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Hopewell HS Baseball

3 Hopewell Vikings Named to 2026 All-State Team

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

A big honor for 3 Hopewell high school baseball players and the program as a whole.

Pitcher Kingston Krotec, catcher Charlie Smetana and outfielder Ben McDonald have been selected to the 2026 Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches All-State Team.

🏆 Kingston Krotec , First Team All-State, Pitcher

🏆 Ben McDonald , Second Team All-State, Outfielder
🏆 Charlie Smetana , Second Team All-State, Catcher

This recognition was well deserved as Krotec was one of the most dominant pitchers in the state, as evidenced by his sub 1.00 ERA for the season.

McDonald was one of the top defensive and power hitting outfielders in PA, while Smetana consistently displayed his skill behind the plate and at the plate all season.

This is a tremendous honor for head coach Morgan Singletary’s program. To have three players named to the all-state team could be a first in the history of the Vikings program.

Five members of the 2026 Hopewell team will be continuing their athletic careers in college.

Smetana- Mercyhurst 

Krotec- California, PA 

Donovan- Westminster 

McDonald- West Liberty

Triscila- Geneva (football)

 

 

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Around Hopewell

Baseball Lessons with Charlie Smetana

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

If your child is looking to improve their baseball skills, Vikings Sports Now has something you might want to look into.

Former Hopewell High School and soon to be Mercyhurst catcher Charlie Smetana is looking to work with young players on their games.

Prior to leaving for college later this summer, Smetana is offering private hitting and catching lessons for players ages 7 and up.

“Baseball has given me so much over the years, and I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the next generation of players,” says Smetana. “Through many years of playing the game and having the privilege to learn from some outstanding coaches along the way, I’ve gained valuable hitting and catching tips, techniques, and lessons that helped me grow both on and off the field. I would love to pass that knowledge on to young athletes who are looking to improve their skills and build confidence in the game.”

“I care deeply about baseball and helping the youth in our community continue to develop, compete, and prepare for the next level, whatever that may be. Whether your player is just getting started or looking to take their game to new heights, I’d love to work with them.”

Now offering private hitting and catching lessons for players ages 7 and up.
📍 Hitting & Catching Instruction
⚾ Youth Ages 7+
💲 $30 (30 Minutes) | $50 (1 Hour)
If you’re interested in scheduling a lesson or would like more information, contact me Smetana today at (412) 297-2100.

This is a great opportunity for your child to work with a young man that he can relate to and feel comfortable around. More importantly, it’s a chance to get help and advice from a player that worked extremely hard to become a D-1 athlete.

If you give Charlie a call, please mention you heard about this on Vikings Sports Now.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Krotec Does it Again, Leads Hopewell into PIAA Playoffs with 3-0 Win Over Derry

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

WASHINGTON– In all sports, some players have the gene of being a clutch performer in crucial situations.

Hopewell senior Kingston Krotec has that quality.

As he’s literally done all season, Krotec took the mound in a ‘must win’ game and threw a masterpiece.

Tonight, in a WPIAL 3rd place game, where the winner advanced to the PIAA playoffs, Krotec threw a complete game shutout, leading Hopewell to a 3-0 win over Derry. The win improves Hopewell’s record to 17-6 and advances them to a PIAA 1st round matchup on Monday against General McLane, champions of District 10.

Krotec pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

Give credit to the Hopewell defense as they made plays behind their pitcher all evening, who only struck out 3 Derry batters. Tip of the cap to Drew Donovan, who played a great defensive game at shortstop.

Hopewell only collected 5 hits and did all of their damage in the 3rd inning when they struck for 3 runs.

HOPEWELL’S 3 RUN 3RD INNING:
–Donovan led off with a walk, which was followed by a single to right field by Javion Lindsey, who got the start in right field. On the hit, Donovan advanced to 3rd and Lindsey moved to 2nd on the throw to third base.

-Then with runners and 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, Krotec came through with a clutch 2-run single to center, which brought in Donovan and Lindsey. Hopewell led 2-0.

-Next up, Smetana roped a 1-0 pitch into right field for an RBI double, scoring Krotec and Hopewell led 3-0.

