‘Commander on the field,’ ex-Pine-Richland, Penn State catcher Matt Wood selected in 4th round by Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers selected former Pine-Richland and Penn State catcher Matt Wood in the fourth round of the MLB Draft on Monday, perhaps impressed by the take-charge attitude he has cultivated throughout his baseball career. “You’re the commander on the field,” he said from his home in Gibsonia. “You get...
Pine-Richland grad reaches for the stars on Embry-Riddle rowing team
Kristen Vigna wanted to do two things in college: study astronomy and astrophysics and be on a rowing team. She wasn’t quite sure that the two together would be possible. But an internet search revealed a perfect match in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. “There aren’t many schools...
North Allegheny again finishes atop Class 6A Trib Cup standings
North Allegheny winning the Trib HSSN Cup comes as no surprise. The fact that it was closer than usual made things interesting in the 6A chase. A strong athletic season at Mt. Lebanon kept it close, but in the end, NA still won comfortably to keep intact its two-decade streak...
Pitt offer adds to excitement of recruiting frenzy for Pine-Richland lineman Ryan Cory
In the last few months, Ryan Cory has received scholarship offers from schools all over the country, and now he’s getting some interest closer to home. Following a team camp June 26, Cory, lineman at Pine-Richland, was offered by Pitt, adding to a long list of colleges hopeful to land...
Pine-Richland hosting Future College Athlete field hockey clinic
For years it has been Donna Stephenson’s mission to grow the game of field hockey in Western Pennsylvania. So, when she was presented with a unique opportunity to host a clinic featuring instruction from nationally renowned coaches and former USA national players it was a no-brainer. Pine-Richland will host a...
Impact players made season successful for PIHL girls league runners-up
The inaugural season of the highly anticipated PIHL girls division has been completed. One of the top squads in the league was Team Central, which finished as PIHL runner-up with an 8-4 record. Coached by RMU youth hockey coordinator Joe Cummings, the Central girls won six of seven regular-season games...
Pine-Richland notebook: Sections overhauled for Rams basketball teams
A new opponent with a rich history will be joining Pine-Richland boys basketball for the next two seasons. New Castle, a 13-time WPIAL champion and last year’s Class 5A state runner-up, is moving up to Class 6A and will be in Section 1 with the Rams. The Red Hurricane were...
Pine-Richland notebook: Girls lacrosse team finishes 4th in WPIAL
The Pine-Richland girls lacrosse team came within one goal of advancing to the PIAA playoffs, but ultimately, Upper St. Clair continued to be a thorn in its side. The Rams lost 12-11 to the Panthers in the WPIAL Class 3A consolation game May 26 at Robert Morris’ Joe Walton Stadium....
After winning share of section title, Pine-Richland looks forward to promising future
The 2022 season for Pine-Richland baseball culminated with a shared Section 1-6A title with North Allegheny for the Rams after a rare postseason miss in 2021. It was an accomplishment that bodes well for future seasons, but it also provided a nice sendoff for five seniors — Andy Swartout, Tyler...
Moon’s Mia Cochran earns state’s top honor from track and field coaches
Moon senior Mia Cochran turned in quite a performance at the PIAA track and field championships the weekend of May 27-28. She won three distance races — 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters — in Class 3A, and for that effort she was named the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association’s...
Pine-Richland distance runner comes home from states with personal bests, medals
Natalie McLean went to the PIAA track and field championships last year for the first time as a sophomore and took home plenty of lessons. This year she applied them and the result was a pair of medals. McLean, a junior at Pine-Richland, placed fifth in the girls 1,600 meter...
Gabby Baldasare takes over Pine-Richland girls basketball program
It’s been a couple weeks since Gabby Baldasare learned she was hired to take over the Pine-Richland girls basketball team, and she has the same emotions as when she first heard the news. “I still feel like I’m floating on Cloud 9,” She said. “It’s still surreal. I heard about...
