PIAA baseball-softball championship history lesson
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Four WPIAL baseball and four WPIAL softball teams are trying to become state champions when the PIAA title games are played at Penn State. But did you know that one WPIAL baseball team has won more titles than any teamin the state?
With the championship games being played Thursday and Friday, we’d like to offer a little history lesson. Leading off the lesson is the fact that Riverside High School’s four championships are the most of any team since the PIAA started baseball championship games in 1977. All of Riverside’s championships have come since 2005 and all under coach Dan Oliastro, who celebrated a golden coaching anniversary this year. Oliastro recently completed his 50th season as thePanthers’ coach.
Anddid you know that one of Riverside’s PIAA championships came with a historic individual achievement? In 2005, Riverside defeated Halifax, 8-0, and Curtis Brown became the first pitcher to throwa no-hitter in a PIAA title game.
Before we give you a complete list of PIAA baseball and softball champions from the WPIAL, may we offer a fewmore history lessons:
• The first WPIAL team to win a PIAA baseball championship was Penn Hills in 1978. Penn Hills’ coach was a fellow named Neil Gordon, who you might remember went on to win WPIAL and PIAA football championshipsas Penn Hills’ coach.
• The 1979 Class AAA tournament had a Central Catholic team that made it to the semifinals before losing to State College, 13-11. Central Catholic had a star shortstoppitcher named Dan Marino. Central Catholic’s catcher was Mike Berger, who went on to have a stint as the assistant general manager of the FloridaMarlins.
• Did you know that in 1980, the PIAA played the entirebaseball and softball tournaments over a five-day span in Shippensburg? That was the only year the PIAA used the format. All teams were brought to Shippensburg and the playoffs were a doubleelimination tournament. Teams stayed at Shippensburg University. It was my first year of going to the PIAA baseball playoffs — and honestly I thought it was great. From Monday through Friday, you just ran around watching and covering games. You should’ve seen the baseball teams that got in the losers bracket struggling for pitchers by Thursday of thetournament.
• The winner of that 1980 Class AAA baseball championship was Shaler, which I believe might be the best team in WPIAL history. How good was coach Jerry Matulevic’s squad? Well, two players were taken in the top 10 rounds of the MLB draft, which is unheard of for a WPIAL school. Catcher Doug Maggio was drafted by the Phillies in the third round and pitcher Wayne Schuckert by the White Sox in the ninth round. Three other players from that team were drafted in the top top 20 rounds out of college -— outfielder Matt Stennett (11th round out of Pitt) and pitchers Rich Schlieper (20th round out of West Virginia) and Chip Peluso (15th round out of Point Park). Also, third baseman Tom Weider played at the University of Maryland and shortstop Ed Bodnar at Pitt. And standout pitcher-first baseman Ken Karcher was a Parade AllAmerican football quarterback who played in the NFL and could’ve been a majorcollege baseball player. Stennett was also a Parade AllAmerican running back at Shaler who later played receiver at Pitt, along with playing baseball.
• The PIAA softball championships started in 1975. The first WPIAL team to win a PIAA title was North Hills in 1980. The Indians’ standout pitcher was Leigh Curl, who went on to play basketball for the University of Connecticut and is now the team orthopedic doctor for the Baltimore Ravens.
• Hempfield has the most PIAA championships (three) of any softball team from the WPIAL, but not the most of any team in the state. Minersville leads with an impressive 10.
OK, the last part of the history lesson. Here are the WPIAL teams that have won PIAA championships:
Baseball
4: Riverside (2005, 2006, 2011, 2012).
2: North Allegheny (1996, 2007). 2: Moon (2001, 2002). 2: Neshannock (2004, 2015).
2: 2007).
1: Bethel Park (1988), Canon-McMillan (2008), Center (1990), Connellsville (1989), Ellwood City (2003), Ford City (1987), Greensburg Central Catholic (2002), Hopewell (1986), Knoch Seneca Valley (1995, (2015), Latrobe (2017); Mt. Lebanon (1998), Northgate (1982); Penn Hills (1978), Pine-Richland ( 2006), Riverview (1983), Serra (2011), Shaler (1980), Vincentian (2016), Washington (1998), Wilmington (1981).
Softball
Hempfield (2017, 2016,
3: 1999)
2: Shaler (2006, 2004), Leechburg (1995, 1992)..
1: Ambridge ( 2005); Canon-McMillan (2013), Canevin (1999), Carmichaels (1998); Chartiers-Houston (2010), Mount Pleasant (2017), Mt. Lebanon (2010), Neshannock (2012), North Allegheny (2002), North Hills (1980), South Park (2017), StoRox (1989), Valley (2011), Vincentian (2008), West Greene (2017), Yough (2016).