The games: Class 1A (10:30 a.m.), Class 3A (1:30 p.m.) and Class 5A (4:30 p.m.) will all be Thursday, while Class 2A (10:30 a.m.), Class 4A (1:30 p.m.) and Class 6A (4:30 p.m.) will all be Friday.
Site: All six championship games will be played at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
TV: All six games will be televised live by PCN.
Tickets: Tickets for all games are available for purchase by online only through the PIAA website. No tickets will be sold at the stadium. However, tickets can still be purchased online the day of the games. There is no capacity limit and the stadium holds 5,406.
Fate of defending champs: Due to COVID-19, the PIAA championships were not played in 2020. Of the six teams that won state titles in 2019, Red Land and Mount Union are the only ones to make the PIAA playoffs this season.
First champion: The PIAA didn’t have PIAA baseball championships until 1977. The first champion was Hatboro-Horsham, which defeated Penn Hills, 4-0, in the title game and there was only one classification. The PIAA didn’t have two classifications until 1979.
First champ from the WPIAL: In 1978, Penn Hills became the first state champion from the WPIAL. The Indians defeated Valley View, 7-5, in the title game. That Penn Hills team was coached by Neil Gordon, who won a PIAA title as Penn Hills’ football coach in 1995.
Riverside reigns: According to information provided by PIAA historian Rod Frisco, Riverside, a WPIAL school, has the most PIAA championships with four, all under coach Dan Oliastro. The four came in 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012. Seven teams have three championships while six WPIAL teams have won two championships. They are Canon-McMillan, Moon, Neshannock, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley and Vincentian.
Brown’s no-hitter: In 2005, Riverside pitcher Curtis Brown became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a state championship when the Panthers blanked Halifax, 8-0, at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona. Brown was only 5 feet 8, but was gigantic on this day. He struck out seven, walked three and finished the season with an 11-1 record. Riverside has the longest PIAA playoff winning streak. The Panthers won 18 consecutive PIAA games from 2005-16.
North Allegheny a regular: This season was North Allegheny’s 20th time in the PIAA playoffs, the third most of any school. Before this year, the Tigers also had been to the finals five times.
From college to the minors: From 1977-92, the PIAA title games were held at Shippensburg University, with the exception of 1989 when they were played at Veterans Stadium in Altoona. Since 1993, the games have been played at a minor-league baseball park. The four sites used have been Riverside Stadium in Harrisburg (also called Commerce Bank Park), Bowman Field in Williamsport, Blair County Ballpark and Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: June 16, 2021, 10:00 a.m.
