Jake Kelleher (24) and the rest of the Wyoming Area Warriors will play in the first-ever state playoff game in school history when they face District 4 champion Midd-West at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Bowman Field in Williamsport in a PIAA Class 4A first-round game.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
Four Wyoming Valley Conference baseball teams knew well in advance where they would be playing in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA state playoffs. The brackets were released on Friday morning.
Softball was a little more complicated as some of the information was released Friday afternoon. Hazleton Area knew it was playing District 1 third seed Haverford in a Class 6A game at 3 p.m. Monday at Freedom Park in Drums. District 2 Class 4A champion Tunkhannock received word it would play 3:30 p.m. Monday at Marywood University, but the Tigers’ opponent wasn’t be decided until Saturday afternoon.
Berwick, which lost to Tunkhannock in the title game, didn’t know if it would be in the state playoffs. The Dawgs had a play-in game with D11 runner-up Northwestern Lehigh late Saturday afternoon after being rained out Thursday night. That winner plays D champion Bishop McDevitt at 4 p.m. Monday at Lebanon Valley College.
Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at piaa.org/tickets.
Here’s a look at the four state baseball games. A softball preview will appear Monday.
Hazleton Area (22-0) vs. North Penn (13-7)
Class 6A First Round
4:30 p.m. Monday
Mountain Top Legion Field
Hazleton Area won the District 2 title by defeating Wilkes-Barre Area 11-3. The big thing was the game lasted seven innings, something the Cougars aren’t used to. They’ve defeated 12 opponents where the game ended short of seven innings because of the 10-run or 15-run mercy rule.
North Penn will try to hand Hazleton Area its first loss. The Knights will likely pitch 6-foot-4 junior lefty Dylan Brown. Brown is a Notre Dame recruit and, according to Prep Baseball Report, his fastball has reached 89 mph while his curve drops about 15 mph. He got North Penn to the District 2 semifinals in a 8-2 win over Spring-Ford.
North Penn’s bats, though, withered in the semifinals. The Knights got one hit — an RBI double by Ethan Cohen — in a 2-1 loss to Boyertown. They bounced back to claim the third seed with an 8-1 win over Hatboro-Horsham.
When it comes to future Division I college players, Hazleton Area is loaded with seniors Mike Kilker (West Virginia) and Macrus LaBuda (Villanova), juniors Nick Biasi (Florida State) and Bryan Molinaro (St. John’s) and sophomores Brett Antolick (Arizona) and Grant Russo (St. John’s).
Biasi pitched the D2-6A title game. He had a 6-0 record, a 0.92 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 30.1 innings during the regular season. Molinaro (.527, 5 HR, 32 RBI) is one of several standouts in a batting order with no soft spot.
The winner plays in the quarterfinals Thursday against either D1 champ Neshaminy or D11 runner-up Parkland.
Wyoming Area (11-6) vs. Midd-West (16-5)
Class 4A First Round
6:30 p.m. Monday
Bowman Field, Williamsport
Wyoming Area plays in the state playoffs for the first time in school history. District 3 champion Midd-West is here for only the second time. The Mustangs’ last venture into states was in 2005 and included a 10-0 victory over Pittston Area.
Wyoming Area had a COVID-19 issue early and struggled out of the gates offensively, with juniors Jake Kelleher and Evan Melberger the only consistent bats. The Warriors, though, got in sync and won six of their last eight regular-season games. The batting order is no longer top heavy like in early April.
The Warriors defeated Honesdale 11-0 in the district finals, breaking through with five runs in the third inning after threatening in the first two frames. They made Honesdale starter Joe Curreri throw 76 pitches through 2.2 innings, three more than Wyoming Area’s JJ Hood threw in his complete game.
Hood, a UConn recruit, finished the regular season with a 5-0 record, 1.59 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 44 innings. He also had two saves. He was among several Warriors who produced at the plate after a slow start.
Midd-West could counter with either of its lefties — freshman Caden Wolfley or sophomore Griffin Paige. Both are also the Mustangs’ top hitters with batting averages well north of .400.
The winner plays in the quarterfinals Thursday against either D3 champion ELCO (16-6) or D12 runner-up Science Leadership (record not available).
Lake-Lehman (16-2) vs. Loyalsock (16-6)
Class 3A First Round
4:30 p.m. Monday
Pittston Area Primary Center, Hughestown
Lake-Lehman came one game away from playing for the PIAA Class 3A state championship in 2019. The Black Knights will now try to launch another deep state run starting with the District 4 champion like in 2019.
Lehman certainly has one key component — starting pitching. Virginia Tech recruit Nick Finarelli finished the regular season with a 7-1 record, a 1.58 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. LSU recruit Ty Federici was 3-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. Federici (.422), Max Paczewski (.429) and Connor Morgan (.489) were the top hitters. Luke Spencer hit .500, but had about half the at-bats as the trio because of an injury.
If Finarelli starts, he will be facing a future teammate in Loyalsock first baseman Nick Barone, who is also planning to be a Hokie. He’s not the only bat in the lineup. Chase Cavanaugh was 6-for-8 and Spencer Gross had four RBI in District 4 wins of 12-2 vs. Mount Carmel and 7-6 vs. Central Columbia. Joshua Rankey, a 6-foot-4 lefty, struck out 14 in the Mount Carmel win and picked up the save against Central Columbia.
The Lancers have won three state titles all at the Class 2A level in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
The winner plays in the quarterfinals Thursday against either D3 runner-up Trinity (15-6) or District 12 champ Neumann-Goretti (14-0).
MMI Prep (12-8) vs. Greenwood (10-10)
PIAA Class A First Round
3 p.m. Monday
Wenger Field, Fredericksburg
Despite a .500 record, District 1 champion Greenwood has been king of D1-A baseball for quite some time. The Wildcats lost 2-1 in the PIAA Class A championship game in 2019. They’ve won eight D1-A titles since 2009, holding the district record in that class.
The road to the district championship was short but bumpy. Greenwood edged Mount Calvary Christian 6-5 and Halifax 1-0, getting just four hits in the title contest. Starter Ethan Jezewski and reliever Sam Myers combined on a three-hitter vs. Halifax.
While it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jezewski start, there’s little doubt who will be on the mound for MMI Prep. Lehigh recruit Marcus Danchision was one of the best pitchers in the WVC this season. He had a 7-2 record with a 1.18 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 53.1 innings during the regular season. His only losses were to D2-3A champion Lake-Lehman.
Kevin McNulty and Colin Williams have provided power to MMI’s offense.
The winner plays in the quarterfinals Thursday against either D6 champion Juniata Valley (15-5) or D5 second seed Northern Bedford (11-12).
