Defending champion Latrobe leads tight District 31 American Legion race

For seven of the 10 teams in District 31 American Legion, a third of the season is behind them.

And with about a month left, Latrobe, at 6-0, finds itself atop of the standings, a half-game up on Young Township, which is 6-1, and two games up on Bushy Run and Yough, both at 4-2.

The league started on time because the high school season was surprisingly short. No Westmoreland County high school baseball team reached the WPIAL semifinals.

Latrobe coach and District 31 president Jason Bush said he’s pleased how things have gone so far this season, especially for his Jethawks.

“The league is in good shape,” Bush said. “Most of the teams are on schedule, and those who need to catch up have scheduled doubleheaders.”

The regular season is scheduled to end July 3. The playoffs will begin July 5.

“We’re off to a good start,” Bush said about his team. “It’s not surprising because we’re more of a program than a team. We’re pleasantly surprised.”

Bush added the story of the season hasn’t been written yet because there are still a lot of games left.

“The league has a lot of balance,” Bush said. “I expect them to tighten up the next few weeks.”

Latrobe is at Derry at 2 p.m. Saturday.

While Bushy Run is young, veteran coach Scott Peyman expects his team to be in the mix come July.

Bushy Run tied for the league title with Latrobe in 2021, sporting a 17-8 record.

Bushy Run defeated Unity and then had a walk-off 3-2 win against Young Township recently. Catcher Ian Temple’s two-out, bases-loaded single scored second baseman Eric Biroscak with the winner.

It was a statement win for Bushy Run, which returned eight players from the 2021 team.

“We’re good,” Peyman said. “We have a lot of young talent. The key is how they develop. They’re going to make some young mistakes, but I’m excited about the future. The next two seasons, I expect us to be really good. We’ll be very competitive.”

Murrysville is under new management as Patrick McKay and Bob Bozzuto are back trying to revive the program.

Murrysville is off to a 1-3 start, defeating Derry and dropping a doubleheader to Young Township, one of the top teams in the league according to McKay, who played for Bozzuto at Murrysville and is the North Catholic coach.

“We have some good athletes here who can play decent baseball,” McKay said. “But we’re dealing with players being pulled different ways. There is a competition for athletes.

“We’re looking for them to commit to playing baseball. We want to provide them with good coaches who are willing to teach baseball and have got players to the next level.”

Other new coaches this season include Steve Manion at Yough and Glenn Scott at Unity.