As summer approaches, athletes competing in spring sports are preparing for the end road, also known as the playoffs. A sport during this time that gets many people excited is baseball, and North Allegheny’s team will prepare for the Division 6A Playoffs as the number two seed. With a team filled with seniors, the pressure is on for the upperclassmen to deliver. 

West Point commit Andrew Hart stated, ”I think we had a great regular season. 15-5 Is nothing to be ashamed of, but I think we could have been even better. Our pitching was phenomenal, but our struggles at the plate allowed teams to beat us in low scoring games. Going into the playoffs, our main goal is to just ride the momentum we have right now. We are coming off of a six-game winning streak and the team is starting to really come together offensively. We know nothing is going to be handed to us but are confident in our ability to beat any team. This team is special and I think we can make a big run in the playoffs.”

The Tigers will take on the Upper St. Clair Panthers in the first round of the WPIAL Playoffs. Last time these two teams faced off, NA won in a dominating fashion 11-0 over only five innings. The team remains confident going into the playoffs with the amount of preparation they have put beforehand. However, the WPIAL Championship is not the only thing Tigers Baseball is keeping their eye on.

Junior Harron Lee made it clear.

“Obviously the goal is to win the state championship. We came just short of that last year so we’re even more hungry this year. The regular season went pretty well. There were a few bumps on the road but mostly internal that we have fixed by now. Our mentality for the playoffs? As Coach Coffin puts it, ‘Kill or be killed.’”

As the number two seed, the expectations for the Tigers are to reach the WPIAL championship and be in position to win the whole thing for the second time in a row. However, the team that is higher ranked and standing in the Tigers’ way is the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils. Last time these two teams met, it came down to the end as the Blue Devils edged the Tigers, 2-1.

Junior Will Smalley claimed, ”It was a great game, but we knew we should have won. We know that we are at their level and our roster is definitely capable of beating them. They produced just a bit more offense and we fell a little bit short. We hope we can climb to the top of the WPIAL bracket and meet them again for a rematch. Although we will have to play to the best of our ability, we would be highly motivated to seek revenge on them.”

With the first round set against the Panthers, the Tigers journey to defending their WPIAL title begins on May 23rd at 4:30 PM.