Don Rebel stories, Page 70
Trib 10: New teams take top spots in baseball, softball power rankings
The teams ranked in the latest Trib 10 have proven they can win in the warmth of last week and the chill of this week. Three teams slipped out of the Trib 10 with Franklin Regional baseball replaced by fellow 5A power South Fayette. On the softball side, Montour is...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 19, 2023: Top 4 teams in 6A softball in action
Wednesday begins the second half of section play in WPIAL Class 6A softball. The top four teams — Norwin (7-1), Seneca Valley (6-1), Hempfield (6-2) and North Allegheny (5-2) — have opened up a gap over the other five teams in the one and only 6A section. The top six...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 18, 2023: Serra Catholic coach looks to add to win total
The winningest baseball coach in WPIAL history is Dan Oliastro with 679 victories. The 79-year old, now in his 54th season at Riverside, has the Panthers at 8-0 this season and in first place in Section 1-3A. The next man on the active WPIAL baseball coach’s victory list picked up...
Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week for April 17, 2023
While pitching in high school softball might not be a dominant as it once was before the rubber was moved back, it’s still an integral part of success on the diamond. Which brings us to Trinity senior pitcher Taylor Dunn, who along with her Hillers teammates is having a standout...
Trib HSSN Softball Player of the Week for April 17, 2023
Not all home runs can be measured the same way, and we’re not talking about distance here. While all long balls are thoroughly enjoyed by the batter and their teammates, their weight on the outcome of a game may differ. Clubbing one in a blowout victory is nice but lacks...
Hempfield fends off fierce Canon-McMillan rally to win battle for 1st place
There was no sun, no blue skies, no comfortable temperatures in the area Monday. The weather was wet, windy and raw with the mercury barely cracking 40 degrees. But for the Hempfield baseball team, it was a beautiful day. The Spartans held off Canon-McMillan, 7-6 at Wild Things Park in...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for April 17, 2023: Top teams in Class 6A baseball in action
For the first time in over a week, weather is a concern for outdoor spring sports Monday. Gone for now are the above average temperatures and sunny skies, replaced at the beginning of the week by much colder temps and a threat of rain. That said, there are plenty of...
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for April 16, 2023
Always a bridesmaid, now finally a bride. After years as an assistant baseball, football and wrestling coach at Canon-McMillan, Brendon Steele finally got a chance to be a head coach when he took over for Tim Bruzdewicz this offseason. The Big Macs baseball team has responded, winning 7 of their...
Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for April 16, 2023
While most rivalries are built on geography, some are born from multiple postseason clashes. The latter is true of one budding rivalry in WPIAL Class 3A. Playoff meetings and a slew of coaches changing from Eagles blue to Antelopes red has stoked the fire between Avonworth and South Park. The...
This week on Trib HSSN for week of April 17, 2023
As the calendar heads into the second half of April, WPIAL baseball and softball hit the midway point of section play on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN continues our coverage of WPIAL softball and baseball with a busy week of section action. We also have some WPIAL...
West Mifflin celebrates win over McKeesport, another shutout for Addison Hilligsberg
Friday was West Mifflin softball coach Erik Hilligsberg’s birthday. “We’ve played two or three times (on his birthday) and they’ve responded and we’ve won,” Hilligsberg said. “Maybe every game should be on my birthday.” The birthday boy got his wish as his Titans played a complete game in shutting out...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 14, 2023: Undefeated Montour faces test
There are seven undefeated teams in WPIAL softball, and all but one are alone in first place in their section. The lone exception is Montour. The Spartans have won all six games they have played this season and are a perfect 4-0 in Section 3-4A. They enter Friday’s game technically...
Trib HSSN State Softball Rankings for April 13, 2023
The winds of change were blowing in Class 4A this past week as three teams from the inaugural Trib HSSN state softball rankings last week dropped out of the Top 5. Only two other teams were bumped in the other five classifications combined. In 4A, Clearfield, Villa Joseph Marie and...
Trib HSSN Baseball State Rankings for April 13, 2023
Much like the weather this past week, it was smooth sailing for most of the teams in the first edition of the Trib HSSN baseball state rankings from last week. Only three teams lost their spot in the Top 5, including Cumberland Valley in 6A, Donegal in 5A and Montoursville...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 13, 2023: Western Beaver softball continues breakout season
In its first two years playing Class 5A softball, Western Beaver, which co-ops with Lincoln Park, had a combined record of 0-19 in section play and 2-22 overall. However, third year has been a charm for the Golden Beavers. Western Beaver has been a great story thus far this season...
Trib 10: New team moves into top spot in softball power rankings
There was some shuffling of the deck this past week, but not a lot of turnover in the latest baseball and softball weekly Trib 10. Three teams total lost their grips on a power-ranking spot, with Mars and South Park baseball and Latrobe softball slipping out of the top 10...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 12, 2023: Class 6A softball powers to meet
The top four teams in WPIAL Class 6A softball square off Wednesday. Defending champion and undefeated Seneca Valley visits a Hempfield team that knows something about gold. The Spartans won the last two Quad-A championships before expansion, then won the first three 6A crowns between 2015-2019. While the Raiders are...
No. 9 hitter sparks 7th inning rally, leads Chartiers Valley past Thomas Jefferson
The last shall be first. Senior Tyler Zallenick, the designated hitter batting in the No. 9 spot in the order, delivered a two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh inning to break a scoreless tie and spark a big inning in a big win for Chartiers Valley over...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 11, 2023: Teams look for daylight in tight section race
Call it the even-steven section. WPIAL baseball section series continue Tuesday with three matchups slated for Tuesday and Wednesday in Section 4-4A. If history means anything, don’t be surprised if all six teams split their home-and-home games these next two days. That is because all six split in their first...
Trib HSSN softball team of the week for April 9, 2023
In Trey Tilghman’s first year as head coach of the Charleroi softball team in 2014, the Cougars captured a section championship. Then over the next five seasons, Charleroi missed the playoffs. But during that time, Tilghman saw a storm brewing in the youth softball leagues in the Charleroi school district....
Trib HSSN softball player of the week for April 9, 2023
Western Beaver junior outfielder Shaylyn Shall knows a little bit about change. Shall attends Lincoln Park, which has a co-op agreement in softball with Western Beaver. It is her third high school in as many years after attending Montour as a freshman and Hopewell as a sophomore. However, the startling...
Trib HSSN baseball player of the week for April 9, 2023
As a sophomore last year, Zane Griffaton batted .317 with two home runs and 17 RBIs for West Mifflin. But when you ask him about the Titans’ WPIAL Class 4A championship run from last season, Griffaton gets defensive. “Playing spectacular defense, I feel, played a really big part in our...
Trib HSSN baseball team of the week for April 9, 2023
The Mars baseball program has proven itself as a perennial contender in WPIAL Class 5A. In the last five seasons, the Fightin’ Planets lost in the 2017 and 2018 district championship game to Latrobe and North Hills, respectively. They lost in the 2019 semifinals, the 2021 quarterfinals and were upset...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 10, 2023: Mt. Lebanon-Central Catholic begin 3-game series
Easter Monday has most WPIAL baseball and softball teams enjoying the day off. However, there is some action to begin the new week. It has been a major struggle for defending WPIAL 6A baseball champion Mt. Lebanon in 2023. More than two weeks into the season, the Blue Devils still...
Trib HSSN broadcasts for week of April 10-15, 2023
No need to hunt for eggs and treats this week as The Network goes full boat spring sports post-Easter holiday on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN continues our coverage of WPIAL softball and baseball with section action. We also have boys and girls district lacrosse. Plus, the...

