The 2025 high school baseball season proved to be a very successful one overall for the schools in the Tri-County Area, as six of the 10 local teams finished with a winning record.

Four of those schools — DuBois (14-8), DuBois Central Catholic (18-4), Punxsutawney (17-5) and Redbank Valley (15-9) — went on to win district/subregional titles in their respective classifications.

Unfortunately, the PIAA postseason wasn’t as kind to those squads as the regular season/district playoffs as Redbank Valley proved to be the only one of that quartet to win its state opener.

The Bulldogs were then on the verge of reaching the Class 2A semifinals before WPIAL champ Freedom staged a late game rally to hand Redbank a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in 8 innings in their quarterfinal matchup.

Elk County Catholic (14-4) and St. Marys (11-9) joined that group of teams with winning record, with all six of those squads being led by several players who enjoyed outstanding individual seasons — whether it be on the mound, at the plate or both.

Because of that, the battle for Tri-County Weekend/Courier Express Player of the Year honors was as tight one between a handful of players.

Two-time reigning Player of the Year Aidan Snowberger was right in the middle of that discussion.

However, the DCC senior was trumped for a third straight Player of the Year award by Redbank Valley junior Braylon Wagner, whose overall importance — both on the mound and at the plate — to the Bulldogs’ state quarterfinal run gave him a slight advantage over Snowberger for the award this year.

Other players in the mix for Player of the Year honors included Punxsutawney junior Nevin Day and DuBois junior Trey Wingard.

Here is a look at this year’s TCW/CE All-Star Teams and major award winners:

Player of the Year

Braylon Wagner, Jr., Redbank Valley — Wagner, a Second Teamer as a designated hitter a year ago as a sophomore, made a huge jump on the field and off as a junior — making the jump all the way up to Player of the Year after enjoying a stellar all-around season.

While some other teammates also put up nice numbers, Wagner was the go-to guy on the mound and at the plate all season for Redbank.

On the mound, he posted an 8-1 record with 95 strikeouts and a 2.74 ERA in 66 1/3 innings. He did walk 34 hitters but used all those strikeouts to help off-set that number. The Bulldog led all area pitchers in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

At the plate, Wagner hit an impressive .505 with 46 hits (46-for-91) with 21 RBIs and 35 runs scored. He also hit 15 doubles, a triple and one home run. He easily led the area in batting average, hits, runs scored and doubles.

Wagner is just the second Bulldog to ever win TCW/CE Player of the year honors. The first was Craig Hibell in 2008.

Coach of the Year

Josh Johnson, DuBois — You’d be hard-pressed to find a first-year coach, in any sport, who made a bigger impact with a program than Johnson did at DuBois. Johnson, a Ridgway graduate, was drafted out of high school by Minnesota Twins in 2001 and spent 12 years playing Minor League and Independent baseball.

Given his worth ethic and love for the game, Johnson instantly garnered respect from his players and fellow coaches, and that showed on the field — both with how the Beavers played and conducted themselves.

Johnson took over a program that went 7-13 a year ago, and lost several starters to graduation from that squad. All DuBois did in Johnson’s first season at the helm was go 14-8, doubling that 2024 win total, while making the PIAA playoffs (in Class 5A) for the first time since 2014 when the Beavers were a 4A school in the old four-classification system.

Johnson is just the third different DuBois coach to garner TCW/CE Coach of the Year honors since its inception in 1996. The last was Todd Stiner, who holds the record for most Coach of the Year honors with four (2010-11, 2014-15).

FIRST TEAM

Pitcher: Aidan Snowberger, Sr., DuBois Central Catholic — Snowberger, the two-time reigning player of the year and four-time First-Teamer, closed out his stellar career with yet another impressive all-around season. And, the fact he was trumped for a third Player of the Year honor had less to do about him and more about what Wagner did and meant to Redbank Valley.

Snowberger was again among the top pitchers in District 9, going 7-2 with a save while posting a minuscule 0.89 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. He allowed just seven earned runs (12 runs total) while walking just 10. He threw two no-hitters on the season, one of which was a perfect game.

When not on the mound, Snowberger was one of the top defensive outfielders in the area while also hitting .381 (24-for-63). He finished with 11 RBIs, 28 runs, 7 doubles and a triple.

Snowberger finished his career with a .419 average (129-for-308) with 71 RBIs, 116 runs and 31 doubles. He sported a career record of 21-7 with four saves with a 253 strikeouts and a 1.73 ERA in 178 1/3 career innings.

Pitcher: Nevin Day, Jr., Punxsutawney — Day became the workhorse of the Punxsy staff this season while also being the Chucks’ best hitter in earning First Team honors for a third time — second as a pitcher.

Day went 7-2 with a save on the mound, recording a minuscule 0.83 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 59 innings of work. He allowed just 15 runs, seven earned, walking 17.

At the plate, Day sported a .355 average (23-for-76) with 23 RBIs, 13 runs, 4 doubles and 2 homers. he led the team in each of those categories except doubles and runs scored.

Pitcher: Carter Himes, Jr., DuBois Central Catholic — Himes formed a formidable 1-2 punch on the mound with Snowberger for the Cardinals this past season. He went 5-2 with a 1.23 ERA and 86 strikeouts (2nd most in area) in 51 1/3 innings. He allowed just nine runs (all earned) on the season and had 21 walks.

Himes, who largely played shortstop when not pitching, hit .373 (25-for-67) and tied for the team lead in hits and was second in RBIs with 21. He also scored 15 runs and had a pair of doubles.

Catcher: Trey Wingard, Jr., DuBois — Wingard, considered by many as the best all-around catcher in District 9, put together another monster season to earn First Team honors for the second season in a row.

