Five of the six No. 1-ranked teams in the Post-Gazette baseball rankings have held the top spot for at least the past two weeks. But it’s questionable if all of those teams will end up as the No. 1 seed for the WPIAL playoffs.
Only one week remains in the regular season. Due to rain his week, most games were postponed and some WPIAL teams will have to play four section games by Friday of next week. The WPIAL baseball committee meets next Friday to determine playoff pairings and seedings and a lot could happen between now and then that could make for some tough choices for No. 1 seeds.
Here is a look at the scenarios for the No. 1 seed in each classification:
CLASS 6A: North Allegheny (11-3) is in first place and Section 1 and holds the No. 1 ranking. But North Allegheny still must play a three-game series against No. 2 Pine-Richland (12-5), which is in second place in the section. If North Allegheny wins that series, it will definitely get the No. 1 seed. But what if Pine-Richland wins two of three? And don’t forget No. 3-ranked Butler (9-5) has a three-game series with No. 4 Seneca Valley (12-4). Who would get the No. 1 seed if there is a three-way tie for first in Section 1?
CLASS 5A: Two-time defending PIAA champ Bethel Park (10-4) has been the No. 1 team for weeks and, barring a major collapse, seems to be a lock for the No. 1 seed.
CLASS 4A: The race for the No. 1 seed in this classification is mighty interesting. West Mifflin (14-2) was the No. 1-ranked team but lost Monday to Chartiers Valley (12-3), and Montour (12-3) regained the No. 1 spot. Chartiers Valley is suddenly in contention for the No. 1 seed if it beats West Mifflin one more time. Montour can definitely make a case for the No. 1 seed, but don’t forget the Spartans split two games with Blackhawk, and Blackhawk has an 11-2 record. Montour and Blackhawk are tied for first in Section 1. Depending on what happens in the final week, the WPIAL could have a tough decision for the No. 1 seed.
CLASS 3A: Riverside (14-0) is ranked No. 1 and is the only undefeated team in the entire WPIAL. But Riverside has two games with No. 2 Mohawk (12-2) next week. Who would get the No. 1 seed if the teams split?
CLASS 2A: South Side (13-1) is ranked No. 1 and has been impressive. But South Side has two games against No. 3 Seton LaSalle, which has an 11-2 record. There is also Chartiers-Houston (13-2) and Serra (13-2) and both could end up with a good case for the No. 1 seed, depending on what happens in the final week. And don’t forget Burgettstown (8-2) is tied for first in the section with Chartiers-Houston. Who would get the No. 1 seed if Seton LaSalle and Serra split?
CLASS 1A: No. 1-ranked Union has a 7-4 record, but the defending WPIAL champion Scotties’ four losses were to good teams in higher classifications. Union seems to be a lock for the No. 1 seed.
Here are the Post-Gazette rankings heading into the final week of the regular season:
WPIAL CLASS 6A
1. North Allegheny 11-3
2. Pine-Richland 12-5
3. Butler 9-5
4. Seneca Valley 12-4
5. Canon-McMillan 11-4
WPIAL CLASS 5A
1. Bethel Park 10-4
2. Shaler 12-4
3. South Fayette 12-3
4. Franklin Regional 11-3
5. Fox Chapel 10-5
WPIAL CLASS 4A
1. Montour 15-2
2. Chartiers Valley 12-3
3. Blackhawk 11-2
4. West Mifflin 14-2
5. Latrobe 10-6
WPIAL CLASS 3A
1. Riverside 14-0
2. Mohawk 12-2
3. Yough 11-4
4. Avonworth 12-4
5. East Allegheny 9-3
WPIAL CLASS 2A
1. South Side 13-1
2. Chartiers-Houston 13-2
3. Seton LaSalle 11-2
4. Serra 13-2
5. Burgettstown 8-2
WPIAL CLASS 1A
1. Union 7-4
2. Eden Christian 10-2
3. California 8-7
4. Bishop Canevin 8-3
5. Carmichaels 10-3
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh.
First Published: May 4, 2023, 12:17 p.m.