KROTEC AND HIS DEFENSE SHUTTING DOWN DERRY:
-Top 1st: Derry led off the game with a single, but he was quickly erased as Smetana threw Petrosky out trying to steal 2nd base. Then with 2 on and 1 out, the next 2 Derry hitters flew out to James Armstrong in left field and grounded into a fielder’s choice.

-Top 2nd: Derry had 2 runners on with 2 out but the inning ended on a ground out to Payton Korker at third base.

-Top 3rd: A 1-2-3 third inning as outs occurred on ground outs to Donovan, Krotec and a flyout to Ben McDonald in center field.

-Top 4th: Another 1-2-3 inning on a groundout to Donovan, a flyout to Lindsey in right and pop up in foul territory to Logan Triscila.

-Top 5th: Derry led off the inning with a single, but that potential threat ended when the next batter grounded out to Donovan at short, who turned a 6-3 unassisted DP.

-Top 6th: Another easy frame as Donovan took care of another ground ball, followed by a flyout to Lindsey in right and a groundout to Korker to end the inning.

-Top 7th: Krotec, with a low pitch count, came out for the 7th inning looking for 3 outs. After the leadoff Derry batter reached on an error, Krotec went to work. Out #1 came on a fielder’s choice, Donovan flipped to Collin Davis at 2nd. Out #2 was another fielder’s choice, this time Davis to Donovan. Derry then picked up a single, so the potential tying runner came to the plate with 2 outs but not surprisingly, Krotec didn’t blink as he ended the game with a strikeout.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 3 DERRY 0

WINNING IS FUN!!!

Hopewell will find out in the next couple of days the time and location for their first round PIAA matchup. Because they’re the #3 seed and taking on a district champion, Hopewell will no doubt have a long bus ride. That’s ok because the season isn’t over!

 

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Onto to the Semifinals! Hopewell Defeats No. 3 Valley, 7-1

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

WEST MIFFLIN– Tonight in the WPIAL baseball quarterfinals, it was a battle of Vikings and fortunately the better Viking won.

Behind another masterpiece from senior Kingston Krotec and big nights from Charlie Smetana and Logan Triscila, the Hopewell Vikings defeated the No. 3 seed Valley, 7-1.

Despite it viewed from many baseball observers as an upset, this was no upset as this Hopewell team is really good and have proven that over the last 2 months. With this win, Morgan Singletary’s squad improved their overall record to 16-5 and have won 15 of their last 17 games.

This win advances Hopewell to the WPIAL semifinals on Wednesday against No. 2 seed Elizabeth Forward. Site and time of the game hasn’t been announced yet.

This game was billed as a matchup of two big-time pitchers, as Krotec went up against Valley’s Dominick Dunkel.

Dunkel, who throws in the upper 80’s to low 90’s and has been dominant all season. However, the Hopewell lineup was able to get to him early, scoring 4 runs in the first three innings to grab the early lead.

With Krotec on the mound, that 4-0 lead likely seemed like a 14-0 lead to Valley, who couldn’t get anything going against him all game.

Hopewell’s Kingston Krotec

Krotec pitched another complete game, going 7 innings, allowing only 1 earned run, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. For the game, King threw 86 pitches, 62 of which were strikes.

Offensively, Smetana led the way with a perfect night, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Triscila, hitting from the cleanup spot, went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.

Hopewell’s Charlie Smetana

With Krotec only recording 3 of the 21 outs via strikeouts, he needed his defense to be strong and they were, committing only 1 error.

HOPEWELL/VALLEY GAME RECAP:
-Top of 1st: With 1 on and 1 out, Smetana hit a line drive single to center, advancing Krotec to second. Triscila stepped to the plate and took a 1-0 pitch to center as well, driving in Krotec. Hopewell 1-0.

-Bottom of 1st: An easy 1-2-3 1st inning as Krotec induced two ground ball outs and a line drive to Payton Korker at third.

–Top of 2nd: RF Jake Knobloch led off the inning with a double to left field. Then with 2 outs, Krotec was hit by a pitch, and Smetana came through with a clutch RBI single to left, which brought in Knobloch. Hopewell then took advantage of some sloppy Valley defense, as an error allowed Krotec to score. Hopewell now led 3-0.

