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Hopewell HS Baseball

Calling All Hopewell Baseball Alumni!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 0 minutes read

The Hopewell High School Baseball Boosters are putting a renewed emphasis on connection with their baseball alumni.

Whether you played one season or four, they want to stay in touch and build a stronger alumni network for years to come.

If you’re interested in being part of their alumni database, please email them at hopewellbaseballboosters@gmail.com with your name, graduation year and cell phone number.

By doing this, it will help them establish stronger alumni engagement and keep you in the loop on upcoming events, reunions, and ways to give back to the program.

Go Vikings!

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell HS Baseball Will Have New Section Opponents in 2026

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Although the WPIAL 2026 Fall sports season is getting ready to start up, we have some Spring sports news to report on.

The WPIAL has released the new section alignments for spring sports, including high school baseball.

Every couple years due to factors such as enrollment, transfers, winning and other things, sections are re-aligned with the ultimate goal of bringing competitive balance to the teams and athletes.

This realignment was already done at the start of the calendar year for the Fall sports, and this process was just completed for the spring.

In terms of the impact on the Hopewell High School baseball program, they’ll be a couple of new opponents as well as losing a long-time rival.

Here’s a look at the section teams that HC Morgan Singletary and the Hopewell Vikings will be playing against over the next two seasons.

CLASS 4A/SECTION 1
Hopewell
Beaver
Blackhawk
Central Valley
Hampton
Knoch
New Castle

The changes with this section are the additions of Knoch and New Castle along with the departures of Ambridge and North Catholic.

Both Ambridge and North Catholic will be moving down to Class 3A and playing in different sections.

Ambridge will be in Class 3A/Section 1 and going up against Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Mohawk, New Brighton, Quaker Valley and Riverside.

North Catholic will be in Class 3A/Section 2 and playing Avonworth, East Allegheny, Shady Side Academy, South Allegheny and Steel Valley.

Here is a breakdown of the number of teams in each classification:
Class 6A- 11 teams
Class 5A- 23 teams
Class 4A- 21 teams
Class 3A- 26 teams
Class 2A- 21 teams
Class 1A- 19 teams

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Two Hopewell HS Baseball Players Win Travel Tournament in Virginia!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Kids that grow up playing sports, dream one day of becoming major league/professional athletes and traveling around playing in major venues.

The fortunate ones that get to live out that dream are very few so if you get a chance to experience something like it, it would still be special.

This weekend, two members of the Hopewell HS Baseball program were in Virginia competing with their travel baseball program, the Beaver Valley Red 15U team.

Sophomores Luke Vukovcan and Andrew Arzberger took part in the Hokie Classic, and the neat part is that games were played at Radford University and Virginia Tech University, two D-1 programs.

The facilities and turfed fields that these two played were incredible, especially at Virginia Tech. For example, the scoreboard at Virginia Tech showed pitch by pitch stats, such as MPH of the pitcher, spin rate, exit velo, etc. Getting to see how fast each pitch was being thrown was something everyone enjoyed.

To make things even more memorable, both Vukovcan and Arzberger played well and to top the incredible weekend off, Beaver Valley Red were champions of the Hokie Classic.

The tournament consisted of 5 games, although Vukovcan only played in 3 games (returned home to Hopewell for his brother’s graduation party).

Here are the combined stats, batting and pitching, for the two players:
Arzberger (5 games): 3-for-12 with a 2B, 3 RBI, run scored. Andrew also pitched 2 innings, allowing 2 hits, 5 runs and 1 K.

Vukovcan (3 games): 4-for-6 with a 3B, 2 RBI, a walk and was hit by a pitch. Luke pitched 4 innings, allowing 0 hits, 2 ER and 3 K’s.

It was pretty neat to see both players record hits at these venues, not to mention extra base hits. Here were a couple of Vukovcan’s hits, including the triple.

One other thing to show is the way third game of the weekend ended. BV was winning 8-7 in the last innings, but the opposing team had the tying run on second base with 2 outs.

The hitter then hit a sharp single to center field, but BV center field Max Torboli fielded the ball quickly and threw an absolute pea to Vukovcan at the plate, who applied the tag. Game Over!

Arzberger and Vukovcan are fortunate to be members of this really talented Beaver Valley Red squad as it’s comprised of very talented players throughout the WPIAL and Ohio.

The quality depth of the pitching from top to bottom is incredible with players such as Blake Swinning, Carson Gates (Burrell), Christian Meyer (North Catholic HS), Dante Cascavilla (Mohawk), Dylan Hamilton (Beaver HS) and Gavin Latchaw (Beaver HS).

All of these players just finished their freshman seasons and will be names to watch over the upcoming years in the WPIAL (Swinning is from Ohio).

