PIAA baseball season preview 2026: Meet the top 9 players to watch in Butler County
Spring is in the air. The pings of bats striking baseballs are, as well.
Butler County features plenty of talent on the diamond, including reigning WPIAL Class 6A champion Seneca Valley and a team in the same section, Butler, that features a trio of Division I commits.
Get to know some of the best players in the area before the season enters full-swing, pun intended, in alphabetical order.
Barker was a second-team all-state performer as a junior. He posted a .455 batting average with seven doubles, four triples, two homers and 28 RBIs.
“Kason was one of the biggest reasons we got on a roll last year,” Yellowjackets coach Ed Carr said. “(He) plays the game with his hair on fire.”
Casteel, a West Virginia University commit, has a chance to be taken in this summer’s MLB draft, Golden Tornado coach Josh Forbes believes.
“Pitching stuff is very, very good,” Forbes said. “He’s got swing-and-miss-type stuff.”
Clement, a University of Pittsburgh commit, is “the glue and holds everything together,” Forbes said. “Good catcher that can handle some very good arms. Can run the ball out of any ballpark we play at.”
Clement was a second-team all-section honoree last season.
Covert, who plans on continuing his career on the diamond at Point Park, is a southpaw who posted a 1.94 ERA for the Rockets last season.
Murray was a second-team all-section nod as a sophomore, the same season in which he hit .400 for the Planets. He figures to be one of Mars’ biggest offensive producers this go-round.
Murray is committed to play at Mount St. Mary’s at the next level.
Pacek is tough to overlook, considering his stature and talent on the mound.
He stands 7 feet and is ticketed to pitch at Central Michigan University. Pacek tossed a no-hitter last season and helped guide the Knights to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.
Rebholz was the Raiders’ ace as they went on to claim a WPIAL Class 6A crown last season. He posted a 6-0 record and a 0.99 ERA on the mound. He also struck out 41 batters in 37.2 innings.
Stefaniak, a Penn State pledge and two-time first-team all-section honoree, is another Golden Tornado pitcher who could hear an MLB club call his name this summer.
In 39 innings on the mound last season, he posted a 5-0 record with 64 strikeouts and a 1.43 ERA.
Carr called Whitfield “one of the best shortstops I’ve ever coached. Will be a big college recruit. ... He did a little of everything last year.”
Whitfield batted .369 last season with nine doubles, a home run and 15 RBIs.