-Bottom of 2nd: After Valley singled with 1 out, Krotec shut things down with a pop up to Collin Davis at second base and a strikeout.

-Top of 3rd: James Gill reached to start the inning as he was hit by a pitch. After stealing second base, Gill would score on a double to left by Drew Donovan, Hopewell led 4-0.

-Bottom of 3rd: Valley got a 2-out double but couldn’t bring him in as the next batter grounded out to Donovan at shortstop. Hopewell 4-0.

-Bottom of 4th: Valley got 2 runners on but with 2 outs, the inning ended on a pop up to Donovan at short.

-Bottom of 5th: Valley scored their only run of the game with 2 outs and were threatening to score more as they had 2 runners on, but Krotec limited the damage by getting a fly ball to McDonald in center field.


-Top of 6th: Hopewell responded and plated 2 runs in the sixth to put the game on ice. One again with 2 outs, Smetana came through with an RBI single to score Davis. Lindsey pinch ran for Smetana and could score as Triscila swung at the first pitch of the at-bat for an RBI double. Hopewell 6-1

-Bottom of 6th: Valley tried to get back in the game as they got 2 runners on with 1 out, but Krotec did what he’s done all season, came up big for his team. With 2 on and 1 out, Krotec fielded a comebacker to the mound, threw to Donovan at short, who fired it to Triscila at first for a 1-6-3 DP. Hopewell 6-1


-Bottom of 7th: Hopewell scored their 7th run on a passed ball, so Krotec went to the final inning with a 6-run lead.

The final frame stared with a pop up to Donovan, followed by a fly out to McDonald and fittingly, Krotec ended the game with a strikeout.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 7 VALLEY 1

WINNING IS FUN!!!

After the game, Vikings Sports Now caught up with HC Morgan Singletary, who went over the win and game his thoughts on his team advancing to the semifinals.

“We played a great game today,” said Singletary. “We executed our game plan at the plate and did very well against a very good pitcher. Kingston did what he has done all season.
on the mound and our defense was outstanding.”

Hopewell senior James Gill

“That was a team win. I’m really proud of what they did tonight. If you look back on the game, every senior contributed in a big way. They are stepping up and leading. This is their season. As for next round, we will start preparing our game plan tonight and get at it at practice tomorrow.”

As mentioned earlier, Hopewell will take on #2 seed Elizabeth Forward, which defeated West Mifflin, 5-1. In the other semifinal matchup, it’ll be #1 seed Indiana vs. Derry. Indiana squeaked by Knoch, 1-0.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Win and Advance; Hopewell Defeats Ringgold in WPIAL Playoffs!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

PETERS TOWNSHIP– When you reach the WPIAL playoffs, despite the seed your team is given, all teams are talented and all are capable of winning on any given day.

Hopewell HC Morgan Singletary has won 2 WPIAL championships and is well aware of that and no doubt reinforced that to his players prior to today’s opening round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Tonight, Hopewell entered as the No. 6 seed and took on No. 11 seed Ringgold.

In order for Hopewell to achieve their ultimate goal, they’re going to need all 3 phases- pitching, hitting and strong defense. Fortunately for them, they received it, which allowed them to come away with a 5-3 win. The Vikings jumped out to a 5-1 lead before having Ringgold score 2 runs in the 6th inning to make things interesting.

Hopewell now advances to the quarterfinals and will take on No. 3 seed Valley next Monday. The time and location of that game will be announced later this week.

In terms of hitting, Hopewell collected 12 hits, including 4 extra base hits. The 12 hits were their most since recording 15 back on April 17th against Shenango.

Leading the way were Kingston Krotec, Logan Triscila, James Gill and Ben McDonald, each with 2 hits apiece. James Armstrong, Charlie Smetana, Jake Knobloch and Collin Davis each had a one hit apiece.

Getting the start tonight was Krotec, who’s been the team’s top pitcher all season and tonight, King did what he had to do bring home the win.

