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Thursday, 24 May 2012 13:06

Written by Mike White

The PIAA voted this morning to move the state basketball championships back to Hershey.

Starting in 2013, the title games will be played at the Giant Center in Hershey. From 2007 through this past season, the state finals were played at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, but the PIAA contract with Penn State had expired.

It will be interesting to see if a return to Hershey helps attendance, which had dropped drastically in recent years at Penn State. However, the teams that made it to Penn State had a huge effect on attendance. Many of them were schools from the Philadelphia Public League or Catholic League and those schools don't bring many fans, sometimes fewere than 100.

The state championships were played in Hershey (either at the Giant Center or Hersheypark Arena) for 27 consecutive seasons before they moved to Penn State in 2007.

I'll have more on this story later and in tomorrow's Post-Gazette.

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Monday, 21 May 2012 22:53

Written by Mike White

 The Blackhawk-Thomas Jefferson WPIAL semifinal tonight was as good of a game as I've seen at any baseball level.

It had the makings of a great pitchers duel - and it more than lived up to it. I don't remember seeing a pitchers duel like this on the high school level.

Thomas Jefferson senior Greg Schneider had a no-hitter through eight innings. Remember, high school games are only seven innings. He finished with a one-hitter and 14 strikeouts.

Blackhawk used stud sophomore Brendan McKay. Huh. He doesn't pitch - or act - like a sophomore. He pretty much matched Schneider, pitching a two-hitter and striking out 15.

Under PIAA and WPIAL rules, a pitcher can' t work more than nine innings in a game. Schneider threw only 105 pitches. The game was won by, of all things, a throwing error by Schneider on a bunt. You had to feel for Schneider because of the way the error came about.

Blackhawk's Brandon Mansell led off the ninth inning with Blackhawk's first hit, a bouncing ball up the middle. You knew what was coming next with a Bob Amalia-coached team. For sure, it was a bunt. Brendan Kearney laid down a nice bunt in front of the plate. Schneider charged and fielded it. But when he threw to first, his feet gave out (Schneider later said the grass was a little wet). His throw was a little high to first and it sailed into right field, allowing Mansell to score all the way from first.

Blackhawk wins, 1-0. What a game.

Schneider is really impressive. It will be interesting to see if he gets drafted. You look at his statistics, I say he has had one of the best seasons of any pitcher in WPIAL history. Yes, I said history. Consider: His eight shutout innings stretched his scoreless streak to 32 innings. He is now 8-1 and has allowed only three runs all year. in 66 1/3 innings. That is an unbelievable season.

But McKay was so impressive, too. This kid has a terrific future. What a curveball. He buckled Thomas Jefferson hitters all night with the curveball.

Thomas Jefferson isn't done yet, though. The Jaguars will play Hopewell in the WPIAL consolation game. The winner goes to the PIAA playoffs.

Blackhawk plays Belle Vernon in the WPIAL final next week.

Here are the scores from today's games (WPIAL and City League). A few games were postponed until tomorrow.

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Wednesday, 16 May 2012 22:43

Written by Mike White

Highlights from today's WPIAL baseball quarterfinals.

For the second consecutive season, Norwin finished the regular season undefeated. For the second consecutive season, the Knights didn't make it past the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Norwin lost to Mt. Lebanon, 5-2, in a quarterfinal game at Gateway tonight. Norwin also lost in the quarterfinals last year.

Luke Hagy added another successful chapter to his terrific athletic career, hitting a home run for Mt. Lebanon. Ian Happ also homered and Mike Duffy gave up only two hits in 6 1/3 innings.

ELSEWHERE IN CLASS AAAA

*** Central Catholic won its ninth consecutive game with a 6-2 victory against Bethel Park.

*** North Allegheny crushed Hempfield, 10-0, as Section 2's reputation took another hit. Norwin and Hempfield were both from Section 2 and both were top four seeds.

*** Seneca Valley and Upper St. Clair were tied, 2-2, heading into the bottom of the sixth before Seneca Valley scored three runs and won, 5-2. Matt Smith pitched a complete game for Seneca Valley, which scored all of its runs in the first and sixth innings. The Raiders didn't have a hit off Steve Gannon in innings two through five.

CLASS AAA

*** Thomas Jefferson edged Hampton, 1-0, in 11 innings. Greg Schneider continued his incredible season for Thomas Jefferson. He allowed only two runs in the regular season in 48 1/3 innings. Today, he pitched nine scoreless innings and struck out 17. Wow! The only run of the game scored on a fielder's choice.

