Greensburg Central Catholic (Trailside, D.T. State Farm), Thomas Davis of Belle Vernon (D.T. State Farm), Tim Kershaw of Monessen (D.T. State Farm) and KiRon Yates of Monessen (Elite Physical Therapy).

Zion Moore, a rising junior at Belle Vernon and a member of the team sponsored by BeeGraphix, set a league record last week with 55 points in a game.

Girls games are 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, and the boys play Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Parade of champions

Belle Vernon will honor its WPIAL champion softball team with a parade through North Belle Vernon.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday along Broad Avenue.

The Leopards (19-5) won their fifth WPIAL title, and first since 2018, with an 8-7 victory over Montour in the 4A title game last month at Cal (Pa.).

Gold Bowl

James Weir Stadium, also known as “The Beach,” will host the 2023 Belle Vernon Gold Bowl 7-on-7 Football Tournament on July 15.

Eight teams will play on the gold-colored turf, including two from Belle Vernon, along with Burrell, Southmoreland, California, McKeesport, Yough and Connellsville.

Positive athletes

Norwin’s Kyle Gill and Viva Kreis of Belle Vernon were recipients of this year’s Positive Athlete awards.

Gill was honored as a lacrosse player, Kreis as a multi-sport athlete.

The awards recognize positive-minded student-athletes who have given back to their schools and communities or have overcome a difficult circumstance.

For the second straight time, Kiski Area was honored as the most positive school.

Recruiting

Luke Bryer, a rising senior football player at Belle Vernon, was offered to play at a pair of Division III programs in Ohio. They are Kenyon, in Gambier, and Baldwin Wallace in Berea.

Bryer is an offensive guard and defensive tackle for the reigning WPIAL and PIAA 3A champion Leopards.

• Yough baseball player James Shoman will continue his playing career at WCCC. Shoman played in the outfield and was a pitcher for the Cougars.

• Hempfield football player Joe Dolinski received an offer to play at Division II Lock Haven. Dolinski, who will be a senior, is a 6-foot-4, 295-pound two-way lineman.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Kiski Area, Norwin, Yough