Westmoreland high school baseball playoff preview capsules for May 14, 2024

By: Paul Schofield
Monday, May 13, 2024 | 4:45 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 3A

10-Greensburg Salem (8-8) vs. 7-Avonworth (12-8)

7 p.m. Tuesday at Peterswood Park

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Mohawk (16-3)/15-East Allegheny (12-6) on May 20 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Tyler Martin, Greensburg Salem; Aiden Tinker, Avonworth

Extra bases: Greensburg Salem’s top hitter, Grant Smith, suffered an off-the-field leg injury and will not play in the playoffs. … The Golden Lions lost to Mohawk, 9-3, in the 2023 first round. … Avonworth was seeded second and ended up third in 2023. … Avonworth won a WPIAL 2A title in 1992. … Tinker is 4-0 with 36 strikeouts in 26 innings. … Avonworth senior Brandon Sapolsky has 20 hits, and senior Ben Barnes has 12 RBIs. … Martin, who is batting .550, has 33 hits and 12 RBIs to lead the Golden Lions. … Braedon Leatherman is 3-2, and Peyton Chismar has a team-high five doubles.

14-Burrell (11-8) vs. 3-Mt. Pleasant (13-4)

4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Waynesburg (13-3)/11-Neshannock (11-9) on May 20 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: A.J. McLafferty, Burrell; Jacob Kitz, Mt. Pleasant

Extra bases: Kitz and Connor Drzal have combined on nine wins on the mound. … Cole Chatfield, Drzal and Kitz are some of the top hitters. … The Vikings are riding a nine-game winning streak. … Mt. Pleasant lost to Derry in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs. … Pitcher Stevie Hasson is 4-3 and has 26 strikeouts. McLafferty is 2-0 with 27 strikeouts. Isaac Lacinski is 3-2. … Lacinski led the Bucs and Section 3-3A with a .500 batting average. He drove in 16 runs and only struck out three times. … Mt. Pleasant was a WPIAL champion in 1970 and a runner-up in 1989. Burrell won a WPIAL title in 1974. … This is Jay Miller’s first season as Burrell coach. … The Bucs dropped a 6-5 decision to Valley in the 2023 playoffs.

Class 2A

12-Washington (9-9) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (11-5)

2 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 13-Jeannette (7-9)/4-Burgettstown (11-3) on May 20 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Ian Callan, Washington; Tyler Samide, Greensburg Central Catholic

Extra bases: The Callan brothers (Ian and William) lead the Prexies offense with 21 hits each and 17 RBIs apiece. … The Prexies tied for fourth in Section 1 with Beth-Center. … Washington missed the playoffs in 2023. … GCC dropped a 1-0 decision to OLSH in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs. … Sophomores Anthony Grippo and Ian Shipley are hitting .545 and .388 respectively. Grippo had four doubles and 15 RBIs, and Shipley three doubles, a triple, a home run and 17 runs scored. … Pitcher Ethan Brody is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.14, and Samide is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.30. Samide is batting .372, and Tyree Turner is hitting .395 with 12 RBIs. … GCC’s only title came in 2015 in Class A, whereas Washington won 2A in 2002, 1998 and 1997.

13-Jeannette (7-9) vs. 4-Burgettstown (11-3)

7 p.m. Tuesday at Burkett Park

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Greensburg Central Catholic (11-5)/12-Washington (9-9) on May 20 in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Michael Mason, Jeannette; Brodie Kuzior, Burgettstown

Extra bases: Kuzior is batting .444 with 20 hits and 23 RBIs. On the hill he is 3-1 with an ERA of 1.24 and has 62 strikeouts in 34 innings. Eric Kovach is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA. He has 47 strikeouts in 26 innings. Sophomore Matthew Bredel is hitting .435 with 20 hits and 15 RBIs. … Mason is batting .320 with 14 runs scored and a team-high seven doubles. He has 16 hits and three triples. Wyatt Shaeffer, Kenny Himes and Brayden Luttner each have driven home 10 runs. … Jeannette won the Class A title in 2017. … Burgettstown is looking for its first baseball title.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.