History will be made on Friday when Greencastle-Antrim and DuBois meet at Penn State’s Medlar Field to play for the PIAA Class 5A baseball title.
Whether victory goes to the Blue Devils or the Beavers, one squad will be celebrating the first state championship in program history.
Greencastle, back in the state title game for the first time since 2000, brings to the park a group of ballplayers that can mash the ball from the top of the batting lineup to the bottom. With Colonial Division Player of the Year Avery Horst leading the charge, the Blue Devils will be aiming to make the most of their second crack at a PIAA crown.
DuBois, a squad that last appeared in the state championship game in 1992, has been waiting even longer for a shot at PIAA redemption. Two Division I recruits, Trey Wingard and Noah Farrell, have the Beavers believing that this is their year to claim the ultimate prize.
Get your popcorn ready.
This preview will be our last for the 2025-26 season. Our Game of the Week feature will take several weeks off before returning in August for the start of fall sports. Suggestions for Game of the Week can be sent to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
PIAA Class 5A Final
Greencastle-Antrim vs. DuBois
First pitch: Friday, 4:30 p.m., at Penn State
Records: The Blue Devils enter with a 22-3 record, while the Beavers check in at 21-4.
Last game: Greencastle advanced past the semifinals with a come-from-behind 11-5 win over West Chester Rustin, while DuBois punched its ticket to the state final with a 4-1 win over Hollidaysburg.
What’s at stake: The winner will be crowned state champ, while the loser will have to settle for silver.
Meet the Blue Devils: Contrary to what was written in our semifinals preview earlier this week, Friday will mark Greencastle’s second trip to the PIAA title game. … The Blue Devils previously played for the state championship in 2000, when they fell to Huntingdon 9-7 in the Class 2A title tilt. … Coach Eric Shaner’s squad, which played to a first-place tie in the Mid-Penn Colonial Division and went on to take third at the District 3 tourney, advanced to the state final with victories over Upper Perkiomen (2-1), Pittston Area (6-5),and West Chester Rustin (11-5) … The wins over Pittston and WC Rustin were both of the come-from-behind variety. … Greencastle trailed the Golden Knights 5-0 after three innings in Monday’s game, but scored 11 unanswered runs over the final four innings to seize victory. … The Blue Devils, led by super sophomore Cam Rakaczewski and Avery Horst, the Colonial Division Player of the Year, are batting .370 as a team with 64 extra-base hits. … Rakaczewski, a Colonial first-teamer, leads his team in both runs (40) and RBIs (36) and is batting .482 (40-for-83) with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 stolen bases. It was Rakaczewski who was at the center of the comeback win over WC Rustin. He went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs to fuel the victory. … Horst, a West Chester recruit, is batting .410 (34-for-83) with nine doubles, one triple, 23 runs, 33 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. … Bryce Davidson (.348) and Nolan Sullivan (.380), who were both All-Colonial second-team selections, have combined for 13 extra-base hits, to go along with 61 runs, 39 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. … Bo Brookens, set to play for Cowley College next spring, is batting .365 (27-for-74) with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 19 runs, 25 RBIs and five stolen bases. His brother, Manny, is hitting .356 (26 for 73) with four extra-base hits, 19 runs, 18 RBIs and eight stolen bases. … Andrew Weaver, a Colonial third-teamer, ranks second on the Blue Devils in runs scored (39) and is batting .341 (28 for 82) with eight doubles, 16 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. … Mason Mellott (.290, 14 runs, 16 RBIs) is also a regular in the Greencastle lineup, while Landon Bishop (.366, 12 RBIs) and Noah Shifflett (.353) have made the most of limited opportunities. … On the mound, Rakaczewski (1-1, 0.40 ERA) will likely be unavailable for pitching duties after tossing 4 2/3 innings of relief on Monday. Ryder Linn (8-1, 2.35 ERA, 51 strikeouts) started Monday’s game and worked 2 1/3 innings. … That means the Blue Devils will likely be giving the ball to Jaxson Bostic or Horst. … Bostic is 7-0 with a 1.65 ERA and has struck out 52 batters over 51 innings. … Horst is 7-1 with a 1.82 ERA and has 35 strikeouts over 34 2/3 innings.
Meet the Beavers: DuBois is back in the PIAA title game for the second time in school history. … It’s been a 34-year wait for the Beavers, who fell 4-1 to Montoursville in the 1992 state title game. … DuBois, the District 9 champion, has clawed its way to the championship with wins over Montour (2-1), Upper St. Clair (13-10) and Hollidaysburg (4-1). … Coach Josh Johnson’s squad is led by senior catcher Trey Wingard. The University of Delaware recruit is batting .600 (48-for-80) with 13 doubles, three home runs, 26 runs, 32 RBIs and six stolen bases. … Third baseman Mason Dinkfelt is the man the Beavers count on for power and driving in runs. Dinkfelt owns DuBois’ single-season record with 34 RBIs and counting and leads his team in home runs (8). He is batting .432 (32-for-74) with six doubles, one triple, 24 runs and six stolen bases. … Three others in the DuBois batting lineup — Adam Drahushak (.358), Madix Clark (.324), and Noah Farrell (.309) — know how to keep the line moving and have combined for 24 extra-base hits, 52 runs and 52 RBIs. … Speedy center fielder Bryson Kail, who leads the Beavers with 15 stolen bases, is batting .254 (16-for-63) with two doubles, two home runs, 22 runs and 16 RBIs. … Samson Deeb (.244, 23 runs, 14 stolen bases), Walker Thomas (.262, 17 runs, 11 stolen bases) and Brody Knouse (.270, 6 extra-base hits) are all regulars for DuBois that could make an impact on this game. … The Beavers are led on the mound by Farrell, a UConn recruit who sports an 8-0 record with a 0.54 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings. However, Ferrell will likely be unavailable for any heavy duties as he just pitched six innings on Monday. … Look for DuBois to give the ball to either Grady Galiczynski (2-2, 4.31 ERA, 26 strikeouts) or Knouse (2-0, 3.60 ERA, 30 strikeouts), with Hunter Ho (2-1, 1.50 ERA, 19 strikeouts), Deeb (3-0, 3.00 ERA, 17 strikeouts), Jonathan Reed (1-0, 1.83 ERA, 9 strikeouts) and Carter Genevro (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11 strikeouts) all fully rested and ready to contribute.
Sandrik’s pick: Blue Devils by 1.
