Peters Township hosting baseball reunion
Peters Township High School will celebrate over 50 years of baseball April 29-May 1. Three days of activities are planned for alumni of the program.
Festivities begin April 29 with player introductions prior to the Indians’ Section 5-AAAA clash against Mt. Lebanon. Intros begin at 6:35 at Peterswood Park. Matty DiAngelo will throw out the first pitch at 7:15 p.m.
At high noon April 30, also at Peterswood Park, the alumni will square off in a baseball game. A picnic follows at 3 p.m. The weekend concludes with a golf outing May 1.
“We are fortunate that many of our baseball alumni have remained or moved back into the community or they live in the Pittsburgh area,” said Joe Maize, who with Frank Ciocci managed the Indians over the course of 50 years. “We hope that players who do not live in the immediate area will come home to visit their family and friends and relive the good times of growing up and playing baseball in Peters Township.”
The event is sponsored by the Peters Township Diamondbackers Baseball Boosters and special recognition will be paid to two of the community’s prominent crusaders of the sport.
Matty and Sally DiAngelo served as coaches in the recreation program. They also served as president of association at different times. Matt also managed the American Legion program.
According to Maize, “because of the dedication, persistence, and hard work of the DiAngelos, Peters Township Baseball has been one of the few baseball programs in Western Pennsylvania that have been able to play baseball games under the lights. The DiAngelos were the leaders in raising over $100,000 to get our fields at Peterswood Park under those lights.”
On Nov. 22, 2015, however, Sally passed away. “The Peters Township baseball family lost a very special ‘baseball mom,'” said Maize. She will be honored for the contributions she made during the alumni weekend. “We want to recognize her for everything she did to make Peters Township a special place,” Maize added.
For over 10 years, the booster club has provided scholarships to graduating seniors. The money was awarded to qualified seniors that were recognized for their academic success and leadership on the team.
This year, the scholarship will be renamed the Diamondbackers / Sally DiAngelo Memorial Scholarship. Addtionally, the organization will conduct its first Sally DiAngelo Memorial Golf Outing scheduled on Monday, Aug. 22, 2016, at Valleybrook Country Club. The money raised from the golf outing will go towards the scholarship fund.
For more details on the weekend activities or the golf outing in August, email maizej@pt-sd.org or call 724-809-1689.
NOTES: Heading into this week’s baseball action, the Indians found themselves in the thick of the race for the Section 5-AAA banner. Lebo, to whom the Indians lost, 5-4, last week, and Bethel Park led the league with 4-1 slates. The Indians were tied for second place with Baldwin. Each had 3-2 records.