Mikes, Trojans sections foes again in baseball
The California and Carmichaels baseball rivalry took a bit of a hit two years ago when the Mikes were bumped up away from the Trojan to Class 2A.
California got the same treatment recently with the WPIAL’s release of the new baseball and softball alignments for the next two seasons. The Trojans, who won the WPIAL Class 1A championship last year, will now be in 2A and join Carmichaels in Section 3. The move up didn’t phase the Mikes, who won the section title in 2019.
The rest of the section includes Frazier, Bentworth, Beth-Center (down from 3A) and Washington.
Brownsville also was a member of Section 3 but will leap from Class 2A into Section 4-AAA next year where it will also join an old rival in Waynesburg Central. Also in Section 4 will be Charleroi, 2019 Class 4A finalist Yough and McGuffey.
The Falcons likely won’t be intimidated by the move up — they won the WPIAL Class 3A championship in 2018 — although coach Skooter Roebuck sees some formidable competition.
“Baseball is a little different than most other sports to me so I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Roebuck said. “We’ll have our work cut out for us though. I heard Waynesburg has a couple studs, Yough is going to be good, but I don’t really think it’s going to be that much different from Double-A.
“We’ll just roll with the punches.”
Section 2-A has been altered slightly and now includes Geibel Catholic, 2017 section champion Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, Monessen and West Greene, along with Bishop Canevin and Greensburg Central Catholic.
In softball, Mount Pleasant, which has won WPIAL (2016) and PIAA (2017) Class 4A championships in recent years, will battle in Section 3-AAA next year with Brownsville, 2018 district champion Southmoreland, South Allegheny, McGuffey (up from 2A) and an always competitive Waynesburg Central squad.
California will move up from 1A into Section 3-AA where it will compete against 2019 PIAA champion Frazier, perennial power Carmichaels, Bentworth, Beth-Center, Charleroi and Washington.
Two-time state champion and four-time WPIAL winner West Greene remains in Class A, along with 2015 district champ Jefferson-Morgan, Monessen, Mapletown, Avella, Geibel Catholic and GCC in Section 2-A.