Zebrasky has Carlynton in baseball playoffs
In his first-season as Carlynton High School’s baseball coach, Frank Zebrasky led the Cougars to the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.
Zebrasky, a Wash High graduate in 1978 and former coach at Canon-McMillan, oversaw a big turnaround by Carlynton. He was an assistant coach for the team last season.
The Cougars finished with a 15-5 overall record and 9-5 mark in rugged Section 3-AA, which earned them third-place behind traditionally strong Serra Catholic and Brentwood. Carlynton won only 10 games over the past three seasons and only 16 games combined between 2013-2016.
The Cougars open WPIAL playoff action Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. when they meet Neshannock (14-6) and the third-place finisher in Section 2, at Seneca Valley. The Lancers were 10-4 in the section.
“I think the fact they worked a little harder in the offseason than they previously had really helped our kids,” said Zebrasky, who also teaches at Carlynton.
“Our whole team performed well this season. I think they came together and combined to do well. Last year, we competed very well in a tough section that included Keystone Oaks, Steel Valley and Seton-La Salle. We were in a lot of games and then we were out of them midway through or at the end.”
This is Carlynton’s first playoff appearance since winning a section championship in 2011. The Cougars then posted five consecutive losing seasons, winning just 24 of 85 games (.282 winning percentage) during that time.
“Our pitching has allowed us to do good things,” Zebrasky said. “We are in a section with a couple of high-quality teams. At the beginning of the season, if someone would have told us we would be 15-5, we’d have taken that in a heartbeat.”
A total of 13 area baseball teams and 13 softball teams qualified for the WPIAL playoffs.
In baseball, Canon-McMillan (Class 6-A), California (Class AA ) and Jefferson-Morgan (Class A) enter as section champions.
The Rockets section crown is their first since 1988.
In softball, three area teams enter postseason play as sections champions. They are Canon-McMillan (Class 6-A), Belle Vernon (Class 4-A) and West Greene (Class 1-A), which is the defending WPIAL champion.
Other baseball qualifiers include: Peters Township (Class 6-A), Belle Vernon, Ringgold and McGuffey, all Class 4-A; Waynesburg Central and Charleroi, in Class 3-A; Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston and Bentworth, in Class AA; and Monessen in Class A.
The other softball qualifiers are Ringgold (Class 5-A), South Fayette (Class 4-A), Waynesburg Central and McGuffey (Class 3-A); Chartiers-Houston, Bentworth and Burgettstown (Class 2-A) and Carmichaels, Monessen and California (Class A).
The softball playoffs bgein today with South Fayette, McGuffey and Waynesburg involved in first-round games. The baseball playoffs begin Tuesday.
Monessen is looking for a baseball postseason victory and will get its chance Wednesday when it meets Union at Burkett Park in Robinson Township in a first-round matchup.
The Greyhounds completed the regular season by defeating Geibel and Washington. They also own a victory over Greensburg Central Catholic.
Monessen is 7-9 overall and went 6-6 in Class A’s Section 2. Union (8-6) overall finished third in Section 1 with a 6-4 mark.
The Greyhounds, whose entire roster is underclassmen, are led by juniors Cory Fleming, a pitcher-shortstop, and first baseman Antonio Rhome.
Fleming, the team’s leadoff hitter, had a team-high .500 batting average (23-for-46) with 12 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. He had a team-high six doubles and four-triples. Fleming posted a 3-4 pitching record with 38 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Rhome batted .456, going 20-for-44, with five doubles, a tri-ple and 12 RBI.
Freshman centerfielder Cameron Frolo has a .571 on-base percentage and drew 22 walks and has 18 runs.
Monessen is in the WPIAL playoffs for the third time since 2013. The Greyhounds last won a section title in 1985 when their current coach, Bill Matush, was a member of the team. The Greyhounds lost its only playoff game that season.
“I feel our chances are pretty good,” Rhome said. “I feel confident. Our team is young but it seems like we’ve been together forever.
“We’re trying to make history. We’ll go out and play hard and try to take our side of the bracket.”
The WPIAL Individual Track and Field Championships will be held Thursday at Baldwin High School.
The top 24 Class AAA and top 16 Class AA athletes in each event will be entered into the championship meet based on times and distances achieved in the regular season.
Avella’s Rebecca Spencer recently signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Akron and compete for the Zips’ rifle team. Akron is a member of the Great America Rifle Conference.
Spencer is not the only Washington County native to earn a rifle scholarship. Morgan Duerr of Burgettstown, who was a walk-on at the University of Kentucky as a freshman this season, was recently given a scholarship. Duerr, who is a Weirton Madonna graduate, was redshirted this season.