Hopewell pitcher Kingston Krotec

Krotec had a gutsy performance tonight going 6.2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs (1 earned run), 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Krotec threw a season-high 107 pitches before giving way to senior Payton Korker, who recorded the last out of the game.

The win improves Hopewell’s record to 15-5, their most wins since the 2022 season when they had 16.

HOPEWELL BASEBALL’S RECORD LAST SIX SEASONS
2026: 15-5, 8-4  (?????)
2025: 5-14, 4-8
2024: 9-10, 4-6
2023: 14-12, 4-6 (WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIP)
2022: 16-8, 9-1
2021: 18-6, 9-1 (WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIP)

 

TONIGHT’S HOPEWELL/RINGGOLD GAME RECAP:
Top of 1st: Krotec recorded the first two outs of the game on ground balls and then the inning ended when Smetana threw out a runner trying to steal second.

Bottom of 1st: Hopewell got on the scoreboard first. With 1 out, Krotec doubled to right field and came around to score on a 2-out RBI double to center field by Smetana, Hopewell led 1-0.

Top of 2nd: An easy 1-2-3 inning following a flyout to Armstrong in left, a groundout to Korker at 3rd base and a groundout to Drew Donovan at short.

Bottom of 2nd: McDonald increased the lead to 2-0 on a long HR to right field on a 1-1 pitch. This was McDonald’s team-leading 6th HR, Hopewell led 2-0.

Top of 3rd: Another stressless inning as Krotec struck out 2 batters with the other out coming on a groundout to Davis at second base.


Bottom of 3rd: Instead of just one, Hopewell picked up 2 runs in this frame, which gave them a nice cushion. With 1 out, Triscila singled to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gill then smacked a 2-0 pitch to center field, which scored McDonald. Later in the inning with 2 outs, Knobloch came through with a clutch 2-out single to center, as he jumped on the first pitch of the at-bat. Gill scored, and Hopewell led 4-0 after 3 innings.

Top of 4th: Ringgold threatened in the 4th as they got a 2-out triple, but Krotec grabbed a line drive back at the mound for the 3rd out.

Top of 5th: Ringgold had a real threat in the fifth as they had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 0 out. The next batter then popped up to Krotec for out #1. The next batter then hit a comebacker to the mound, the runner at third tried to score but Krotec threw home to Smetana for out No. 2. With 2 runners on, Ringgold came through with an RBI double to score run. However, they tried to plate the runner from first but a great relay from Knobloch to Donovan to Smetana, cut him down, Hopewell led 4-1.

Bottom of 5th: Hopewell was able to get that run back in the bottom of the inning as Triscila led off with a double to center. Logan advanced to third on a single by Gill. With runners at 1st and 3rd and 0 out, McDonald hit a sacrifice fly to center, which scored Triscila, Hopewell led 5-1.

Top of 6th: Ringgold didn’t quit and scored two runs to make it 5-3 and had 2 runners on with 2 outs. Instead of going to his bullpen, Singletary stuck with his senior and someone that has done the job all season. So, with 2 on and 2 out, Krotec ended Ringgold’s threat by getting a flyout to Knobloch in right field. Hopewell led 5-3.

Top of 7th: Krotec and Hopewell needed 3 outs in order to advance to the quarterfinals. Out No. 1 came on a pop up to Donovan at shortstop. Out No. 2 came on a strikeout. Singletary then brought in Korker to get the final out. After falling behind 3-0, Korker then got 2 strikes to get it to a full count. On the next pitch, the game ended as Armsrong caught a ball in foul territory.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 5 RINGGOLD 3

WINNING IS FUN!!!

Congratulations Hopewell on this first step. This team will have a week off to get ready for a very talented Valley team, which finished the season with a record of 14-5 and 8-2 in section. One of those section wins was over No. 1 seed Indiana.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell’s Seniors Deliver Big in a Huge 3-0 Win Over Hampton

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

HAMPTON TWP– Today wasn’t a must win for the Hopewell HS baseball team BUT it was a very, very important game.

Despite just ending a 7-game winning streak, Hopewell isn’t ensured of a playoff spot because of how balanced the teams in the section are.

