Pitching, hitting and defense - that is the trifecta of effectiveness for a successful baseball team.

For the past several springs, Plum's Luke Koshinsky and Anthony Garofalo displayed effectiveness in one or more of those aspects for the Mustangs varsity squad.

The play of the Plum seniors helped the program to multiple playoff appearances and Section 4-AAAA co-championships the past two seasons.

On Sunday, Garofalo and Koshinsky will share a high school baseball diamond one more time, as they both will represent the Mustangs at the ninth annual WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association all-star games at Burkett Field in Robinson.

The all-star doubleheader, featuring the top 80 senior baseball players in the WPIAL, will start at 1 p.m. with the game between the Class A stars and their counterparts in AA.

The big school game, featuring the Quad-A and AAA all-stars, will follow at about 4 p.m.

Koshinsky paced Plum with a team-best .463 batting average and led the squad in hits (34), doubles (12) and total bases (53). He tied for first in runs scored (15) and was second in RBI with 14.

Garofalo earned WPIAL Pitcher of the Year honors for Quad-A after posting a big season on the mound.

He finished 6-0 and recorded 61 strikeouts with a 1.86 ERA in 41 1⁄3 innings of work.

Garofalo also is expected to get some work in the outfield during the big-school all-star contest. He batted .406 in 2012 with seven RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Plum seniors in the WPIAL all-star game is a common occurrence.

Last year, Cory Podvasnik, a current member of the Wheeling Jesuit baseball team, pitched two scoreless innings - striking out four - as the Quad-Å team blanked the AAA stars, 6-0.

For his efforts, Podvasnik was selected the Pitcher of the Game.

C.J. Stotler, who just finished his sophomore season at Mt. Union College in Ohio, played in the 2010 big-school game, and the Quad-A suffered a tough 3-1 loss to the AAA team.

Richie Navari and Nick Ferracano represented the Mustangs in 2009, and the Plum duo helped the Quad-A team dispatch the AAA stars, 8-1.

In 2008, Scott McGough and Anthony DeFabio paced the Quad-A stars to a 7-1 win.

The PIAA baseball quarterfinals for all four classifications are set for today, Thursday, and seven teams - Mt. Lebanon in Quad-A, Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson in AAA, Riverside and South Fayette in AA, and Neshannock and OLSH in A - still are alive after first-round victories on Monday.

Any players from those WPIAL teams that survive the quarterfinals round and advance to the semifinals - set for Monday - will not be able to play in Sunday's all-star games.

That has the potential of affecting seven players from the four all-star teams, including Mt. Lebanon shortstop and University of Cincinnati recruit Ian Happ from the Quad-A team and Neshannock outfielder John Sansone, a Florida State recruit and the Class A Player of the Year.

Players selected for the game will be honored at an awards banquet tomorrow, Friday, at the Airport Marriott.

Garofalo, along with the other WPIAL pitchers, players and coaches of the year, also will be honored.

Other winners of the Pitcher of the Year awards are Thomas Jefferson's Greg Schneider (AAA), Ellwood City's Anthony Carusone (AA) and California's T.D. Conway (A).

Joining Sansone as the WPIAL's Players of the Year are Norwin's J.J. Matijevic (Quad-A), Valley's Zarley Zalewski (AAA) and Shady Side Academy's Ben Hartz (AA).

Returning to the all-star weekend festivities is an underclassmen showcase, set for Saturday at Burkett Field.

Garofalo gets the Point

Garofalo, the ace of the Mustangs pitching staff this spring, will have the chance to become the ace of another western Pennsylvania baseball power.

The Point Park program has brought Garofalo into the fold, and Pioneers' third-year head coach Loren Torres is very happy about the signing.

"This signing allows us to continue to build a solid pitching staff, one that allows us to continue to compete nationally," Torres said

"Anthony has the ability to impact our program right away. His transition to the college game will determine how quickly he will impact our program."

Point Park set a school record for wins this spring (53), and the victory total was the third highest in the NAIA.

The Pioneers finished 53-11 and qualified for the NAIA World Series. They finished fifth in the 10-team national-tournament field.

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