The other fun thing is that the entire roster can hit so no matter where you are in the lineup, scoring runs is a legitimate possibility.

Hitting Leaders from the Weekend:
Swinning: 8-for-13
Harvey: 4 hits and 7 RBIs
Hamilton: 6-for-13
Meyer: 2 hits, 4 RBI
Glaser: 4 hits, 4 RBI
Torboli: 5-for-10
Gates: 3 hits and 4 RBI

By the way, Virginia Tech and Radford won’t be the only big-time venues that this team plays in this summer season. In a couple of weeks, BV Red 15U will travel to South Bend, Indiana to play at Notre Dame.


Lifetime memories were definitely made over the weekend!

 

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Kingston Krotec Selected to Pennsylvania All-Star Team

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

It’s been a heck of a senior season for Hopewell’s Kingston Krotec.

After starting his final season with no firm plans to play baseball beyond high school, things have changed in a major way.

Krotec had a magical 2026 season for Hopewell as the made 11 starts and finished with a record of 11-0 with a 0.78 ERA. Krotec pitched 71.2 innings and struck out 58 batters.

The production on the mound caught the eye of college coaches and earned him a scholarship offer from California, PA, in which he accepted.

Krotec received more good news over the weekend as he was selected to be a member of the Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches Association West All-Star Team.

This recognition of being one of the top players in Pennsylvania is a huge accomplishment as he’ll present Hopewell and Western Pennsylvania in the PSBCA East vs. West All-Star Game.

This game will take place on June 21st at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at Penn State University. The game is scheduled to begin at Noon.

Congratulations Kingston and best of luck in this prestigious game.

 

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Hopewell HS Baseball

The Hopewell Vikings 2026 Baseball Season Ends with a 10-0 Loss to Indiana/Photo Gallery

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

MONROEVILLE-The Hopewell Vikings season had plenty of exciting moments in which they won plenty of games, unfortunately, the 2026 season came to an end Thursday afternoon.

In their PIAA 2nd round matchup against Indiana, Hopewell was shutout and no-hit by Indiana, 10-0.

Simply put, Hopewell ran into an Indiana program that has been remarkable dating back to last season.  In 5 postseason games this season that includes winning the WPIAL 4A Championship, Indiana pitchers haven’t allowed a run yet and have only allowed 5 total hits.

The big innings occurred in the 2nd as Indiana scored 7 runs, all with 2 outs to essentially put the game out of reach.

It’s a tough way to go out but in sports, only one team wins the championship and unfortunately it won’t be Hopewell.

The sad part is that it’s officially the last game for 7 Hopewell seniors- Kingston Krotec, Charlie Smetana, Logan Triscila, Ben McDonald, Drew Donovan, Payton Korker and James Gill.

Those seniors had a huge impact on this program for their Hopewell careers and helped create a winning culture.

Simply Put, Thank You!

Vikings Sports Now chief photographer Ed Thompson was at today’s game and put together this last photo gallery for the 2026 season.

Hopewell's Josh Gill

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Please Place Vote for Hopewell’s Kingston Krotec as Beaver County Times Player of the Year

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Let’s go Hopewell, it’s time to help out a Viking player receive an award that he’s very much deserved of.

Hopewell senior Kingston Krotec has turned in one of the most clutch seasons in recent memory for a Hopewell Viking athlete in any sport.

Time after time after time this season, Krotec was needed to deliver on the mound and come up with a big performance and EVERY SINGLE TIME Krotec delivered.

That’s not just an opinion of mine, that’s a fact.

During 2026 section play, Krotec went to the mound after his team lost the previous day four times and all four times, Krotec pitched a gem, leading his team to a win. Those results were a huge factor in Hopewell finishing in second place in a very competitive section.

That clutch gene carried has also carried over to the playoffs as he was on the mound for Hopewell’s first two WPIAL playoff wins and then in their PIAA 1st round win over General McLane.

The bottom line is that Krotec is a winner and someone that produces when the spotlight is the brightest.

How about this stat line for Krotec on the mound in 2026:

Starts: 11
Record: 11-0
ERA: 0.78
Innings: 71.2
Complete Games: 9
Strikeouts: 58

Yes, you read that correctly, a record of 11-0 with a 0.78 ERA.

It’s no surprise that Krotec is one of the candidates for the 2026 Beaver County Times Baseball Player of the Year.

Let’s help get him the recognition that he deserves and get Krotec named the player of the year.

Fans can vote as many times as they would like until the poll closes on Monday, June 8, at noon. The winners of the poll will be announced on Monday, June 15.

You’re able to vote as many times as you want up until when voting closes.

