SPORTS
Zane Pacek's 7-foot frame comes with equally big talent
SAXONBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - The WPIAL baseball season is nearing its end, but one player in southwestern Butler County is just starting his journey, and you might say he has a high ceiling.Sophomore pitcher Zane Pacek is a big part of the Knoch baseball team. At 7 feet, he towers over teammates and opponents."You'll hear stuff in the dugout whenever you're pitching just like, 'Oh, how's the weather up there?' or, 'Oh, there's a giant on the mound,' but in the line, after they'll be like, 'Dude, you're so tall, like holy cow, he's huge!'" Pacek said.Luckily for Zane, he's...
'The perfect storm': Mother and daughters together on the softball field for Oakmont
In past years, getting quality time with her daughters in the spring was a challenge for Oakmont Regional softball coach Katrina Bunting. Now, the equation is a bit simpler, as Bunting's daughters are both on the field with her. Rachel Sinclair, a 2019 Oakmont grad, has joined her mother as an assistant coach and Sophie Gaidanowicz is playing for her big sister and mom as a senior on the team. It’s truly a family affair for Oakmont...
Once North Catholic bats pop, they can’t stop in win over Kiski Area
It’s not something that North Catholic coach Andy Przybylek shouts often, but it might’ve been the socks he was wearing that sparked some inspiration. As his power-hitting catcher, Blake Primrose, stood in the batter’s box with a 3-0 count and the bases loaded, Przybylek yelled down the first-base line: “It has to be in a Pringles can.”
Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller, Hempfield’s Peyton Murray win scholar-athlete Excellence Award
Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller and Hempfield Area’s Peyton Murray have set numerous records during their high school careers. Now they can add being the best student-athletes in Westmoreland County. Two of the top athletes in track and field won the Excellence Award on Tuesday at the 68th annual...
Avonworth wins section with shutout of Freeport
The Avonworth softball team came into Wednesday’s Section 1-3A matchup against Freeport at Freeport Community Park in control of its own destiny to claim another outright section championship. A win over the Yellowjackets was all that was needed. And the Antelopes got what they were looking for. Led by...
Plum Mustang mountain bike team gears up for season of growth, camaraderie
Jim Yurek gets excited when talking about the continued growth of the Plum Mustang mountain bike team. “I love what this team has done for my sons and what it still does for my daughter,” said Yurek, a retired police officer who runs The Bike Lab shop in Plum and is the Plum team director.
Freshman pitcher Shelby Novak helps Burrell softball lock up 18th straight playoff appearance
Shelby Novak said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue pitching. She had battled in the circle since she was 7 and was there in junior high and travel softball. “I wanted to quit pitching and just be an outfielder because I was thinking down the road for college, but I decided to stick with it,” said Novak, a freshman and starting pitcher for the Burrell team that finished Section 1-3A play Monday with a 5-3 win over rival Deer Lakes at Bon Air Elementary and clinched a playoff berth for the 18th straight season.
Franklin Regional softball gets locked in late in season
As he watched the WPIAL softball regular season wind into its final two weeks, Jim Armstrong saw a change in his team. The Franklin Regional coach noticed a more positive vibe in the dugout. Players were showing more emotion during big innings, more enthusiasm for fellow hitters and even more...
Baseball Recap: Ellwood City picks up fourth straight win at home
Ellwood City came tearing into Thursday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Riverview Raiders a 10-0 shutout. The team relied heavily on Jordan Keller,...
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