Following yesterday’s loss, Hopewell found themselves in 3rd place in the section and desperately needing a win today against Hampton, considering how difficult their remaining schedule is.

Luckily for Hopewell, they had their ace, Kingston Krotec on the mound this afternoon and once again he delivered in a big game.

The senior right-hander pitched a complete game 3-0 shutout over Hampton. Krotec went 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.

Bottom line is that Krotec has been the best pitcher in the section this season. That’s just not my opinion, here are numbers to back it up.

Krotec has pitched 4 section games this season. Check out the results.

Record: 4-0
Innings Pitched: 26
Complete Games: 4
Earned Runs: 0
Strikeouts: 29

4 Section Games and Krotec hasn’t allowed a single earned run, that’s crazy!

“I really don’t feel pressure due to the confidence I’ve developed throughout the season,” Krotec tells VSN. “Actually, I feed off the pressure because it brings me intensity and a sense of cockiness to beat our opponents. I wouldn’t say I look forward to these games because I would rather get the series sweep than having to split.”

Two other seniors stepped up in a big-time manner this afternoon, which is what you would expect.

Catcher Charlie Smetana went 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI’s, driving in the first two runs of the game. Smetana also delivered behind the plate as he threw out two Hampton base runners attempting to steal a base.

Hopewell catcher Charlie Smetana

“Today’s game was like a playoff game,” said Smetana. “It meant a lot for seeding. Kingston stepped up to the task. I think we played great defense and got timely hits as well. All of his pitches are working right now, and he has a command of all three pitches.”

Krotec and Smetana weren’t the only seniors that delivered. Outfielder Ben McDonald continued to display his tremendous power as he clubbed another home run, his fourth of the season and 3rd in the last 4 games. Also, senior SS Drew Donovan was flawless in the field, making 5 defensive plays.

Krotec only struck out 4 batters which meant he needed his defense to deliver and they did that.

Bottom of 1st: Senior SS Drew Donovan made 2 defensive plays.

Bottom of 2nd: Junior 3B Jake Knoblach made 2 defensive plays on ground balls.

Bottom of 3rd: Smetana threw out a base runner and senior RF Payton Korker made a catch in RF.

Bottom of 4th: Donovan made another play at SS and Smetana threw out another runner.

Bottom of 5th: Sophomore Collin Davis caught a pop fly and Donovan made two more plays at shortstop.

Bottom of 6th: Sophomore James Armstrong and Korker caught fly balls in the inning.

Bottom of 7th: Krotec struck out 2 batters and Davis fielded a groundball to end the game.

Hopewell SS Drew Donovan

With the win, Hopewell moved back into a tie for second place with Blackhawk, which lost today to Ambridge.

Here are the updated standings, with 2 weeks of section play remaining:

Beaver: 6-2
Hopewell: 5-3
Blackhawk: 5-3
Hampton: 5-5
Ambridge: 5-5
Central Valley: 2-6
North Catholic: 2-6

Next week, Hopewell has an important two-game series against Central Valley. The top four teams in the section qualify for the playoffs so nothing is guaranteed for the Vikings, which makes today’s win very important.

“Today’s game was important for us in the section considering,” said Krotec. “One thing we know is that no game is a guaranteed win and every team will compete hard. We know that we need to continue to rack up as many wins as we can in the next two weeks.”

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell Scores Season High Runs in 17-3 Pasting of Shenango

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

SHENANGO HS– The Hopewell HS baseball team entered this week with a bye week, in the event they needed to make up any section games from earlier this season.

Since that wasn’t needed, HC Morgan Singletary didn’t want his players to have an entire week off and decided to challenge them with a couple of solid non-section games.

On Wednesday, they defeated Shaler, 7-2, and keep in mind, Shaler had won 2 of the last 3 WPIAL championships in 5A.

This afternoon, the Vikings traveled to take on a Shenango team that was 9-2 and tied for first place in Class 2A with a record of 5-1.

It didn’t end up being much of a game as Hopewell smacked Shenango, 17-3 (in 6 innings). This is the fourth time in their last six games that Hopewell has scored 10+ runs in a game.

