Breaking down the 2023 WPIAL softball playoffs

By: Bill Beckner Jr. And Michael Love
Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 7:49 PM

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WPIAL softball playoff bracket breakdown

Class 6A

Favorite: Seneca Valley secured the section title with a 3-0 win over Hempfield in the regular-season finale, giving the defending champion Raiders the top seed. Sophomore fireballer Lexie Hames is primed to lead the team to another title and state playoff trip after the Raiders finished as the runner-up. She had 18 strikeouts Thursday and hit a three-run home run. She has 250 strikeouts and has allowed 24 hits all season. Her ERA through 14 games was 0.35. The Raiders have given up 10 runs all season. Bella Gross is a tough out with her .413 average. Hames also bats .360 and has five home runs.

Contenders: Hempfield is a seven-time WPIAL champion but has not won a title since 2019. Sophomore pitcher Riley Miller is one of the best in 6A, while Maggie Howard (Georgetown) and Peyton Heisler (Penn) are Division I commits. The Spartans are young overall with only three seniors. … Norwin has a potent lineup and has seen a breakthrough season from pitcher Alyssa McCormick bring balance to the attack. Junior shortstop Bailey Snowberger is a Holy Cross commit. Catcher Madie Kessler has nine home runs. Norwin beat North Allegheny twice, split with Hempfield and lost 1-0 to Seneca Valley.

Don’t overlook: North Allegheny beat Hempfield, 1-0, and lost to Seneca Valley, 1-0. The Tigers play sound defense and are patient at the plate.

Prediction: Seneca Valley over Norwin

Class 5A

Favorite: It has to be Armstrong. The WPIAL’s leading home-run team has 16 straight wins and is averaging better than 10 runs per game. The defending champion River Hawks have power with Emma Paul, Jenna Clontz, Jessie Pugh and Emma Smerick, but don’t look past experienced pitcher Cameryn Sprankle, who has won some big games.

Contenders: Shaler lost in the quarterfinals last season but ran through the regular season with a 16-0 record. The Titans average 10.6 runs. Eloise Facher and Bethany Rodman are hitting close to .600 and had combined for 16 home runs and more than 50 RBIs. Facher is a Kent State commit. … West Allegheny, the Section 3 champion, has one of the highest-scoring offenses in the WPIAL (218 runs) and is riding a nine-game winning streak. The Indians’ loss is to Class 4A Montour, 13-3. Aubrey Police was hitting over .500 and had 25 runs scored. Elly Vicari-Baker is an underrated pitcher. … Trinity also has shown a propensity for scoring runs, topping 10 seven times. A nonsection matchup against Armstrong was canceled. Hanna Suhoski was leading the team in average (.520), homers (4) and RBIs (21), while pitcher Taylor Dunn had an 11-1 record. … North Hills, led by Hanna Murphy, Brenna Westwood and Addyson Wrigley, finished second to Shaler in Section 1. The Indians made the semifinals last year.

Don’t overlook: Latrobe and Franklin Regional have talented lineups. They tied for second behind Armstrong, but neither could beat the River Hawks. Franklin Regional, though, had leads in both games but lost 4-3 and 6-4 in nine innings. … Thomas Jefferson is a regular playoff contender.

Prediction: Armstrong over Trinity

Class 4A

Favorite: Prior to covid, Elizabeth Forward (15-0) ruled WPIAL Class 4A. The Warriors claimed the 2019 title, and they want it back. They made the WPIAL semifinals in 2021 and were the runners-up last year. EF allowed just seven runs in winning all 15 games it played heading into an exhibition game Thursday against Class 5A Penn-Trafford. The closest section game was a 5-2 win over rival Belle Vernon April 5. The Warriors took care of the Leopards, 11-1, in the rematch April 26. Junior Shelby Telegdy owns a 0.39 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 72 innings. She also is among the hitting leaders with a .627 average (32 of 51) with 22 RBIs, 11 doubles and four home runs. Freshman Julia Resnik leads the team with a .625 average with team bests of 24 RBIs, six triples and 25 runs scored. Not to be overlooked in the lineup are freshman Hannah Evans, senior Bella Gimiliano, sophomore Alivia Grimm and senior Lauren Vay.

