History
2006 2007 2008 2009
The formation of the WPEBLBob Mollenhauer raised the idea of forming a league to keep the top high school players in the area competing in one league. A meeting was subsequently held at the Diamond Baseball Training Center in October, 2005 in which Bob explained his idea to a group of interested coaches and the league was formed.
Beaver Valley Red Sox - Pat Cutshall
Beaver Valley White Sox - Jory Coughenour
Diamond Dawgs - Kevin Green
Pittsburgh Bulldogs - Mike Kosko
Pittsburgh Tigers - Ed McCann
Seneca Valley - Walt Patsilevas & Scott Grinder
Southwest Bulldogs - John Leonard
Steel City Wildcats - Mark Saghy
The league was formed with the objective of providing a single venue for college coaches and scouts to see the top talent in Western PA. Teams were chosen by their ability to teach positive values to their players on and off the field with the focal point being sportsmanship, integrity, honesty, and baseball.
First Season 2006
The league accomplished its initial goals by fielding extremely competitive teams that culminated with a league playoff in which the semifinal and championship games were played at Slippery Rock University. Seneca Valley prevailed as the league champion of the inaugural WPEBL season, defeating the Beaver Valley White Sox in the finale by a score of 9-2.
Second Season 2007
The 2nd year saw changes in the league, resulting in a growth in the number of teams competing in the WPEBL. Chase Rowe took over the Diamond Dawgs and the Pittsburgh Bulldogs merged with the Southwest Bulldogs under the direction of Mike Kosko to become the Bulldogs. The league also added 3 teams to bring the number of competing teams to 10� Springdale (Bill Devine), Independent Players (Jim Basilone), & Greensburg Huskies (Joe Hill).
The Bulldogs earned the top seed in the playoffs with the best regular season record while the Steel City Wildcats won the league title with a victory over Seneca Valley in the finals.
Third Season 2008
The league expanded to 11 teams for its 3rd season following the addition of the South Hills Merchants (Joe Delsardo), North Allegheny (Denny Webster) and Revolution (Dan Ninemire); as well as the demise of the Greensburg Huskies and Pittsburgh Tigers.
A Rules & Dispute Board was established to oversee and handle all disputes and rule interpretations that may arise during the season. The board was comprised of 3 coaches elected for a 1-year term through a vote of all teams - Pat Cutshall (Red Sox), Bill Devine (Springdale), and Walt Patsilevas (Seneca Valley). Decisions of the Rules / Dispute Board are final and not eligible for "challenge" by any team. Fortunately, the board was only involved in one issue during the 2008 season.
Once again, the season results mirrored the previous year as the Bulldogs took the regular season crown while the Steel City Wildcats won the league title by defeating North Allegheny in the final game of the double elimination tournament.
Fourth Season 2009
The league maintained 10 teams with the Revolution being the only team not returning for 2009. Tim Zeroski took over the Red Sox and guided them to a first place finish in the regular season, as they tied the Bulldogs atop the standings – the 3rd year in a row that the Bulldogs have shared the regular season title.
The playoff format was changed to include the top 6 teams from the regular season competing in Best-of-3 Series, with the top 2 teams receiving a first round bye. The Diamond Dawgs prevailed as the 2009 League Champions by sweeping the first 2 games against Seneca Valley in the finals. This marked the third different league champion in the 4 years of the WPEBL, serving as a great example of the league’s competitive nature.
FIFTH SEASON 2010
The league maintained 10 teams with the Bulldogs not being invited back for 2010 and the Allegehny Tigers were added to replace the Bulldogs.