West Allegheny pitcher Zak Sinclair is on the mound, he's in another world.

"I kind of go into my own little zone," said Sinclair, one of the top pitchers in the WPIAL. "I zone out. I'm not very talkative in a game when I'm pitching. I'm focused on the next pitch, the next batter."

A four-year starter, Sinclair did not allow an earned run in five of his first seven starts this season.

Blessed with great size at 6 feet 4, 215 pounds and athletic ability proven by the fact he also was a standout for the West Allegheny football team, Sinclair's fastball has topped out at 93 mph. Plus he has two other pitches he can throw for strikes.

But Sinclair's raw numbers tell only half the story. West Allegheny coach Bryan Cornell said Sinclair's competitive nature is what puts him over the top.

"He's a great competitor, he always has been," Cornell said. "Once he's on the mound, it's his ball and he's going to go out and challenge every batter.

"I'd definitely say [competitiveness is] a personality trait."

Sinclair said, "It can be tiddlywinks and I'll be competitive. I always want to win and try to be the best I can be at everything I do.

"I don't want to let [my teammates] down, and I want everybody to play as hard as possible because the other team wants it just as bad as us."

Sinclair started as a freshman but has matured physically and mentally since then, Cornell said. His pitch counts are down, and a big reason why is the development of his changeup into an effective pitch.

"When I'm pitching well, it's a combination of things," Sinclair said.

"I'm hitting my spots, throwing all three pitches for strikes, getting ahead of hitters. The main thing is that I'm not going out there trying to strike everyone out. I'm just trying to hit my spots, and if they hit it, great, the defense behind me will help me out every time."

After earning the victory in a 10-0 win against Chartiers Valley Monday, Sinclair improved to 6-1 with an 0.70 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 40 innings this season. He has walked only 16 and allowed only 13 hits.

His impressive statistics don't end there. He was 5-0 during the regular season last year and won five games and struck out 53 batters as a sophomore. As West Allegheny's cleanup hitter, Sinclair was hitting .396 (19-for-48) with seven home runs and 20 RBIs through Monday.

Sinclair is used to being in an important position with heavy influence on the game's outcome. He was also the starting quarterback for the Indians' football team that advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals. He completed 68 of 133 passes for 992 yards and 13 touchdown with only three interceptions in nine regular-season games.

"He just has that natural instinct to lead ---- especially when he's on the mound," Cornell said. "The kids know that Zak is pitching and they'll get a great performance from him on the mound, and they just follow suit."

In the fall, Sinclair committed to North Carolina State, a Division I school in the Atlantic Coast Conference where he will play for head coach Elliott Avent and associate head coach Tom Holliday.

"I felt at home there," Sinclair said. "It has everything to offer.

"It's a good academic school and a good baseball school. Coach Avent and coach Holiday are players' coaches. They make you feel like you're one of their own."

Sinclair isn't the only West Allegheny player having a strong season.

Pitchers Ethan Thompson, a junior, and Derrik Zeroski, a senior, also had ERAs under 2.00 heading into Tuesday's game against New Castle, a 6-2 win.

Senior center fielder Tyler Savisky (.425 average, 19 runs, .545 on-base percentage heading into the week), junior outfielder Mike Visloski (.415, three home runs, 18 RBIs), Zeroski (also the team's shortstop who was batting .404, 20 runs, 18 RBIs) and senior catcher Ricky Deveraux (.383) also have contributed mightily to the team's success.

One of the preseason favorites in WPIAL Class AAA, the Indians (15-3, 10-1) clinched the Section 3-AAA title Monday, their seventh win in eight contests.

West Allegheny, which has won five of the past six section championships, wrapped up section play yesterday against Hopewell. The WPIAL playoffs begin next week with West Allegheny as the defending champion eager to defend its crown......

"We definitely feel like we have a run in us," Sinclair said.

"I just don't think we've reached our best yet. We're starting to get hits at the right time, we're pitching real well, playing good ball at the right time."