Steve Bucci's mind is divided between a berth and a birth.

In his second season as coach, Bucci has guided Canon-McMillan to its first berth in a PIAA baseball championship. The Big Macs play in the Class AAAA final against Spring-Ford of suburban Philadelphia at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.

Also on Bucci's mind is his wife, Shannon, who is due to give birth any day to the couple's first child.

"I've been on pins and needles for a while," Bucci said. "I'd say three of the biggest things in my life are getting married, this baby and going to the state final. Two of the three are going to be in the same week. I think I'm going to have a good week, no matter what."

Steve Bucci, 38, is a man consumed with baseball. Want an example? He and his wife know they are having a boy, and they will name him Brayden, after Bradenton, Fla., spring training home of the Pirates.

"I'm actually a big Yankee fan, and Derek Jeter is my guy, but I don't think my wife liked Derek too much," Bucci said, with a laugh. "Baseball means a lot to me, and I don't know what it will mean to my son, but, hopefully, he'll like to play it. Maybe I can coach him one day, and we'll be in the same spot where we are now."

Canon-McMillan is the latest "spot" where Bucci has been a winner. Before coming to Canon-McMillan, he was South Park's coach for seven years, led the Eagles to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals three times and to the championship game once. Before that, he spent four seasons (1996-99) as Serra's coach and made the WPIAL playoffs three times.

He came to Canon-McMillan partly because he wanted the challenge of coaching in the highest classification. He took over a team that won only five games in 2006, and took the Big Macs to the WPIAL playoffs in 2007. This season, Canon-McMillan qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time.

It's not a coincidence that winning follows Bucci.

"The first year was a little rocky," Bucci said. "I just think the thing that needed to change was attitude. I brought some coaches with me [from South Park], and we tried to change some attitudes, just with what the players do at practice, the way they conduct themselves for games and their work ethic overall."

Bucci calls coaching a "breath of fresh air" from his full-time job. He is a corrections officer at the Allegheny County Jail. He works night term, just so he's able to coach.

Canon-McMillan qualified for the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs as the No. 3 team from the WPIAL. Burrell is the No. 3 WPIAL Class AA team and also has made it to the PIAA final. The Bucs play Loyalsock at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Blair County Ballpark.

It will be a day of championship games for Loyalsock as the school's softball team will play for a PIAA title at Shippensburg University at 4 p.m.

Carmichaels has made it to the PIAA Class A final for the first time, but the Mikes won't have one of their top players for the championship. Joby Lapkowicz sustained a broken right ankle in a semifinal Monday and had surgery Tuesday. Lapkowicz was Carmichaels' top pitcher and also one of the team's best hitters.

Lapkowicz pitched two innings in the semifinals and Chuck Gasti five. Gasti will start against Camp Hill in the title game at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at Blair County Ballpark.

"Chuck had a low pitch count in that game [Monday], and he'll be able to respond well," said Carmichaels coach Dave Bates.

"Although we really don't want to pitch him on three days rest, I don't think they're going to move the state championship game for that. Then again, I don't know. Maybe you can call Camp Hill and ask."

The Mikes have survived a handful of other injuries this season.

"We had so many other injuries, I started thinking about putting white squares with red crosses on all of our equipment," Bates said. "But this is an opportunity for some other kids to make the big play and step up now."