Unflappable Hempfield looks to add to softball program’s championship legacy

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | 2:29 PM

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Tina Madison looked pensive and anxious as her team hit softballs into nets in a light drizzle Monday at St. Francis (Pa.) University.

The Hempfield coach was concerned the downcast weather conditions might affect her team in a PIAA Class 6A semifinal against Cumberland Valley.

Truth be told, she wasn’t sure the game should have been played at all. But she clearly was relieved when it ended.

“I don’t like this,” Madison said, “but I am not going to let the girls know that. You know what, though? It probably won’t even bother them. They just want to play. We’ve made it. Now, one more.”

Hempfield never has been a program that lets other teams see it sweat. And it isn’t about to start now.

Madison’s mood lifted after Hempfield clubbed a pair of home runs and sophomore pitcher Riley Miller and the defense remained efficient in a 6-1 win that vaulted the Spartans (21-3) into the state championship game Thursday at Penn State against North Penn (27-0), the District 1 champion.

North Penn clipped Chambersburg, 1-0, in eight innings, scoring a controversial run in the top of the eighth on a play at the plate.

Senior pitcher Julia Shearer could be a problem for the Spartans. A two-time Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year, the Maryland recruit is 27-0 with 346 strikeouts and 21 shutouts.

She also is batting over .600 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs.

“I don’t know if there is much that affects them at this point,” Madison said of her girls. “We have one more tough game in front of us. The girls are excited.”

Already the record holder for the most PIAA softball championships by a WPIAL team, tradition-rich Hempfield will chase after title No. 5 — it would be its fourth in eight years — at 4 p.m. Thursday at Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park.

These Spartans want to fall back in line with winners of the past and return to the elite in the state. Their most recent PIAA title came in 2018, the last of a dynastic run of three straight trophy grabs and the final championship for legendary coach Bob Kalp.

“We want to win for the program,” said Madison, a former Spartans ace pitcher who won a PIAA title in 1999 as Tina Skelly before a college career at Penn State. “Not just win for each other — win for all of those who came through here.”

Headed to the ship in my favorite place on earth ???????? pic.twitter.com/K6fUFtqsNu

— Tina Madison (@Coach_TMadison) June 13, 2023

The added pressure for a youthful team with only three seniors is that Hempfield never has lost in the state finals (4-0).

“I know that,” Madison said with a smile. “But thanks for reminding me. The girls know what is expected here when they put on a Hempfield uniform.”

Hempfield has reigned supreme in the state’s largest classification, winning 13 of 14 PIAA tournament games since the state went to six classifications in 2017.

No moment has seemed too intense for the Spartans, who won their eighth WPIAL title by outdueling Seneca Valley and ace pitcher Lexie Hames.

Hempfield’s pitcher no doubt will play a key role in the state final.

Miller (18-3) has been steady — dominant at times, but steady with a strong defense behind her — and has been able to work with leads.

Hempfield has not trailed since the quarterfinals against Norwin when it turned a 5-1 deficit into an 8-5 win.

Miller shut out Mifflin County (5-0) and Downingtown East (2-0) before finally allowing a run, on a fourth-inning groundout, in the win over Cumberland Valley.

“We have to look at it as just another game,” said freshman third baseman Lauren Howard, who is hitting .714 in the state tournament (10 for 14) with three doubles, a triple and a home run. “It’s amazing to have a chance to win states. I hope I can do this three more times.”

Junior second baseman Sarah Podkul, who hit her first career home run — an estimated 300-foot shot — in Monday’s win, likes her team’s demeanor.

“Act like we’ve been here before and be confident,” Podkul said. “We are a very calm team.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield