The seeds: North Allegheny (15-3) is first, Mt. Lebanon (15-1) second, Latrobe (13-5) third, Connellsville (13-3) fourth.

Predicted champion: Mt. Lebanon.

The skinny: North Allegheny doesn't seem to have a dominant pitcher. The Tigers use three pitchers. ... Mt. Lebanon will go as far as Geena Badolato can carry the Blue Devils. She is 15-1 with 154 strikeouts. ... Latrobe is the two-time defending champion and a team to watch again.

Check this out: Latrobe won the past two WPIAL titles behind the pitching of Alexa Bryson, who has a 19-5 record for Robert Morris University this season as a freshman. Bryson was recently selected second-team all-Northeast Conference.

The seeds: Franklin Regional (17-0) is first, Yough (13-2) second, Elizabeth Forward (13-3) third, Belle Vernon (14-3) fourth.

Predicted champion: Franklin Regional.

The skinny: The Panthers have a standout pitcher in Ally Vrcek, who has a 14-0 record and a 0.25 ERA. She has allowed only 22 hits in 85 innings and has struck out 163. But Franklin Regional also has averaged seven runs over the past nine games. ... Belle Vernon is capable of winning it all because of pitcher Ashley Nichols, a member of the 10-player Post-Gazette All-Area team a year ago. ... Elizabeth Forward features pitcher Kristen Hawkins, who has signed with the University of Virginia. Although Hawkins pitches, she was recruited as a catcher in college.

Check this out: Franklin Regional is the only softball or baseball team in the WPIAL to finish the regular season undefeated.

The seeds: Riverside (14-1) first, Mohawk (14-1) second, Sto-Rox (15-4) third, South Allegheny (14-1) fourth.

Predicted champion: Bishop Canevin (13-2).

The skinny: Bishop Canevin might be a surprise pick because the Crusaders aren't seeded in the top four. But the Crusaders are always strong and seem to be underrated this season. The losses to Quaker Valley and Brashear are hard to explain, though. ... It had to be hard for the WPIAL to decide on the No. 1 seed. Riverside and Mohawk have the same record and split two games during the regular season. Mohawk has a dominating pitcher in Chelsea Brown.

Check this out: Sto-Rox's coach is Bill Palermo, who has nine WPIAL titles. His wife, Carrie, is his assistant. In girls' basketball, Carrie is Sto-Rox's coach and Bill is the assistant.

The seeds: Vincentian (17-2) first, Serra (12-2) second, South Side Beaver (14-4) third, Carmichaels (13-2) fourth.

Predicted champion: Vincentian.

The skinny: Vincentian is the defending champion and seems to have everything to repeat. Nina Melvin is a talented pitcher and Ale Zozos an excellent leadoff hitter. ... Serra lost to Vincentian, 6-0, in the season opener, but Serra is much improved since then. ... Chartiers-Houston is a sleeper team. The Bucs' Kiersten Conwell led the WPIAL in strikeouts during the regular season. A good second-round matchup could be Chartiers-Houston and Vincentian.

Check this out: Tricia and Casey Melvin preceeded their younger sister, Nina, as Vincentian's No. 1 pitcher. Tricia and Casey have graduated.

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