Wingard went over the 30-hit mark while playing DuBois’ rugged schedule, posting a .478 average (32-for-67) while tying for the team lead in RBIs with 19. He ran for himself on the bases, scoring 21 times, while ripping 9 doubles and a home run.

The Beaver also neutralized the opposition’s run game, with most teams choosing to not even stolen bases with him behind the plate.

First Base: Noah Farrell, Jr., DuBois — Farrell, a First Teamer a year ago at first base as well, put together another strong year both at the plate and on the mound for a resurgent DuBois squad. He also added a new position late in the season, making the move to the outfield to play some left field to help give the Beavers the best lineup they could have.

At the plate, Farrell hit .356 (26-for-73) with 17 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He also hit 4 doubles. On the mound, Farrell went 2-3 with a save, posting a 2.89 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.

Second Base: Ben Paul, Sr., St. Marys — Paul had a key two-way player for St. Marys, manning second base — and third at times — when not pitching.

He enjoyed a breakout season at the plate as a senior, hitting .417 (30-for-72) with a team-high 22 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He tied for the team lead in hits and doubles (6), with those 30 hits being more than his previous two seasons combined (24).

On the mound, Paul went 4-3 with 50 strikeouts and a 2.09 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work.

Shortstop: Coy Martino, Sr., Punxsutawney — Martino finished out his career with another solid all-around season for the Chucks, although his offensive numbers did dip a little from a season ago.

Martino still hit .270 (17-for-63) while facing tough pitching given Punxsy’s schedule. He finished with 12 RBIs, 22 runs scored and a team-high 11 doubles to go along with a triple and homer. He also went 4-0 on the mound with a 2.10 ERA and 64 strikeouts in just 33 1/3 innings.

Third Base: Luke Burton, Jr., Brookville — The Raiders struggled through a 7-14 campaign, but Burton was a bright spot — particularly at the plate. The junior hit .469 (23-for-49) with 14 RBIs and 14 runs scored to go along with 7 doubles, a triple and home run. He also went 2-2 on the mound with 19 strikeouts and 6.10 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work.

Outfield: Brayden Fox, Sr., DuBois Central Catholic — Fox, another four-time First Teamer who garnered Co-Player of the Year honors as a freshman, was once again the big bat in the DCC lineup. He hit .397 (25-for-63) with 23 RBIs, 24 runs scored and 11 doubles. He led the team in each of those categories except runs, where he ranked third.

Fox, who played center fielder when Snowberger pitched and usually moved to first when he wasn’t, also made an impact on the mound. The lefty went 2-0 with 24 strikeouts and a minute 0.42 ERA in 16 2/3 innings of work, allowing just three runs, one earned.

Fox reached the century mark in three major offensive categories in his outstanding career. He finished with a .416 batting average (121-for-378) with 104 RBIs, 100 runs scored, 32 doubles, 6 triples and a home run.

Outfield: Tyler Chamberlin, Sr., DuBois — Chamberlin, who played through an injury for most of the season, proved to be one of the best defensive outfielders in the area — making more than his share of highlight-reel catches throughout the season.

The senior hit .323 (20-for-62) with 11 RBIs, 14 runs scored, 4 doubles and a triple. He also was 2-0 on the mound with 25 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in 16 1/3 innings before that early season injury precluded him from pitching the rest of the season.

Outfield: Tysen Beimel, Jr., St. Marys — Beimel was a spark plug near the top of the Flying Dutchmen line batting out of the No. 2 spot while being a strong defender in the outfield. He hit .380 (27-for-71) with 12 RBIs and 20 runs scored to go along with 4 doubles and a triple.

Utility: Matthew Gilmore, Soph., Elk County Catholic — Gilmore played a key role in ECC’s turnaround this season — one that saw the Crusaders go from 9-11 to 14-4 — both as a pitcher and middle infielder.

Gilmore went 6-0 with two saves on the mound, sporting a 1.48 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings of work. He also hit .274 (17-for-62) with 3 doubles, 4 RBIs and 14 runs scored out of the leadoff spot.

Designated Player: Madix Clark, Jr., DuBois — Clark stepped into a full-time starting role this season as a junior as true designated hitter for the Beavers and didn’t disappoint. All he did was hit .364 (24-for-66) and tie for the team lead in RBIs with 19. He also hit 5 doubles, 2 triples and scored 7 runs.

SECOND TEAM

Pitcher: Jaxon Huffman, Soph., Redbank Valley

Pitcher: Alex Sago, Jr., DuBois

Pitcher: Jack Breindel, Fr., Elk County Catholic

Catcher: Ben Reynolds, Sr., St. Marys

First Base: Parker Stahlman, Jr., Punxsutawney

Second Base: Maddox Hetrick, Jr., Punxsutawney

Shortstop: Lance O’Neill, Sr., Elk County Catholic

Third Base: Wyatt Brem, Soph., Elk County Catholic

Outfield: Bryson Kail, Soph., DuBois

Outfield: Caleb Daugherty, Soph., Brockway

Outfield: Isaac Neiswonger, Jr., Redbank Valley

Utility: Blake Pisarcik, Sr., DuBois Central Catholic

Designated Hitter: Breckin Minich, Sr., Redbank Valley

HONORABLE

MENTIONS

Brockway: Ben Yale, Jr.

Brookville: Ladd Blake, Jr.; Parker Kalgren, Soph.

DuBois: Samson Deeb, Jr.; Grady Galiczynski, Jr.

DuBois Central Catholic: Trent Miller, Sr.

Elk County Catholic: Paxton Herzing, Fr.

Johnsonburg: Derek Beimel, Sr.

Redbank Valley: Carson Gould, Sr.

St. Marys: Jackson Vollmer, Sr.

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A list of past players and coaches of the year can be found on the Scoreboard on Page B5.