CRANBERRY TWP — Matt Diesel, head coach at Shenango last year and a former Pine-Richland assistant, has been hired as head varsity baseball coach at North Catholic.

Diesel, 33, replaces John Haggerty, who coached the Trojans to a 5-12-1 record last spring, the program's first losing season since 2010.

Haggerty led North Catholic to the WPIAL Class 2A title in 2018, posting a 20-6 record.

“The board decided to open the position up this year,” North Catholic athletic director Brian Miller said. “We had 20 people apply for the position and interviewed five of them.

“Matt just stood out. He has a real baseball pedigree, coached at Pine-Richland and lives locally. He was the perfect fit.”

Diesel is a Cranberry Township resident. He led Shenango to a 19-3 record and appearance in the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals last spring in his only year with the program.

He served as an assistant coach at Pine-Richland from 2010 to 2012 and was part of a WPIAL championship there.

“I left high school coaching for six years before taking the Shenango job,” Diesel said. “I run a couple of businesses in baseball and still devote a lot of time in that regard, but I felt the time was right to take on a (high school) head coaching position.

“Shenango has a young team. I'm sure they'll be right back up there next year.”

Diesel admitted to being “somewhat surprised” to see the North Catholic position available.

“North Catholic is right in my backyard. It was a job I had to go after,” he said.

Diesel operates the Steel City Select, a youth baseball and softball development organization that fields teams from 8U through 18U for tournament play. He also founded and owns the Diesel Elite Training Academy, which teaches life and leadership skills through baseball and softball.

Both businesses are based in Wexford.

North Catholic has been a regular participant in the WPIAL baseball playoffs over the past decade.

“I know how successful they've been and I'm looking forward to building on that,” Diesel said. “I've got some coaches I'm bringing on board with me.

“With all of my (business) interests right in the same area, this is something I feel I can commit to for a long time.”

Diesel was a first baseman-outfielder at Duquesne University and “got into the coaching side of the game at a young age.

“Coaching baseball is what I've always been interested in doing,” he said.

North Catholic baseball and softball play their home games at No Off-Season in Mars.

“This guy is all about baseball and he's been working with kids for a long time,” Miller said of Diesel. “He's enthused about joining us and we're enthused about getting him.”

Diesel