Contenders: Montour (13-2) got the better of Chartiers Valley, 6-2, on Tuesday to forge a tie for the Section 3 title with the Colts at 11-1. Senior Mia Arndt hit a three-run triple in the eighth to help seal the win. The Spartans are after a WPIAL title and a return to the PIAA playoffs after making last year’s WPIAL semifinals but falling one win short of states with a loss to Burrell in the third-place game. … Chartiers Valley (16-2) was rolling with 14 straight wins before the loss to Montour. The Colts are looking to end a long WPIAL-title drought. They won back to back in 1977-78. Senior Madison Crump is hitting .500 (34 of 68) with 20 RBIs and 31 runs scored. Sophomore Taylor Walsh and senior Rylee Prosperi have knocked in 25 runs apiece, and Lily Duffill has enjoyed a breakout freshman year with a .483 average and 31 RBIs. … Belle Vernon’s only two losses in section play came against Elizabeth Forward. The Leopards (14-4) have put up double-digit run totals 12 times. Senior outfielder Maren Metikosh, a Central Connecticut State commit who was last year’s Class 4A state player of the year, is having another huge season. She collected three hits, including a home run, in a 10-1 win over Connellsville on Wednesday. … West Mifflin (12-4) finished tied with Knoch for the Section 1 title, and the Titans are one of the two teams, along with Montour, to defeat Chartiers Valley. West Mifflin is seeking its first WPIAL title. The Titans are led by Addison Hilligsberg, one of four seniors on a team with six sophomores and four freshmen.

Don’t overlook: Hampton (11-5) came close to toppling Montour on April 27 before the Spartans prevailed 3-2 in the Section 3 battle. The Talbots are paced by senior infielder Addy McGuire and junior infielder Mackenzie Reese. Hampton dropped down from Class 5A. The Talbots have never won a WPIAL title.

Prediction: Elizabeth Forward over Chartiers Valley

Class 3A

Favorite: The WPIAL champion in 2022 and ‘19, Avonworth has all the tools to add another title banner. The Antelopes are led by junior pitcher Alivia Lantzy, who has big-game experience. She was hitting over .530, while Rylee Gray (.489, 7 home runs, 25 RBIs) is another key offensive threat. Lantzy had over 120 strikeouts. Avonworth’s only loss was to Class 2A power Neshannock, 9-2.

Contenders: Southmoreland won a strong Section 3 by two games over Yough. The Scotties, who won a WPIAL title in 2018 and made the semis last year, lost to Class 4A Belle Vernon and Ligonier Valley. They are averaging 11.4 runs during their five-game winning streak. Shortstop Amarah McCutcheon is a power hitter, while Maddie Brown has come into her own as the ace. … Waynesburg took first in Section 4 by four games. Hannah Wood was batting over .560 and had four homers. Pitcher Kendall Lemley manages the game well. …. Led by pitcher and top hitter Katie Armstrong, Burrell has won seven of eight, including a 10-0 win over Deer Lakes. The Bucs lost to Avonworth, 2-1. Armstrong was second in the WPIAL in strikeouts with 132. … With a six-game winning streak where it has averaged 12.7 runs, Mohawk is a hot team.

Don’t overlook: Two-time WPIAL champ Deer Lakes is a perennial playoff contender, but the Lancers have dropped three of their last four games. They made the WPIAL final last year and lost to Avonworth, 8-1.

Prediction: Avonworth over Southmoreland

Class 2A

Favorite: Defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Neshannock (16-0) owned a 42-game winning streak through Wednesday’s 20-0 victory over Freedom in the Section 1 finale. The Lancers surrendered just nine runs in 12 section matchups. Neshannock also owns a 9-2 win over Class 3A No. 1 Avonworth and a 6-2 win over Class A No. 1 Union. The Lancers have a sizeable group of underclassmen. Sophomore Addy Frye was last year’s state Class 2A pitcher of the year with a 20-0 record. Seniors Hunter Newman (Morgan State) and Aaralyn Nogay (Bowling Green) are Division I commits. Nogay led the team in batting at .585 (24 of 41) with a team-best 34 runs scored through 16 games, while senior Hunter Newman and freshman Jaidon Nogay owned a team-best 24 and 22 RBIs. Frye led the way with five home runs.

