Raiders lead local baseball contingent as 4th seed
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Perry Cunningham has played and coached in his fair share of baseball games, but on Tuesday evening at Gateway High School, the former Waynesburg University head coach, who is also in the Frontier League Hall of Fame as a pitcher, will make his debut in the WPIAL playoffs.
Cunningham, who is in his first season at Waynesburg Central, will guide the Raiders against Freeport in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A baseball playoffs. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
Waynesburg enters the tournament as the No. 4 season after winning Section 4-3A with a record of 11-1. The Raiders were 15-3 overall. The Yellowjackets finished in a five-way tie for first place in Section 3-3A with Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley and Mount Pleasant. All five teams had a record of 8-4 in league play.
Cunningham wasn’t sure what seed his team would receive, but will take the fourth seed.
“I am not sure I knew what to anticipate in where we would be seeded,” Cunningham said. “Certainly, there was an understanding of the quality of teams that are ahead of us in Riverside and Avonworth. You don’t know what to expect or where you will fall, but there are no byes in this bracket and you still have to win to advance.”
After playing professional baseball and coaching at the collegiate level, Cunningham is well aware of scouting, but he wants his squad to focus on what they can do and not the opponent.
“Freeport is an unknown opponent for us, and we are going to work hard to figure out what they have, but ultimately, I am worried about us and having our guys prepared. Our guys have to be ready to play in a high-pressure game.”
Despite leading Waynesburg to a section championship in his first season, Cunningham deflected praise to his senior-laden team.
“I have been fortunate to have a really good group of players, and with that, eight seniors who have been building up to this year,” Cunningham said. “We want to do our best job as a staff to have them prepared because high school baseball is coming to an end in a short period of time, whether it’s next week or next month. We will have our full complement of arms available to win Game 1.”
Three of the seven teams in the 蘑菇视频 coverage area are from Greene County, as Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan qualified in Class A.
The Mikes and Rockets were 9-3 in Section 1-A behind Greensburg Central Catholic, who was 11-1 in league play. Carmichaels earned a 3-1 victory over the Centurions on April 15.
The Mikes received the No. 6 seed, and will play Union on Tuesday in the first round at Boyce Mayview Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Jefferson-Morgan is the eighth seed, and will head to Norwin High School to play Winchester Thurston on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the first round.
The Rockets carry a 12-game winning streak into Tuesday’s contest. J-M coach John Curtis has his team playing their best baseball heading into the playoffs, but he expects a tough game against the Bears. The winner will play top-seeded Serra Catholic on May 19 in the quarterfinals.
“My old AD (athletic director) used to tell me you have to play everybody if you want to win it anyway, so there is no use getting upset with where we were seeded,” Curtis said. “We kind of expected a seven, eight or nine seed. Winchester Thurston has good players, and all playoff teams do, and they are in a good section, but I think we are, too. We are going to give it our best effort. We will have all our pitchers ready to go, but so will everyone else.”
Belle Vernon is the fifth seed in Class 4A. The Leopards were the third-place team in Section 2-4A at 9-3.
Belle Vernon plays Derry in the first round at Gateway High School on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
California is the 11th seed in Class 2A. The Trojans finished third in Section 1-2A at 6-5 and will play Riverview in the first round on Tuesday at Norwin High School. The first pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Connellsville is also headed to Norwin High School, as the Falcons finished in a tie with Montour for third place in Section 4-5A with a record of 6-4. Connellsville won both games over the Spartans and received the 11th seed, while Montour was No. 14.
The Falcons play Penn-Trafford on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the first round.
Mount Pleasant is the 12th seed in Class 3A. The Vikings face South Park on Tuesday at Gateway High School. The first pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.