Another impressive number is that this marks the 9th time in their 11 games this season that the Hopewell pitched have held the opposition to 3 runs or less.

The 17 runs were Hopewell’s highest run total this season and most in a game since a 19-0 win over Freedom back in 2019.

The victory was Hopewell’s 7th in a row and improves their record to 8-3.  In case you were wondering, the 7-game win streak is Hopewell’s longest since the 2023 season, the year in which they won the WPIAL championship.

When your team scored 17 runs, you start the game recap by talking about the offense and today Hopewell banged out 15 hits.

The star at the plate was senior centerfielder Ben McDonald, who went 3-4, including a 3-run home run to right field. That was McDonald’s 3rd HR of the season and his second straight game with a homer. Ben scored 4 runs, drove in 3 runs and also walked.

Four Hopewell hits collected 2 hits apiece- Drew Donovan, Charlie Smetana, James Gill and Jake Knobloch. Collin Davis, Brody McCullough, Kingston Krotec and Jayvion Lindsey also collected a hit.

RBI getters for Hopewell were- McDonald (3), Knobloch (2), Krotec (2), Donovan (2), McCullough (1), Smetana (1), Gill (1) and Lindsey (1).

The beneficiary of this offensive support was Donovan, who picked up his first win of the season. With McDonald, Krotec and Payton Korker not able to pitch today, Donovan stepped up big-time for his team, going 5 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 3 batters. Singletary called upon Knobloch to pitch the last inning as he closed out the Hopewell win.

This team will get the weekend off before starting a very important 2-game section series on Monday at home against Hampton.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Krotec’s Dominance, Hopewell’s Bat Stay Hot in 11-0 Shutout of North Catholic

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– In sports, teams sometimes get in a zone and are dominant and that’s the place the Hopewell HS baseball team finds themselves in right now.

There’s still plenty of season left but Morgan Singletary’s team is playing as well as they have in years and today was another example of that.

Led once again by the arm of starting pitcher Kingston Krotec and the red-hot bats in the lineup, Hopewell dominated North Catholic, 11-0 in a 5-inning win. This was the third consecutive game that Hopewell has put 10+ runs on the scoreboard.

The other very encouraging aspect to this win was that once again it was a total team effort as they received outstanding pitching, timely hitting and solid defense.

When those three things are working, you have a chance to win games and that’s exactly what Hopewell is doing as they improve their section record to 4-2, which puts them in a tie for second place with Beaver.

Krotec has made 3 starts this season and has recorded 3 complete games. Today against the Bobcats, ‘Kinger’ went 5 innings, allowing only 2 hits, 0 runs and struck out 7 batters.

“I feel really confident when the ball is in my hand and in a position to get a win for my team,” Krotec tells VSN. “Then when we put up runs like we did, it just settles me down.”

Offensively, the Vikings collected 11 hits and were led by sophomore second baseman Collin Davis who went 2-4 with a career-high 4 RBI. Sophomore outfielder James Armstrong stayed red-hot as he picked up 2 more hits and 3 RBI. Other key contributors were Krotec with 2 hits and 1 RBI, senior catcher Charlie Smetana with a big 2-run single, senior first baseman Logan Triscila with 1 hit and 2 runs and junior third baseman Jake Knobloch with a hit, walk and 2 runs.

“I’ve felt confident lately and feel like my approach has gotten much better and I feel like I’m seeing the ball a lot better than before,” said Davis. “It just feels really that good that our whole team is finding our grove. We’ve all put in a ton of work and it’s starting to show and it feels great.”


Most games have turning points and I thought the top of the 1st inning was just that for Hopewell.

North Catholic loaded the bases with 1 out and were in position to score first and potentially have a big inning but Krotec made sure that didn’t happen as he struck out the next two batters to end the threat and North Catholic’s best threat of the game.

“I had a little struggle in the first inning and made an error which is one me,” said Krotec. “So, I had to get that back for my team. When I got that pop up to center field that settled me down and then the two straight strikeouts were big and brought our team some energy going to the bottom of the inning.”

