The Pine-Richland High School baseball team does not always reach the WPIAL postseason, but when it does, it has made a habit of finding its way to the title game.

A two-year hiatus from the playoffs and playing in the Class AAAA playoffs for the first time in program history did not change anything. For the fourth time in the past six years the Rams played for a WPIAL title.

The Rams lost to section nemesis North Allegheny in the WPIAL title game, 6-3, and after turning around and beating City League champion Allderdice, 9-0, in the first round of the PIAA tournament, they fell again to North Allegheny, this time 3-2 in nine innings, effectively ending a landmark season.

The Rams (20-4) reached 20 wins for only the second time in school history and set a record for regular-season victories with 17, all the while reaching the playoffs for the first time in three tries after moving up from Class AAA three seasons ago.

"Obviously, we are disappointed that we didn't win the WPIAL title, but I thought it was a very successful season," Pine-Richland coach Kurt Wolfe said.

"We were 4-8 in the section last year and we missed the playoffs. We made a big turnaround and competed not only for a section title and a WPIAL title, but also a state title because I felt whoever won that game [against North Allegheny] was going to win the state title."

The season was especially rewarding for a talented group of seniors filled with Division I potential but with little or no postseason experience after missing out on the playoffs.

After a landmark 2006 season when Pine-Richland went 22-3 and won a WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles, the Rams combined to go 9-15 in section play and 15-21 overall the next two seasons after after moving up to Class AAAA.

Even with the struggles the past two seasons, expectations remained high around the team with a load of returning starters, including Xavier University recruits Vinny Nittoli and Mitch Elliott and West Virginia recruit T.J. Kuban.

Nittoli was the staff ace and Elliott, who transferred into Pine-Richland from St. Louis two years ago, was a leadoff man and a terror on the base paths. Kuban is a four-year starter and the team's top slugger.

"They came into the season excited because they saw the progression from their sophomore years and they felt that we were getting better and better every year," Wolfe said. "They really felt that they were going to have success. That was the biggest difference, they felt that they were a pretty good team and they had a lot of confidence."

Unfortunately for Pine-Richland, Section 1-AAAA rival North Allegheny came into the season just as experienced.

The teams split the regular-season meetings with North Allegheny winning, 4-1, in early April and the Rams taking the second game, 10-4, three weeks later. North Allegheny swept the two postseason meetings.

"We really felt if we played well and played together that we could make a run at not only a section title but a WPIAL and state title, too," Wolfe said.

"Unfortunately three of our four losses were to a great NA team. We felt if we would have played them 100 times it would be 50-50. I really think we are very equal to them, but they made some huge plays and I don't take anything away from them. We thought we were as good as anyone and the games against NA proved that."

Along with Nittoli, Elliott and Kuban, Ryan Owens (Clarion) and Phil Morrissette (Allegheny) are planning to play college baseball.

"Getting kids to the next level, helps bring kids in from the outside who want to be part of this," Wolfe said.

"It is huge. We had kids come out this year who I don't think normally would come out. They feel that if they perform well in this program, maybe they will be seen."

Even with the departure of a talented and experienced senior class, the Rams should be in contention once again next season as nearly all their pitchers, except Nittoli, returning. Matt Berezo, Chris Kosty, Mike Benton, Shane Stauffer, Brad Lalli, Ron Perirish and Pat Connell will form another strong senior class for Pine-Richland next season.

Freshman catcher Russell Clark, sophomores Justin Williams and middle infielder Zac LaNeve also figure to be key contributors next year as the Rams try to make to make it to an unprecedented fifth WPIAL title game in a seven-year span.

Pine-Richland High School's Vinny Nittoli pitches against North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship.