Young Township American Legion team chasing playoff berth in District 31

The Young Township American Legion baseball team expects to make a run to a top-four finish in District 31.

Young Township (6-7-1) entered the week in seventh place as the regular season nears a conclusion.

District 31 is made up of 10 teams in and around Westmoreland County, with only eight teams advancing to the playoffs in July. Murrysville (10-3), Bushy Run (10-3-1) and Hempfield East (10-5) are among the teams leading the District 31 standings, followed by Latrobe (7-4), Somerset (6-4) and Mt. Pleasant (7-8).

Young Township manager Ryan Staats has one goal for his team after dealing with injuries earlier in the season.

“The team’s fully back together; we had kids missing games,” he said of the team that includes players from Armstrong, Apollo-Ridge, West Shamokin and Kiski School. “We are 100% healthy right now, and making a run here to finish top four in District 31 is our only goal.”

Young Township is led by three veteran players who consistently lift up younger players by being leaders, Staats said.

Pitcher/infielder Dustin Coleman, a recent Armstrong grad, is in his third season playing for Young Township.

“As a team, we are hoping to finish the regular season strong,” Coleman said. “The expectation is to go deep into the playoffs and make a run at the league championship. I know the team is looking forward for another trip to the regional tournament.”

Coleman boasts a 1.68 ERA in 16 innings this season.

“Coleman is a leader on offense and defense,” Staats said.

Staats also cited the contributions of pitcher Haden Brink and catcher Niko Buffone, who are playing their second seasons for Young Township.

Brink, also a 2023 graduate of Armstrong, has a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings. Buffone, a West Shamokin grad, has thrown out three of four runners attempting to steal.

“These three are definitely our leaders of the team and throughout the game,” Staats said.

The team also includes recent Armstrong grads Logan Badac and Caden Rupert and River Hawks rising seniors Thomas Scheeren and Zackary Wiles and juniors Chase Jablonski and Ryan Waugaman. From Apollo-Ridge are grads Nathan Simpson and Cooper Gourley and seniors Jacob Fairbanks, Colin Saxion, Landon Karpik and Roger Wright.

Gunnar Schoop is a rising junior at West Shamokin, and Gabriel Cornman is a rising senior at the Kiski School.

Young Township hopes to keep its top-four goal alive with the playoffs approaching in July.

“It’s a great league that is very competitive,” Coleman said. “There’s nothing better than playing against good teams like Bushy Run, Latrobe and Murrysville. The past three years I’ve had the opportunity to play against and to play with some very talented ball players.”