BOTTOM OF 1ST INNING- Armstrong and Drew Donovan started off the game and both reached on errors. Krotec followed that up with a single, which loaded the bases for Smetana, who came through with a 2-run single to right field and Hopewell led 2-0.

Still in the first inning, after Krotec scored on a passed ball, Davis delivered a clutch 2-out, 2-run single to center field, which scored Triscila and pinch-runner Jayvion Lindsey. Hopewell led 5-0 after the 1st inning.

TOP OF 2ND- After ending the 1st inning with 2 strikeouts, Krotec picked back up by striking out the side in the second.


TOP OF 3RD– Guess how Krotec got the first two outs in the 3rd inning, yep, he struck them out. That means that Krotec struck out seven consecutive North Catholic batters. Hopewell led 5-0.

Hopewell’s Kingston Krotec

BOTTOM OF 3RD– The Vikings put the game away in 3rd as they tacked on 4 more runs, which all came after 2 outs.

Both Knobloch and Davis reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Armstrong then came to the plate and roped a double into the right field corner to score both runners. After Donovan drew a walk, Krotec doubled to left, scoring Armstrong. Hopewell led 9-0 after 3 innings.

TOP OF 4TH– It was another easy 1-2-3 inning for Hopewell as Krotec got three fly ball outs, including one really nice running catch by right fielder Payton Korker.

BOTTOM OF 4TH– Hopewell tacked on 2 more runs in this inning as Davis once again came through with a 2-run single, which scored Ben McDonald and Knoboch. Hopewell’s lead increased to 11-0.

TOP OF 5TH- Because Hopewell had a 10-run lead, Krotec needed just a scoreless inning to end this game, which is what he did. Out No.1 came on a fly ball to Armstrong in left and the final 2 outs of the game came on ground outs to Davis at second.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 11 NORTH CATHOLIC 0

Hopewell will return to action on Friday as they have a non-section game against Montour and don’t return to section play until Monday, April 20th when they’ll host Hampton.

“The mindset of this team is just to go out there and get the job done,” said Davis. “We have been paying great, so the confidence is high and we need to keep it going.”

“I feel like this team is really confident at the plate and when we put up runs, our pitchers just have to throw strikes and that puts us in a position to win.”

Which is exactly what they’ve been doing. Winning is Fun!

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Hopewell AthleticsSite News

Lisa McCoy/State Farm Insurance Players of the Week

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Vikings Sports Now is excited to unveil our very first Lisa McCoy Agency/State Farm Insurance Hopewell Player of the Week, for both baseball and softball.

The winner will receive a baseball or softball with their Player of the Week inscription on it, along with a gift card to Shulligan’s Sports Bar & Grille.

This is something that we’ll be doing every week throughout the high school baseball and softball season. The winners will be selected from either the High School, Junior Varsity or Middle School program.

These Player of the Week honors will all lead up to Vikings Sports Now announcing a Player of the Year in both sports.

VSN would like to thank Lisa McCoy and State Farm Insurance for their generosity in sponsoring this.

Week 1 Winner (Softball): Allison Ramaley, who went 3 for 6 with 2 RBI along with a pitching outing against North Catholic where she pitched 5.1 inning, allowing just 2 hits and 0 ER.

Congrats Allison.

Week 1 Winner (Baseball): This was an extremely difficult choice as we had 5 outstanding candidates.

We had a player with 4 hits , 3 runs and an RBI, another one with 3 hits and an outstanding pitching performance, a third player with 4 hits and 2 RBI and a couple players with A+ pitching outings.

However, our Week 1 winner is senior catcher Charlie Smetana.

In 3 games this week, Smetana collected 4 hits, two of which were doubles along with a HR and 3 RBI. The varsity also won two of their three games.

Congratulations to both Allison and Charlie.  Week 2 winners will be announced next Saturday.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Senior Payton Korker Pitches Hopewell Past Avonworth, 11-1

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

Hopewell Township – As we’re likely to find out with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, good pitching will allow you to stay in and win a lot of games.

A similar comparison is starting to develop with the 2026 Hopewell HS baseball team.

Head coach Morgan Singletary entered the season knowing he had two top-end starters in Ben McDonald and Kingston Krotec.

