VanSickle, Turcheck, LaCarte named to All-State baseball team
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Waynesburg Central’s Alex VanSickle, who was second in the WPIAL in hitting during the regular season, was inexplicably left off the Section 4-AAA all-section team.
No matter. The Raiders’ junior infielder took home a bigger honor recently.
VanSickle was one of three area players who were named to the Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches Association All-State team and the only one to receive first-team honors.
VanSickle was selected to the Class 3A 1st Team as an infielder and teammate Derek Turcheck, who also was snubbed in the All-Section voting, was named All-State 2nd Team.
Belle Vernon senior Adam LaCarte was named to the Class 4A 2nd Team.
“They both had great seasons,” Waynesburg athletic director Chris Minerd said of VanSickle and Turcheck. “Alex batted .617 and played all over. He also pitched for the team. He had a great season. Derek was the first baseman and batted close to .450. He had a very good year, too.
“But I mean, how do you make All-State but not All-Section, especially if one of the players hits.617 and is second in the WPIAL in batting? What I do know is we’re proud at Waynesburg to have them both named to the All-State team. It’s quite an honor.”
Van Sickle also was among the WPIAL leaders in runs scored with 27 and Turcheck had 20 RBIs, also among the district leaders.
Waynesburg is in search of a new head baseball coach following the departure of George Taylor, who guided the Raiders to a second-place finish in the section this past season.
LaCarte helped coach Tony Watson’s Leopards win the Section 2-AAAA championship. He batted .426 with four home runs, 18 RBIs, 16 runs and seven stolen bases, and was the winning pitcher and drove in the winning run in Belle Vernon’s eight-inning, section-clinching, walk-off win over Latrobe.