Here’s the link, and as they say, ‘Vote Early and Vote Often’. Please share and send this article to friends and family so that they can help out.

https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2026/06/01/who-is-the-times-high-school-baseball-player-of-the-year/90194967007/

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Gametime, Game Location Announced for Hopewell’s 2nd Round PIAA Game

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The Hopewell Vikings will have two days to both rest and prepare for their next PIAA playoff baseball game.

This morning it was announced that on Thursday Hopewell will travel to Gateway High School to take on Indiana.

Because of graduation ceremonies that evening at Hopewell High School, this matchup between Hopewell and Indiana will begin at Noon.

This game will no doubt be the biggest test of the season for Hopewell as Indiana as won the WPIAL Class 4 A championship in back-to-back seasons.

As the saying goes, to be the best you have to beat the best, so Hopewell will have their opportunity to do that.

By the way, with last night’s 9-1 win over General McLane, Hopewell now has 18 wins this season, which is their most since also winning 18 back in 2021. The goal now is to improve that total to 19.

HOPEWELL BASEBALL’S RECORD LAST SIX SEASONS
2026: 18-6, 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)

*Prior to the 2021 season, Hopewell’s highest win total was 20 games back in 2013.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

WATCH: Postgame Interviews with Hopewell Players/HC Morgan Singletary Following PIAA 1st Round Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 0 minutes read

This 2026 Hopewell HS Baseball team doesn’t want the season to end and last night they made sure that didn’t happen as they dominated District 10 champions General McLane from the first pitch.

Thanks to an outstanding pitching effort from Kingston Krotec and big days at the plate from Logan Triscila, James Gill, Ben McDonald and James Armstrong, Hopewell defeated General McLane, 9-1.

The Vikings now move on to face WPIAL 4A champions Indiana on Thursday.

Following the game, Viking Sports Now had the opportunity to talk with Hopewell HC Morgan Singletary, Triscila and Gill.

 

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Hopewell AthleticsSite News

What a Month for Vikings Sports Now!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The month of May is behind us and I’m excited to report that it was an extremely successful month for the website.

In fact, in terms of traffic and visitors to the site, it was our best month for both in 2026 and highest since October of 2025.

The bottom line is that people of reading the material VSN is putting out and more importantly, those readers are seeing the advertisements from our great and loyal sponsors.

Win/Win!

In the month of May, Vikings Sports Now published 56 articles, which comes to nearly 15 articles per week.

Here’s a look back at the 10 read viewed stories from the month of May on VSN.

1. Hopewell QB James Armstrong Adds Big West Coast Offer

Hopewell QB James Armstrong Adds Big West Coast Offer

2) The Secret Sauce Beyond Hopewell Baseball’s Success

The Secret Sauce Beyond Hopewell Baseball’s Success

3) Big Ten Program Extends Offer to Hopewell Quarterback James Armstrong

Big Ten Program Extends Offer to Hopewell Quarterback James Armstrong

4) Game Time and Location Announced for Hopewell Baseball Semifinal Game

Game Time and Location Announced for Hopewell Baseball Semifinal Game

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

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

6) James Armstrong Adds Another SEC Offer; Plus, Highlights of Recent 7-on-7 Game

James Armstrong Adds Another SEC Offer; Plus, Highlights of Recent 7-on-7 Game

7) What a Moment for Hopewell’s Anthony LaSala!

What a Moment for Hopewell’s Anthony LaSala!

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

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

9) Another SEC Schools Jumps into Race for 2028 QB James Armstrong

Another SEC School Jumps into Race for 2028 QB James Armstrong

10) Heartbreaker: Hopewell Loses Late to Elizabeth Forward, 4-3

Heartbreaker: Hopewell Loses Late to Elizabeth Forward, 4-3

 

 

 

 

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Gametime, Game Location Announced for Hopewell’s 1st Round PIAA Game

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

As expected, the Hopewell HS baseball team will have a long bus trip for their 1st round PIAA playoff game.

This morning, it was announced that on Monday, Hopewell will travel to Mercyhurst University to take on General McLane. First pitch is scheduled for 4 PM.

Hopewell will enter the state playoffs as the 3rd team from WPIAL’s Class 4A after defeating Derry, 3-0 on Tuesday.

Under the leadership of HC Morgan Singletary, the Vikings have reached the PIAA postseason four times (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2026).

In case you were wondering, Hopewell won a state championship 40 years ago after defeating Montoursville in the 1986 Class 3A championship game.

By the way, with one more win, Hopewell will equal their win total of 18 which took place back in 2021.

HOPEWELL BASEBALL’S RECORD LAST SIX SEASONS
2026: 17-6, 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)

*Prior to the 2021 season, Hopewell’s highest win total was 20 games back in 2013.

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