Pine-Richland notebook: Baseball team stopped by Butler ace
After sharing the Section 1-6A title with North Allegheny, Pine-Richland baseball ran into a buzzsaw in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Butler pitcher Madden Clement pitched a three-hit shutout, propelling the Golden Tornado to a 5-0 victory over the Rams on May 23 at Seneca Valley. Clement, the...
North Allegheny plays near-perfect game to knock off Pine-Richland in 6A semifinals
North Allegheny softball coach Morgan Vescovi made a list of five goals for her team to accomplish in Wednesday’s Class 6A semifinal against Pine-Richland. At the top was to put pressure on the Rams early, and her Tigers did just that. They scored twice in the top of the first...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for May 25, 2022: Boys volleyball, lacrosse titles up for grabs
The district gold starts to flow Wednesday with two WPIAL boys volleyball and three district lacrosse title matches. In boys volleyball, could there be a changing of the guard in Class 3A? North Allegheny has completely dominated the 3A landscape with 21 WPIAL boys volleyball championships, four straight crowns and...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for May 23, 2022: Rematches set for baseball playoffs
Welcome to Semifinals Monday in the 2022 WPIAL baseball playoffs. Unless your team is in classes 6A or 4A, then it’s Welcome to Quarterfinals Monday. Whether it’s the second or third round, the recurring theme is rematches. Of the 16 scheduled games, 11 are matchups between teams that faced each...
Pine-Richland relay sprints to school record, WPIAL gold medal
Luke Rudolph insisted he’s not as fast as the relay runner he replaced, but the results say otherwise. Pine-Richland’s 400-meter relay team lost its anchor to injury late in the season, yet the boys kept breaking school records. Their latest record-setting run came at the WPIAL Class 3A individual championship...
First-round playoff loss ends Pine-Richland boys lacrosse season
The Pine-Richland boys lacrosse team clawed out of an early hole after dropping seven of its first eight games to finish third in Section 2-3A and earn the right to host a playoff game. But the Rams ran out of steam in their postseason opener against a Penn-Trafford team set...
Peters Township baseball, Beaver softball stay atop Trib 10 power rankings
The 2022 WPIAL baseball and softball playoffs are through the first round and in some classifications, the quarterfinals are in the books as well. Only three teams between the two power rankings were knocked out of the Trib 10, and two of them call Shaler High School home. Other than...
Pine-Richland teams turn in playoff seasons in 4 spring sports
Four Pine-Richland spring sports teams earned spots in the WPIAL playoffs. The Rams baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse teams all qualified for the postseason. Here is a look at how they got there. Baseball The Rams split the Section 1-6A title with North Allegheny a season after a rare...
Pine-Richland grad Johnson leads Kent State batters
Josh Johnson sticks to the same regimen before every game. He starts by drinking an energy drink. Then he puts his gloves and cleats on the exact same way every time. After that he takes four rounds in the batting cage before taking batting practice every day. Some would call...
After slow start, Pine-Richland boys lacrosse gaining ground
The Pine-Richland boys lacrosse team installed new offensive and defensive philosophies this season and did so against an ambitious early season schedule. It was all done by design, but it came with some early heartache as the Rams dropped eight of their first nine games. However, once they got into...
Breakthrough season nets share of section title for Pine-Richland baseball
Prior to a high-stakes game against North Allegheny on May 4, Pine-Richland baseball coach Kurt Wolfe told his team there would be a playoff-type feel. For starters, a share of the section championship was on the line. Add in a raucous crowd for fan appreciation day at Pine-Richland and the...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for May 2, 2022: Baseball, softball section play wraps up
Welcome to May, where the regular season continues to wind down, and the postseason is two weeks away. Most WPIAL baseball teams will close out their sectional series schedule this week. In five of those sections, the top two teams are deadlocked for first place and will meet in a...
Pine-Richland grad hits reset button, returns to slugging ways at Bucknell
Grant Voytovich didn’t mince words about how his freshman season with Bucknell baseball went. “Last year was pretty bad to be quite honest,” he said. Voytovich, a Pine-Richland grad, started the first 11 games last year and hit .158 before being relegated to the bench for the remainder of the...
