Seven Tigers sign NLIs for Baseball
Seven North Allegheny baseball seniors signed national letters of intent to play baseball at the next level on Wednesday. Pitcher Nico Varlotta signed his letter of intent to play at the University of North Alabama, pitcher Jackson Walsh signed to play at Gannon University, infielder Augie Maslo officially committed to play next spring at St. Joseph’s University, pitcher Nate Persinger and catcher Michael Hershberger signed the dotted line to play at California University of Pennsylvania next year while pitcher Ben Wilcox signed to La Roche University and outfielder Sean O’Donnell signed on with University of South Carolina Lancaster.
Varlotta verbally committed to North Alabama in October. Varlotta dealt with injuries during his junior campaign but was able to come back late in the season and give the Tigers a huge lift come playoff time. He made five appearance with three of them being starts pitching 19.2 innings with a 2.13 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Varlotta also played some outfield and was the designated hitter for the majority of the year. He hit .333 with a home run and seven RBIs. North Alabama is Division I and participates in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Walsh made his commitment verbally in late September. The left-handed pitcher and outfielder appeared in 12 total games, six on the mound and six in the outfield. On the mound Walsh threw 23.1 innings recording 17 strikeouts. At the plate, Walsh recorded three hits, had two RBIs and drew seven walks. Gannon is Divison II and participates in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Maslo served as the NA shortstop for the 2024 season. He hit .270 with two doubles, a triple and eight RBIs. He also stole nine bases. Defensively, Maslo had a .931 fielding percentage. St. Joseph’s University is Division I and participates in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Persigner made his verbal commitment last summer to join the Vulcans. He made three appearances for the Tigers in 2024 throwing 10 innings and striking out 11 batters. Persinger finished the season with a 2.10 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Hershberger also committed to Cal U over the summer. Hershberger was a Big 56 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection a season ago. He appeared in 15 games, hitting .324 with nine RBIs. Hersberger’s biggest moment of the season was a pinch-hit two-RBI single in extra innings of the WPIAL Semifinals against Pine-Richland. The Tigers would win the game 5-4 and go on to win the WPIAL Championship.
California University of Pennsylvania is Division II and also participates in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Wilcox decided on La Roche at the end of October. He appeared in two games on the mound for the Tigers throwing 2.1 innings. La Roche is Division III and competes in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The Red Hawks made the Division III College World Series in 2016.
O’Donnell appeared in seven games last season, recording two hits and had an RBI. He committed to USC Lancaster in late September. USC Lancaster competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association in Region 10.
All seven Tigers contributed to a 2024 season that saw North Allegheny finish with a 17-7 record, a WPIAL Championship and another state playoff appearance.