Contenders: Charleroi topped Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 5-2, on Monday to finish off a season sweep of the Chargers and forge a tie with OLSH for the Section 3 title. The Cougars reached the WPIAL quarterfinals last year, and several underclassmen all-section performers from last year have fueled the team in 2023. Charleroi’s two losses came by a combined three runs to section rival Burgettstown. … Serra Catholic finished 10-0 to win the Section 2 title. The Eagles had won 10 in a row. Serra made a statement with a 13-0 victory over contender and section rival Greensburg Central Catholic on Tuesday. The Eagles pounded out 14 hits. Senior Caroline Malandra went 4 for 4 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored. … OLSH hopes for a deep run in the Class 2A postseason after making the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA playoffs last year. The Chargers weren’t able to get past Charleroi in Section 3 play, but they rolled past third-place Burgettstown, 15-0 and 12-2, in the second half of the regular season. Senior outfielder Juliette Vybiral, a Seton Hill commit, is hitting better than .400. … Laurel shut out playoff-bound Riverside, 4-0, on Tuesday in its Section 1 finale. It was the Spartans’ fifth win in a row since a loss to Neshannock. Senior Malone commit Grace Kissick threw a complete game, giving up four hits and striking out 16. Senior infielder Addison Deal, a St. Francis commit, hit a triple. Laurel won WPIAL titles in 2018, ‘19 and ‘21.

Don’t overlook: Greensburg Central Catholic made the WPIAL semifinals last year and qualified for the PIAA playoffs. The Centurions are led by senior Emma Henry, a Central Connecticut State commit, both at the plate and in the pitching circle. Serra beat GCC, 6-5, in the first meeting between the Section 2 rivals April 13. Junior outfielder Grace Kindel and senior catcher Isabella Marquez also provide veteran leadership for the Centurions, who hope to make a run to their first WPIAL title.

Prediction: Neshannock over Serra Catholic

Class A

Favorite: Union won its first WPIAL crown last year with a 3-2 victory over West Greene to end the Pioneers’ five-year WPIAL championship run. Union rolled through Section 1 with a 12-0 record. The Scotties were 14-3 overall, and their only two losses came against Class 4A playoff team Belle Vernon on Thursday, Class 3A playoff team Mohawk and undefeated Class 2A power Neshannock. Union scored at least 12 runs in all 12 of its section games. Sophomore Mia Preuhs leads the Scotties with a .525 average (21 of 40) with 13 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Also among the RBI leaders this season are junior Bella Cameron (20), junior Tori May (20), freshman Olivia Williams (19) and sophomore Addie Nogay. Preuhs, an all-state pitcher last year, and sophomore Piper Jendrysik have shared pitching duties.

Contenders: Carmichaels (16-0) finished the regular season with four straight shutouts. That streak included an 11-0 win over West Greene (11-7) on May 5. The Mighty Mikes scored 10 or more runs in 13 of their 16 wins. Carmichaels won Class 2A softball titles in 1997 and ‘98. Freshman Bailey Barnyak is 14-0 with a 0.35 ERA and 152 strikeouts. Fellow freshman Carys McConnell leads the team with 28 RBIs while batting .531 (26 of 41). … Frazier finished undefeated in Section 3 (12-0) and has won 13 in a row. The Commodores finished runner-up in WPIAL Class 2A last year. Seniors Delaney Warnick and Jensyn Hartman have helped lead a strong Frazier offense in support of pitching standout Madison Bednar. … West Greene is paced offensively by senior Lexi Six, who is batting .414 (24 of 58) with 27 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Sophomore Payton Gilbert knocked in 20 runs through 18 games, and senior London Whipkey, an all-state catcher, is hitting .410 with a team-best 10 doubles. … Chartiers-Houston (12-5) finished runner-up to Carmichaels in Section 2 at 10-2. The Bucs swept West Greene in a competitive series by a combined three runs. They have won 12 of 13 after an 0-4 start. Sophomore pitcher Meadow Ferri and sophomore catcher Ella Richey form a strong battery for Chartiers-Houston. Richey had a stretch of five home runs in three games this season.

Don’t overlook: Leechburg continues to make things happen with a WPIAL-record 36th straight playoff berth. The Blue Devils started 1-5 playing several strong teams in Class 2A and 3A. Leechburg finished 10-2 in Section 3 with the losses coming to section champ Frazier. The Blue Devils are paced by the team’s lone seniors — pitcher Anna Cibik and outfielder Karli Mazak.

Prediction: Union over Frazier