All that stands in the way is a dangerous West Middlesex Big Reds club.

The Eagles (16-4) and the Big Reds (12-9) will square off in the D-10 Class A semifinals today at Allegheny College in Meadville. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the conclusion of Thursday’s other Class A semifinal between Cochranton and Saegertown.

“West Middlesex will most likely be the toughest opponent we’ve met so far this season,” said Youngsville coach Eddie Dorunda. “They play in a tough region and are used to seeing top pitching and hitting. They are returning five or six starters from last year’s Class AA District 10 championship team.”

While the Big Reds return several starters, it’s freshman Kyle Gilson who leads the team with a .412 batting average. Close behind are seniors Devin Gruver and Richie Preston, batting .364 and .333 respectively. In addition, Preston had two home runs and a team-high 19 RBIs this season and classmates Julian Trott and Gio Rococi finished with 33 RBIs between them.

Photo courtesy of Jay Elfstrom Youngsville’s Nathan Lucks is the team leader in strikeouts with 58.

West Middlesex, the second seed in the seven-team tournament, relies mainly on a three-headed monster on the mound — Evan Gilson, Preston and Rococi.

Evan Gilson was 5-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 2023 while Preston was 4-2 with a team-low 2.15 ERA and team-high 44 strikeouts. Rococi was 3-2 with a 4.53 ERA and finished with 29 strikeouts.

The Big Reds advanced to today’s semifinal with a 7-1 victory over region foe Reynolds on Monday.

Youngsville broke open a close game in the later innings to dispatch Union City, 12-2, in the Class A quarterfinals on Monday.

Center fielder Matt DeSimone leads the Eagles’ charge with a .569 batting average followed by teammates Ethan Senz (.373) and Wyatt Dalrymple (.368). DeSimone also leads the team with 29 RBIs followed by the 17 of Nathan Lucks and 14 of Keegan Mesel.

Lucks — the team leader in strikeouts with 58 — pitched well in Monday’s win and was able to limit his pitches, making him eligible for today. He figures to see a bigger workload from the mound after a late-season injury to freshman David Manning.

Once again, it’s win or go home for the Eagles.

While Dorunda is by no means ready for the Eagles’ ride to come to a close, the reality that the season can end at any moment isn’t lost on the coach.

“I got emotional talking to the boys yesterday at practice,” he said. “I let them know how proud I was of them for getting to this point. I’ve coached most of these kids since they were freshmen and sophomores, and the work they put in to improve and become legit baseball players is pretty special.”

The emotion Dorunda spoke of especially hits home for the team’s three seniors — Senz, Ian Mancuso and Mesel.

“I told (those three) these could potentially be the last two practices of their careers,” said Dorunda. “I think that hit home. They want to keep playing ball and win a championship for our school and the town that has had our backs all season long.”

As Dorunda mentioned, it’s not just the Youngsville team and parents that are enjoying this ride. The entire town of Youngsville is along for the journey and that fact isn’t lost on the team.

“We want to thank the town of Youngsville for all the support this season,” said Dorunda. “From the escorts in and out of town, to the fans waiting to greet us on East Main Street on our way back to the high school. It’s amazing to see the buzz Youngsville has right now for this team. It truly makes the boys feel special. They worked their butts off since January and they deserve and have earned this recognition.”