All-Star Weekend

Well, All-Star Weekend is over and everyone involved was breathing a big sigh of relief because of the weather. The All-Star banquet was held on Friday night at the Airport Marriott and was attended by about 250 people. Randy Cosgrove did his usual great job as Master of Ceremonies and Scott Stricklin delivered a great message as our Guest Speaker. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

The Underclassmen Showcase was held on Saturday and, apart from about 15 minutes of rain, went off without a hitch. 123 players performed in front of representatives from 65 colleges and about ten professional teams. There was one milestone achievement during the Showcase as Johnny Rossi of Center High School became the first player in our six year history to hit 90 MPH from the pitchers mound. Taylor Schmidt of North Hills High School was the fastest player at the Showcase, running a 6.58 60.

The All-Star doubleheader was played on Sunday with Class AA defeating Class A and Class AAA beating Class AAAA. Evan Chiapetta of Beaver Falls and Dillon Haviland of South Fayette were selected as Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Pitcher, respectively. Kevin Welsh of Hopewell and Ethan Mildren of Laurel Highlands earned the same honors in the nightcap.

Many thanks go out to all who helped make the weekend a success. Special thanks to Mark Saghy for all of his hard work in planning and holding the weekend. We also want to thank Ibistek, Louisville Slugger, BWP Bats, Worth and The Game for their support, with the special thanks to Robert Kaschak and Todd Schiffhauer. We also thank the Pirates for their financial assistance. The game program also listed Black Bear Fundraising as providing financial assistance, but they never did provide that support.