WPIAL bracketology: Don Rebel, Chris Harlan take an early look at baseball playoff pairings
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Friday, May 14, 2021 | 4:42 AM
North Allegheny pitcher Kyle Demi delivers during a game against Seneca Valley on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, in McCandless.
Franklin Regional starting pitcher Brian Pirone throws against Penn-Trafford on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
The real brackets for the 2021 WPIAL baseball playoff will be revealed at 3 p.m. Friday on TribLive HSSN.
Who’ll draw the No. 1 seeds?
Which teams get a first-round bye?
Here’s a look at what the WPIAL bracket would look like if HSSN’s Don Rebel and Chris Harlan were seeding the teams.
Class 6A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
Upper St. Clair vs. Canon-McMillan for No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals
No. 1 North Allegheny vs. No. 8 Upper St. Clair/Canon-McMillan winner
No. 4 Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 5 Butler
No. 2 Norwin vs. No. 7 Seneca Valley
No. 3 Hempfield vs. No. 6 Central Catholic
Don’s take: Yes, two teams from the same section meet in the first round, but the Panthers and Big Macs were the last two to the dance, so let them battle for the final seed. Norwin’s overall resume is still strong despite late hiccups against Upper St. Clair and Hempfield. The Knights kind of righted the ship against Franklin Regional and should be No. 2. Mt. Lebanon gets the edge at No. 4 by virtue of an early season win over Butler.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
Upper St. Clair vs. Canon-McMillan for No. 8 seed
Quarterfinals
No. 1 North Allegheny vs. No. 8 Upper St. Clair/Canon-McMillan winner
No. 4 Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 5 Butler
No. 2 Norwin vs. No. 7 Seneca Valley
No. 3 Hempfield vs. No. 6 Central Catholic
Chris’ take: We ended up with identical brackets here. Norwin seemed destined for the No. 1 seed after defeating North Allegheny, 7-6, in late April. But that was before the Knights suffered consecutive section losses to Upper St. Clair and Hempfield in early May, pushing North Allegheny back to the No. 1 spot in 6A.
Class 5A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Franklin Regional vs. No. 16 Thomas Jefferson
No. 8 Mars vs. No. 9 Fox Chapel
No. 4 South Fayette vs. No. 13 Peters Township
No. 5 Plum vs. No. 12 Gateway
No. 2 Bethel Park vs. No. 15 Chartiers Valley
No. 7 Shaler vs. No. 10 Latrobe
No. 3 West Allegheny vs. No. 14 Hampton
No. 6 Penn-Trafford vs. No. 11 Connellsville
Don’s take: This is a good time to remind folks that seeding a bracket does not equal rankings. I do not think Shaler is the No. 7 team in 5A, however I think the Section 3 trio of the Titans, West Allegheny and South Fayette are very strong and deserve to be separated into different quadrants. As usual, Class 5A is deep and strong. The top teams are terrific, but there are some very good squads in the Nos. 5 to 10 range too.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Franklin Regional vs. No. 16 Thomas Jefferson
No. 8 Penn-Trafford vs. No. 9 Fox Chapel
No. 4 West Allegheny vs. No. 13 Peters Township
No. 5 Shaler vs. No. 12 Latrobe
No. 2 Bethel Park vs. No. 15 Chartiers Valley
No. 7 Mars vs. No. 10 Connellsville
No. 3 South Fayette vs. No. 14 Hampton
No. 6 Plum vs. No. 11 Gateway
Chris’ take: One-loss Franklin Regional (15-1, 10-0) is the favorite to draw the No. 1 seed and rightfully so. The Panthers have been outstanding all spring. They started their season 14-0 before Wednesday’s 18-2 loss to Norwin. But Bethel Park can’t be dismissed too quickly. Consider, the Black Hawks (15-2, 10-0) own nonsection wins over 6A playoff qualifiers Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair and Canon-McMillan. Section tri-champions South Fayette, West Allegheny and Shaler are tough to separate, so they’re seeds Nos. 3, 4 and 5 here.
Class 4A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Montour – Bye
No. 8 Knoch vs. No. 9 Quaker Valley
No. 4 North Catholic vs. No. 13 Elizabeth Forward
No. 5 Highlands vs. No. 12 Beaver
No. 2 West Mifflin – Bye
No. 7 New Castle vs. No. 10 Belle Vernon
No. 3 Blackhawk – Bye
No. 6 Laurel Highlands vs. No. 11 Indiana
Don’s take: Montour gets the top-seed by winning the deepest section by two games. Quality win over 3A No. 1 Hopewell doesn’t hurt either. More love for Section 2 with Blackhawk at No. 3 and dangerous New Castle at No. 7. North Catholic wins Section 1 to earn No. 4 seed, however back-to-back losses to Highlands sets up a possible quarterfinals game between the two section foes.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Montour – Bye
No. 8 Knoch vs. No. 9 Quaker Valley
No. 4 Laurel Highlands vs. No. 13 Indiana
No. 5 North Catholic vs. No. 12 Elizabeth Forward
No. 2 West Mifflin – Bye
No. 7 New Castle vs. No. 10 Belle Vernon
No. 3 Blackhawk – Bye
No. 6 Highlands vs. No. 11 Beaver
Chris’ take: Perceived strength of schedule will be key here in 4A as Montour and Blackhawk get seeded first and third. West Mifflin (12-4, 11-1) lost only once in its section and has won 10 of its last 11 games, but Montour (13-5, 10-2) owns a better overall resume. That resume includes a win over Hopewell, which played both Montour and West Mifflin in late March. Montour won 13-3. West Mifflin lost 10-2.