*** Hopewell edged Greensburg Salem, 2-1. Dave Claypole's suicide squeeze bunt scored Tim Hughes with the winning run in the sixth inning. Somewhere former Hopewell coach Joe Colella has to be smiling. Colella, who died last summer, was famous for bunts and suicide squeezes.

*** Joe Lopez's second-inning double gave Blackhawk a 1-0 win against Chartiers Valley.

CLASS AA

*** Riverside scored four runs in the top of the seventh and defeated Deer Lakes, 6-3.

*** Andrew Geisler pitched a two-hitter as Shady Side Academy defeated Fort Cherry, 6-2.

*** South Fayette defeated Laurel, 12-4.

*** Ellwood City's Christian Kerns pitched a five-inning no-hitter as the Wolverines defeated Brownsville, 13-0.

CLASS A

*** Neshannock defeated Chartiers-Houston, 9-5.

*** Another big performance from T.D. Conway as California beat Western Beaver, 7-2. Conway pitched a two-hitter and struck out 16.

*** Bentworth shut out Vincentian, 10-0, in five innings.

Wednesday, 16 May 2012 11:14

Written by Mike White

I'm just sayin' ...

*** A new alignment for WPIAL baseball next year will mean the playoffs will have a different look. That's a good thing because the WPIAL baseball playoffs need to change.

I'm not the only one who doesn't like the way the WPIAL baseball playoffs are set up. I know some coaches feel the same way. The problem with the current system is teams that get first-round byes can win a championship by throwing only their No. 1 pitcher in three consecutive games. It is entirely possible a team can win a title without ever throwing a second pitcher.

Let me explain. Three teams in Class AAAA, four in AAAA, one in Class AA and three in Class A received first-round byes and will play in the quarterfinals today. The winners of the quarterfinal games probably won't play until next week, which means a team's No. 1 pitcher can throw the entire game today, and then come back and pitch again in the semifinals. The championships are two weeks away. So that No. 1 pitcher can also throw in the title game.

Sorry, but I don't think any baseball tournament should be set up where a team can throw its No. 1 pitcher every inning of every game.

Thomas Jefferson was the No. 4 seed in the Class AAA playoffs. But heck, the way the playoffs are set up, I truly think they should the No. 1 seed. Why? Because stud pitcher Greg Schneider can pitch every game. Schneider (pictured) has been super, giving up only two runs all season. With him on the mound, Thomas Jefferson has to be the favorite in every game. It would be an upset if he lost.

I know weather, proms and other school functions play a factor in WPIAL playoff scheduling, but what tournament, from Little League to NCAA, is set up where a team can use the same pitcher in three games and win a title? Crazy. This tournament would be better if at least the quarterfinals and semifinals were played closer together, so that a team couldn't use its No. 1 pitcher in both of those games.

Or the WPIAL should have taken four teams to the playoffs from each section, instead of three. Then teams wouldn't get first-round byes.

This problem should be allevaited next year because of the new alignment. Next season, there will be at least five teams in every section. With three teams going to the playoffs in each section, each classification will have at least 15 teams. This season, there are only four sections in Class AAAA, AAA and A. That is why there are byes.

*** In getting back to Thomas Jefferson's Greg Schneider, I don't remember a WPIAL pitcher having this kind of season. He is 8-0 and has allowed only two runs. Not two earned runs. TWO OVERALL!!!! And that is in 48 1/3 innings. Schneider also has 88 strikeouts. Schneider, by the way, is a Pitt recruit.

*** It seems some people are having trouble understanding how the WPIAL could make two different rulings on two sophomore football players who transferred to Central Catholic. After hearings on Monday, the WPIAL made running back Niko Thorpe eligible after transferring from Shaler. But the WPIAL made quarterback J.J. Cosentino ineligible after transferring from Kiski Area.

Maybe it's a little hard to understand how the WPIAL Board of Control could make two different rulings. But you need to know this: Most of the time, the parties involved ask that the hearing is closed. No media allowed. And the WPIAL can't discuss particulars that were brought up in the hearing. Thus, you really don't know what evidence, or lack of evidence, was presented in terms of transfers for athletic intent.

That being said, I would guess Cosentino has about a 90 percent chance of the decision being overturned at the PIAA level.

*** A quick note on the basketball recruiting front, some young players are starting to catch the attention of some Division I colleges. Dayton, Vermont, North Carolina Wilmington and a few others are already showing interest in Hampton sophomore twin brothers Ryan and Colin Luther.

A few Division I schools also are starting to show interest in Beaver Falls sophomore guard Elijah Cottrill.

*** South Florida recently made a scholarship offer to Kiski School junior guard Major Canady. That goes along with a few other Division I offers.