WPIAL, PIAA champions among 2021 TribLive HSSN Baseball All-Stars

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Sunday, June 27, 2021 | 11:00 PM


Among the six teams crowned WPIAL baseball champions this spring, their individual stories varied greatly.

A few were first-time winners. Others won their first title in a decade or two. Another, North Allegheny, won its eighth WPIAL title, setting a record for most championships in league history.

It was a year to remember, after a year to forget.

Many of those championship teams are recognized here in the TribLive HSSN Baseball All-Stars, a 10-member team that honors the best from the 2021 season.

Trib HSSN Baseball All-Stars

Rocco Bernadina

New Castle, P/INF, senior

The Kent State recruit went 7-4 on the mound with a 2.36 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. The right-hander was at his best in the Class 4A postseason. Bernadina led the Red Hurricanes to their first WPIAL title, and they added their first state championship a couple of weeks later. He also batted .403 with 20 runs, 27 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits.

Shane Cato

Shenango, P/INF, senior

Cato was a two-way star in Shenango’s run to its first WPIAL title. The Grove City recruit batted .492 with a team-high 37 RBIs, 24 runs, 16 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was .650. On the mound, the right-hander went 10-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. The Wildcats won the WPIAL Class 2A title and finished as runners-up in the state tournament.

Eric Chalus

Bethel Park, P/CF, senior

The Kent State recruit was unbeatable on the mound this spring. The left-hander went 11-0 and pitched the Black Hawks to a victory in the PIAA Class 5A championship, silencing one of the state’s top offenses. Chalus finished with a 0.97 ERA in 72 innings, and showed great control by striking out 91 batters and walking only four. He batted .386 with 23 RBIs and 18 runs.

Kyle Demi

North Allegheny, P, senior

Demi was rather unknown when the season started but quickly emerged as one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL. The right-hander went 9-1 with an 0.87 ERA and struck out 81 batters in 48 1/3 innings. He led the Tigers to a WPIAL Class 6A title and didn’t lose a game until the state finals. Opposing teams batted .149 against him.

Roman Gill

Hopewell, P/3B, senior

The right-hander went 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA as the ace for WPIAL Class 3A champion Hopewell. Opponents batted .175 against him. The Cal (Pa.) recruit struck out 11 batters in a game three times. Gill finished the season with 85 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. He batted .333.

Gannon Kadlecik

Montour, CF/P, senior

Kadlecik was a versatile cog in a Montour lineup that reached the WPIAL Class 4A finals and the PIAA semifinals. The Radford recruit had a .562 on-base percentage with 26 runs, 22 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits. He batted .377, but also contributed on the mound with a 4-1 record, two saves, a 1.26 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 39 innings.

Louie Kegerreis

Franklin Regional, SS, senior

Kegerreis led the Panthers to a WPIAL Class 5A title with his bat and glove. He batted .544 with a team-best 28 runs, 24 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits. His on-base percentage was .617. In the field, Kegerreis turned 10 double plays and posted a .963 fielding percentage with only three errors in 81 chances.

Luke Lambert

West Allegheny, C, senior

Lambert was a force in West Allegheny’s lineup. The Pitt recruit batted a team-best .487 with 43 RBIs, 21 runs and 14 extra-base hits, leading the Indians to the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. His on-base percentage was .533. Lambert also was error-free behind the plate and threw out nearly 30% of would-be base stealers.

Anthony Miller

New Castle, SS/P, sophomore

Miller formed a terrific tandem with Bernadina and finished off the PIAA championship in relief. The Notre Dame recruit went 9-1 on the mound with a 1.60 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 57 innings. He struck out 12 in the state semifinals, but Miller also was one of the Red Hurricanes’ top hitters. He batted .429 with 34 runs, 25 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits.

Cole Young

North Allegheny, SS, junior

Young was a top run-producer in a championship lineup but also earned accolades for his defense. The Duke recruit turned 12 double plays and had a .952 fielding percentage with five errors in 105 chances. The Tigers won the WPIAL Class 6A title and were state runners-up. Young batted .437 with 33 runs, 23 RBIs and 14 extra-base hits. He struck out only five times in 101 plate appearances.

• • • • •

Trib HSSN Postseason Awards

Baseball Player of the Year

Softball Player of the Year

Softball Trib 10 All-Stars

Baseball Head of the Class

Softball Head of the Class

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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