Class 3A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Hopewell vs. No. 16 South Allegheny
No. 8 Yough vs. No. 9 Valley
No. 4 Derry vs. No. 13 Brownsville
No. 5 McGuffey vs. No. 12 New Brighton
No. 2 Avonworth vs. No. 15 Waynesburg
No. 7 Deer Lakes vs. No. 10 Mohawk
No. 3 South Park vs. No. 14 Ligonier Valley
No. 6 Ellwood City vs. No. 11 Keystone Oaks
Don’s take: Hopewell is an easy pick as the top seed. Watch out for South Park, especially if Kentucky recruit Drew Lafferty is ready to pitch again in the postseason. Could the Ellwood City baseball team follow the lead of the boys basketball team a few months ago and make a dark horse run to district gold? Despite being No. 12 and No. 13, New Brighton and Brownsville have had success in recent postseasons.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Hopewell vs. No. 16 Ligonier Valley
No. 8 Yough vs. No. 9 Mohawk
No. 4 South Park vs. No. 13 New Brighton
No. 5 Derry vs. No. 12 Keystone Oaks
No. 2 Avonworth vs. No. 15 Waynesburg
No. 7 Ellwood City vs. No. 10 Valley
No. 3 McGuffey vs. No. 14 South Allegheny
No. 6 Deer Lakes vs. No. 11 Brownsville
Chris’ take: After seeding Hopewell first, there may be a debate for the order of the next three spots between Avonworth, McGuffey and South Park. Avonworth (12-7) and McGuffey (12-4) are section winners. South Park (12-3) finished a game behind Avonworth in Section 2 but split its two-game series with the Antelopes. I’d rather see the section foes on opposite sides of the bracket here, so McGuffey gets third.
Class 2A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Seton LaSalle vs. No. 16 Bentworth
No. 8 Chartiers-Houston vs. No. 9 Shady Side Academy
No. 4 Carmichaels vs. No. 13 Fort Cherry
No. 5 Laurel vs. No. 12 Burgettstown
No. 2 Shenango vs. No. 15 Northgate
No. 7 California vs. No. 10 Riverside
No. 3 Serra Catholic vs. No. 14 Beth-Center
No. 6 Neshannock vs. No. 11 Apollo-Ridge
Don’s take: Seton LaSalle is the favorite, but a lot of good teams finished first and second in 2A. Watch the teams from Section 2. Shenango, Laurel and Neshannock get the same quadrant treatment as West Allegheny, South Fayette and Shaler from 5A. No offense to seeds No. 10 through 16, but if there are no upsets, it sets up some wonderful quarterfinals contests.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Seton LaSalle vs. No. 16 Bentworth
No. 8 Neshannock vs. No. 9 California
No. 4 Carmichaels vs. No. 13 Fort Cherry
No. 5 Laurel vs. No. 12 Apollo-Ridge
No. 2 Shenango vs. No. 15 Northgate
No. 7 Shady Side Academy vs. No. 10 Burgettstown
No. 3 Serra Catholic vs. No. 14 Beth-Center
No. 6 Chartiers-Houston vs. No. 11 Riverside
Chris’ take: Serra Catholic or Carmichaels could be a debate for seeds Nos. 3 and 4, but the Eagles get the nod here based on schedule strength. Neshannock is a team that is tough to seed. The Lancers finished just 5-5 in Section 2 and tied Riverside for third place (behind Shenango and Laurel), but they also own a section win over Shenango and a nonsection win over Serra Catholic.
Class A
Don Rebel’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Eden Christian Academy – Bye
No. 8 West Greene vs. No. 9 Sewickley Academy
No. 4 Rochester – Bye
No. 5 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart vs. No. 12 Bishop Canevin
No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic – Bye
No. 7 Riverview vs. No. 10 Avella
No. 3 Union – Bye
No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan vs. No. 11 Leechburg
Don’s take: Sure, Greensburg Central Catholic, Union, Rochester and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart have tradition and enjoyed recent postseason success, but the nod for No. 1 goes to Eden Christian Academy. Two wins over OLSH early in the season help the Warriors cause. Victories over 3A playoff teams Mohawk and New Brighton help give Union the edge in separating fellow Section 1 tri-champions Rochester and OLSH.
Chris Harlan’s bracket
First round
No. 1 Eden Christian – Bye
No. 8 West Greene vs. No. 9 Sewickley Academy
No. 4 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – Bye
No. 5 Union vs. No. 12 Bishop Canevin
No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic – Bye
No. 7 Riverview vs. No. 10 Avella
No. 3 Rochester – Bye
No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan vs. No. 11 Leechburg
Chris’ take: How will the WPIAL order Rochester (10-4, 8-2), OLSH (11-5, 8-2) and Union (8-5, 6-2)? They all have two losses in Section 1 and split with one another, but Union also missed two section games with Western Beaver. It’s not necessarily fair, but there’s little gap between the three teams, so the Scotties end up fifth.
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
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