As the season is progressing, Singletary and other teams are finding out Hopewell has more than two elite starters.

Senior right-hander Payton Korker got the assignment this afternoon of taking on Avonworth, the #3 ranked team in Class 3A team in Pennsylvania.

Korker followed the lead of Krotec and McDonald and turned in an elite performance as Hopewell defeated Avonworth, 11-1 (6 innings).

Korker pitched a complete game, going 6 innings, allowing only 4 hits, 0 ER (1 run), 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.

“I felt great out there,” Korker tells Vikings Sports Now. “My arm feels the best it’s ever felt. I would rank this outing up there as one of my better outings, but I’m focused on building off this and getting better each time.”

“My plan today was going up there and doing what I always do; being competitive every pitch and letting my defense do their thing, and they did exactly that. I would like to shout out Drew Donovan, Collin Davis and Ben McDonald for some great plays today. Pitch wise for me, the fastball and curveball were working. There’s some pitches I wish I could’ve gotten back but other than that, everything was good.”

Korker did his job but so did the Hopewell batters, who collected 9 hits and worked 9 walks.

Leading the way offensively for Hopewell was senior catcher Charlie Smetana, who collected a season-high 3 hits and 1 RBI. Two of those hits were doubles, including one that came just short of his second HR of the season.

VIKINGS BOXSCORE:
*Senior first baseman Logan Triscila went 2-for-3, with 2 runs, 1 RBI and a walk. Triscila looked really comfortable at the plate this afternoon.

*Senior DH James Gills collected 3 RBI and reached base with a hit and a walk.

*Senior CF Ben McDonald reached base 3 times (walk and HBP twice) and scored 3 runs.

*Sophomore right fielder Jayvion Lindsey reached base 3 times (3 walks)

*Sophomore second baseman Collin Davis reached base 3 times (3 walks)

*Sophomore James Armstrong collected 2 hits, 1 run and 1 RBI.

* Senior shortstop Drew Donovan came through with an RBI single, but he was one of today’s stars because of his elite defense. Donovan made two top notch plays, including one that would make ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day. An Avonworth hitter smacked a ball back up the middle and looked as though it would be going into CF, but Donovan glided to hit left to field the ball behind second and made a strong throw across his body to Triscila at 1st base.

HOPEWELL ENDED THE GAME WITH 8-RUN 6TH INNING:
*This game was still a ball game in the 6th inning as they went to the bottom of the inning with just a 3-1 lead. However, that’s when they put up an eight spot to end the game early (10-run lead after 6 innings).

-Lindsey led off with a walk
-With 1 out, Davis also walked
-Armstrong then laid down a perfect bunt single up the third base line, when the pitchers throw sailed over the first baseman’s head, it brought in Lindsey.
-Donovan stepped up and a struck a sharp RBI single to left field, scoring Davis. Hopewell led 5-1
-Smetana then took a 1-1 pitch and ripped it up the third base line for a double, bringing in Armstrong
-After McDonald was hit by a pitch, Triscila reached on an infield single, which scored Donvoan, Hopewell now led 7-1
-Gill kept the party going as he stroked a line drive single to center field which brought in Smetana and McDonald, Hopewell led 9-1
-Later in the inning, with runners and 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, a wild pitch brought in Triscila, Hopewell led 10-1
-Following a walk to Davis, Armstrong ended the game with a hard single to RF, scoring Gill.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 11 AVONWORTH 1

Hopewell improved their record to 3-3 and are starting to gain some momentum. Korker was happy with his performance and showing his team that they have 3 starting pitchers that can dominate games.

The Vikings return to action on Tuesday as they take on North Catholic in a big 2-game series.

“It really means a lot,” said Korker. “I just want to do my job and give our team a chance to win whenever I’m out there. We have tons of talent on the pitching staff. This week, Ben, Kingston, and myself pitched great games. I think of us like a 3-headed monster.”

“I feel like we’re gaining momentum and getting in a grove. Everyone is playing with more confidence and we’re just trying to keep that going. Everyone has the same goal of winning so Roll Vikes Baby!”

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