When West Allegheny toppled Peters Township in extra innings to claim its fifth WPIAL title in dramatic fashion in 2022, the Indians had future Auburn infielder Gavin Miller leading the charge. Before Miller, future first-round MLB draft pick Austin Hendrick roamed the outfield from 2017-19, as West Allegheny consistently ranked among the top teams in Class 5A.
You probably won’t find any future first-round picks or SEC infielders on this year’s roster, but there is one holdover from that era who is keeping the Indians’ winning tradition alive and well — longtime coach Bryan Cornell.
Now in his 21st year at the helm, Cornell is responsible for raising all five WPIAL championship banners at the school — one as a standout player in 1994 and four more as coach — and West Allegheny has narrowly missed out on a handful of other titles under his watch. But no matter how many players come and go, the Indians (11-3, 7-3) always seem to be in the mix come playoff time, and they just wrapped up a share of another section title in absolutely loaded Class 5A Section 3 after splitting a two-game series with co-champion North Hills.
“It’s one and done in the playoffs. If you lose, you’re out,” Cornell said. “There isn’t a second chance on day two. We have to take that same mentality into the five remaining games we have, and say, ‘We have to start our playoffs right now.’ And the kids have done that.
“We have some seniors who have played for a while, but we’re still a relatively young team with some young starters. This will be their first playoff experience, and we just need to get them up to speed really quick.”
Don’t get it twisted, though — there might not be any blue-chip recruits on this team, but West Allegheny has several players coming up big at the plate, in the field and on the mound so far. And although the Indians have yet to hit a home run on the season, that hasn’t stopped them from navigating a brutal schedule and coming out with another piece of hardware to add to the trophy collection.
Cornell’s son, junior center fielder Brock Cornell, is better known as a hard-hitting defensive back and multi-purpose weapon for West Allegheny’s football team, and he was selected as a PUP all-star following the 2023 season. He always treated baseball as more of a secondary sport, but he is really coming into his own as a speedy leadoff hitter for the Indians this year, batting .364 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 7 RBIs, 9 stolen bases and a team-leading 14 runs scored.
“He had some success in eighth grade, then he really, really started to like it [in ninth grade]. He just likes to be around, and he likes to compete and learn how to play the game,” Cornell said. “When you’re a part of a WPIAL championship [in 2022], you’re like, ‘Man, I want that [again].’ … He’s able to bring that energy that you need to try to make it infectious for everyone else.”
In the No. 2 hole, senior second baseman Brady Miller is batting .447 with 6 doubles, a triple, 10 RBIs, 11 runs scored and 10 walks, giving him an on-base percentage of .549. Once on the basepaths, Miller makes teams pay with his elite speed, and he boasts a team-high 11 steals on the year.
Senior catcher Wil Gubba has been the team’s main run producer, batting .400 with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 17 RBIs, while senior first baseman Ben Kern is hitting .372 with three doubles and seven RBIs. Senior cleanup hitter Derek Curry is running into some bad luck at the plate while batting .280, but Cornell expects him to turn it around down the stretch when West Allegheny needs it most.
“We don’t have a home run this year, but we have guys who hit the gaps,” Cornell said. “Derek Curry has been a very good player for us, but he’s hitting the ball right to people right now.”
On the hill, junior right-hander Mason Gass and freshman right-hander Brandon Boyce have served as the Indians’ top two starters, and both are more than capable of shutting teams down by themselves. Gass owns a record of 3-2 with a 2.75 ERA and 22 strikeouts to nine walks in 28 innings pitched, while Boyce holds a 3-0 record and 2.96 ERA with 29 strikeouts to 10 walks in 26 innings of work.
All in all, West Allegheny won’t get confused for a “dream team” by any means, but Cornell knows as well as anybody what a championship ballclub looks like — and he believes the Indians just might have the recipe to make another run at a title this spring.
“I think that these guys are ready and they’re battle tested,” Cornell said. “I always say all the time — it takes a lot of luck to win a WPIAL championship. A lot of things have to go your way. If it goes our way and we get the right bounces, then I think we have as good of a chance as anyone. I think we can beat anybody, and I think we can lose to anybody.”
Riverside’s historic streak snapped by Neshannock
After getting walloped in a 10-0 mercy-rule defeat in a WPIAL championship rematch against reigning Class 3A champion Riverside on Monday, Neshannock didn’t have much time to regroup for its rematch with the Panthers on Tuesday.
That didn’t seem to affect the Lancers, who knocked off unbeaten Riverside with a 5-2 upset victory to snap the Panthers’ 36-game winning streak, which is believed to be one of the longest in WPIAL history. Riverside (11-1, 9-1) became the only WPIAL team to complete an undefeated season while winning WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2023, and there were many who believed the Panthers could repeat the feat under legendary coach Dan Oliastro with a star-studded lineup led by Duke recruit Christian Lucarelli.
Instead, Neshannock (8-8, 6-4) brought an end to Riverside’s quest for perfection, while solidifying its standing in third place in Class 3A Section 1. Hunter Wilson went 3 for 3 with an RBI, Luca Mezzanotte had a pair of hits and Jake Rynd struck out seven in 6⅔ innings of work to pick up the monumental win for the Lancers.
Make way for Mohawk
All of a sudden, Riverside’s stunning loss not only ended the Panthers’ undefeated season — it also dropped them into second place in Class 3A Section 1, opening the door for red-hot Mohawk to lay claim to the top spot heading into the final week of the season.
The high-powered Warriors have tallied seven runs or more in seven consecutive games while outscoring their overmatched foes by a combined score of 80-24 during that stretch. Overall, Mohawk is riding a 10-game winning streak into a non-section showdown with Blackhawk on Thursday.
Of course, the Warriors (15-1, 10-0) won’t be able to just cruise into the postseason with the section title in hand. Mohawk and Riverside will square off in back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday to decide the section champion and likely No. 1 seed for the Class 3A playoffs on the field, with the Warriors needing to win only one of two games to clinch the section crown.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
