By JEREMY SELLEW
Area high school baseball and softball teams got to check out who they will be section mates with over the next two seasons after the WPIAL announced new alignments Monday.
One of the biggest changes will be the introduction of two-game series for local baseball teams.
Instead of playing teams early in the season then again in the second half of section play, teams will play a two-game series on consecutive days.
“Baseball is designed for series, and it creates a great deal of interest,” said North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto, chairman of the WPIAL’s baseball committee.
The move forces managers to contemplate how they will use their pitching staffs.
“I really don’t see any disadvantages,” Belle Vernon Area head coach Tony Watson said. “I think it’s a competitive advantage since you won’t see a team’s ace two straight games. Plus, the two-game series will allow for a doubleheader in the event of a rainout. We lose a good bit of games in the spring because of the weather.”
“You’ll see who has the better baseball team,” WPIAL associate executive director Amy Scheuneman said. “A lot of times, the team with the better pitcher used that pitcher both times around. Now, rival schools will be able to play their No. 1 pitcher against another No. 1 and the No. 2 pitchers against each other.”
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