May 13, 2016 5 min read

A winning streak and a bit of self-discovery at the perfect time can turn a good baseball team into one that is championship caliber.

In the moments after his players finished a 14-inning win over Peters Township to clinch a spot in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs, Canon-McMillan head coach Tim Bruzdewicz saw the symmetry finally materialize – one with a mix of youth and experience. Everything had meshed to fulfill the vision he had before the season began.

With a good pitching staff and a deep lineup, Bruzdewicz was not shy about his confidence regarding the Big Macs’ chance to make noise in the postseason.

After the WPIAL released pairings for its baseball playoffs Friday, the Big Macs began to focus on how to harness their strengths entering the tournament.

Canon-McMillan (12-7) received the seventh seed will play No. 10 North Hills (13-7) Monday at North Allegheny (4 p.m.).

“I think that right now we’re one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL,” Bruzdewicz said. “The message to the kids is to keep working and go out there to prove it; show people how good we are. No matter what, you have to beat four teams to get to where you want to go.”

It wasn’t long ago that the Big Macs were two games under .500 in section play and their inexperience showed as moments of adversity spiraled into losses. A six-game winning streak capped by the victory over Peters Township has Canon-McMillan as the most intriguing team in the playoff bracket.

A win over North Hills, which defeated second-seeded Pine-Richland in section play, would advance the Big Macs to the quarterfinals, where they would face either Pine-Richland or Gateway at a site and time to be determined.

There are few guarantees in the postseason, but sophomore Zach Rohaley on the mound and senior catcher Tanner Piechnick, an Ohio University recruit, behind home plate is as good a bet as any.

“We aren’t going to beat teams 10-2 or blow anyone out,” Bruzdewicz said. “That’s not our game. We are looking for 3-2, 5-4, close games. We can pitch, we can hit and we have a bunch of speed, but we have to play clean baseball to win. If we do that, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

The old adage goes that one game doesn’t define a season, but one game certainly set off a chain of events that has Peters Township seeded lower than the Big Macs and one win away from having to face the top team in the state.

The Indians (12-7) received the ninth seed and will play No. 8 Fox Chapel (14-5), which defeated Peters Township early last month, Tuesday at West Mifflin (2 p.m.). The winner plays top-seeded Plum, which is led by Alex Kiriloff, who is projected to be drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.

Peters Township has won six of its last seven games and is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The situation is one head coach Joe Maize is familiar with.

The Indians were the eighth seed in 2008 and defeated top-seeded Seneca Valley in the quarterfinals on their way to winning the WPIAL championship.

“I’ve never gotten too worked up over seeding or where a team is placed,” Maize said. “That 8-9 game is probably the toughest to win. You have to beat a team the committee sees as equal to you, then you have that No. 1 team staring at you. Our guys are ready for the challenge and they’re excited.”

In Class A, California (17-2), which won a third consecutive Section 1 title, received the third seed and will start the playoffs Tuesday against Brentwood (9-6) at Upper St. Clair (7 p.m.).

Bentworth (12-6), which finished second to California and handed the Trojans one of their two losses, is seeded 12th and plays No. 6 Vincentian Academy (14-6) Tuesday at Upper St. Clair (4:30 p.m.). Carmichaels (10-5), meanwhile, is the 13th seed and opens the postseason against No. 4 Union (11-5) Tuesday at the Burkett Complex in Robinson Township (2 p.m.).

In Class AAA, Belle Vernon (16-4), the runner-up in Section 4, opens the playoffs Monday against No. 8 Chartiers Valley (12-7) at Upper St. Clair (7 p.m.). South Fayette (8-9), which needed a dramatic come-from-behind win over McGuffey to earn a playoff berth, is the 14th seed and plays No. 3 Blackhawk (15-4) Monday at Burkett (6:30 p.m.).

In Class AA, Chartiers-Houston (14-5), the runner-up in Section 2 behind Brownsville, is the ninth seed and plays No. 8 Shady Side Academy (10-8) Tuesday at Burkett (4:30 p.m.). Charleroi (11-7), the third-place team in Section 2, received the 16th seed and will open the postseason against defending state champion Neshannock (16-2), the top seed, Tuesday at Seneca Valley (4:30 p.m.).

The WPIAL championships are schedule for May 31 and June 1 at Consol Energy Park.