Westmoreland notebook: WPIAL realignment affects county baseball, softball

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, April 22, 2018 | 4:06 PM

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WPIAL realignment will give the baseball and softball standings a different look next season, especially for a few Westmoreland teams.

The current season is just finding itself, but the league already has next year's layout in place.

Latrobe baseball makes the jump from Class 5A, where it won WPIAL and PIAA championships last season, to 6A.

Section 2-6A next year will look like this: Connellsville, Hempfield, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Plum.

“We knew the jump was coming,” Latrobe coach Matt Basciano said. “We are a small 6-A and big 5-A. I think every few years, we will be back and forth. That just makes it hard because you just get to know the opposing kids, then you are out of that class and section, and you throw all the notes you had on those kids away.”

Basciano is glad to see some geographical rivalries return to a section that looks similar to the one his Wildcats played in two years ago in the days before six classifications.

“The kids knew more of the other kids than what we see now,” Basiciano said. “It was also a great group of coaches. It will definitely be a challenge, but some good baseball, rivalries and also friendships.”

Another big mover in baseball is Jeannette, which goes up to Class 2A after winning the WPIAL Class A title last year. The Jayhawks will be with Apollo-Ridge, Brentwood, Riverview, Serra Catholic and Seton LaSalle.

That means the section rivalry with Greensburg Central Catholic is gone. The Centurions remain in Class A.

Class 2A adds five teams, bringing the total to 29, and will have four sections instead of three.

Franklin Regional remains in 5A but will be in a new-look Section 1 with Armstrong, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Kiski Area, Penn Hills and Woodland Hills.

Mt. Pleasant baseball will move from 3A to 4A and joins a section with Derry, Greensburg Salem, Highlands, Indiana, Knoch and Yough.

In softball, there are two big local changes: Latrobe drops from 6A to 5A, leaving section rival Hempfield but joining Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional; and Yough slides over to Section 1-4A and will face Mt. Pleasant twice in section play.

Greensburg Salem drops to 4A and also will play in that section, along with Highlands, Indiana and Uniontown.

That also means Yough and Belle Vernon break up their section rivalry.

Yough's new section will have a familiar feel.

“I think it will balance some of the power in 4A with now a couple of sections being really competitive,” Yough coach Dutch Harvey said. “I look forward to going back in the section and look forward to not having to deal with all the traffic involved in going to places like Carrick, South Fayette and Keystone Oaks.”

The new Section 1-5A also has Albert Gallatin, Armstrong, Connellsville, Kiski Area and Laurel Highlands.

Softball 6A goes from 19 teams to 16 and will have just two sections.

Hempfield's new section (2) will include Butler, Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin, Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley.

Tre-sport athlete

Jeannette's Tre Cunningham showed his athletic versatility Friday. The 6-foot-4 senior drove in three runs for the Jeannette baseball team in a win over West Greene in the afternoon, then scored 17 points in the Roundball Classic basketball all-star event Friday night.

Cunningham, also a standout receiver, linebacker and kicker/punter in football, is one of most versatile — and successful — athletes Jeannette has had.

“You look at what he has done in all three sports, how valuable of a player he's been, he might be the best three-sport athlete I have coached,” Jeannette football coach Roy Hall said.

Hempfield No. 1

Hempfield moved into the No. 1 spot in the Tribune-Review Class 6A baseball rankings. The Spartans (10-2, 5-0 Section 2-6A) have won nine of their last 10 games.

Hempfield and West Allegheny are the only two WPIAL schools whose baseball and softball teams are ranked No. 1.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough