10 Tigers named Big 56 All-Section; Andrew Heck named Coach of the Year
North Allegheny had 10 players named to the Big 56 All-Section Team that was released on Wednesday morning. Four Tigers, Miles Pealer (infielder), J.J. Mancuso (outfielder), Sean O’Donnell (outfielder) and Nate Persinger (utility) were named to the first-team while Augie Maslo (infielder), Mason Smith (infielder), Christian Simons (infielder), Mason Dratfinsky (outfielder), Nico Varlotta (pitcher) and Nate Surman (designated hitter) got second-team honors. Coach Andrew Heck was voted the Section 1-6A Coach of the Year.
Pealer led North Allegheny with a .349 batting average, and a .853 OPS. He was second on the team in RBIs and runs scored, Pealer drove in 11 runs and scored 15 times. Miles’ best quality is his base running, stealing 23 bases in 19 games. This is Pealer’s first appearance on the Big 56 all-section team.
Mancuso hit .278 and is second on the team in RBIs with 11. He led the team scoring 16 runs and walked 10 times. Mancuso was a second-team all-section player a year ago.
O’Donnell collected 12 hits including a team-leading four doubles. O’Donnell homered in the regular season finale against Peters Township while driving in seven runs. This is O’Donnell’s debut season on the Big 56 all-section team.
Persinger did a little bit of everything in the 2025 season. Pitching, Persinger threw 27 2/3 innings, going 2-0 with a 2.27 ERA. He struck out 38 batters. At the plate, he collected two doubles and walked six times. This is Persinger’s first all-section team.
Maslo was a very patient hitter in 2025, leading North Allegheny with 14 walks. He also stole five bases and scored 10 times. Defensively, Maslo had a .911 fielding percentage with a team-leading 28 assists. This is Maslo’s second straight season being named second-team all-section.
Smith led the Tigers with two home runs, and drove in 10 runs. His 10 RBIs were good for fourth on the team. He was also fourth in runs scored with 11. Mason had a .982 fielding percentage with 26 assists.
Simons was a lift to the NA offense this season hitting .269 as a sophomore. He led the team with 13 RBIs.
Dratfinsky burst onto the scene as a sophomore and hit .296 with an .806 OPS. He scored 12 runs, good for third on the team. Dratfinsky got hit by five pitches this spring, which led the team. He also second on the team in stolen bases with nine.
Varlotta was the Monday pitcher for North Allegheny throughout the season posting a 2-2 record with a 2.92 ERA. He struck out 33 hitters, good for third on the team. Varlotta was a second-team all-section member a year ago as well.
Surman hit .265 and tied for the team lead with four doubles. He was very impressive coming out of the pen, as he became the Tigers closer once section play started. Nate had a 2-0 record with a 0.58 ERA in 12 innings pitched. He collected five saves.
For complete all-section team, click here.
The Tigers will open the playoffs on Monday when they take on Hempfield in the WPIAL Quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
