Behind ‘softball sisters,’ North Allegheny hopes to return to WPIAL finals

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, March 30, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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North Allegheny has a roster full of “softball sisters,” even though most of the girls aren’t actually related.

It’s an informal mentorship program coach Morgan Vescovi adopted a year ago, pairing an upperclassman with a younger teammate from the varsity or junior varsity. The players are able to bond while sharing knowledge and team traditions, which she sees as invaluable this spring, since her team has a nice mix of youth and experience.

“It kind of started small last year,” Vescovi said. “They would write each other little notes and exchange them prior to our games. It’s cool to see how some of the girls adopted it and made it their own.”

She’s happy it became a new tradition.

This season’s team has seven seniors, and there are still six players on the roster who played in 2022 when the Tigers reached the WPIAL finals. Vescovi said she shares lessons about what makes a team successful but believes hearing stories from teammates who were there is sometimes better.

“It’s kind of this neat thing,” she said. “We have the older girls with the experience kind of mentoring this young talent and showing them the ropes.”

The “softball sisters” idea came from outfielder Carlyn Vaupel, now part of a strong senior class.

The team can have all seven seniors in the game together at times, with Vaupel joining infielders Kaci Plotsko (2B), Caitlin Logan (3B) and Julia Drazga (1B); outfielders Olivia Carlson and Clara Stover; and pitcher Anne Melle. They’ll be joined by junior pitcher Sammy Plotsko, junior shortstop McKenna Rowlands, sophomore catcher Taylor Neese and sophomore outfielder Avelyn Kropf.

North Allegheny had five senior starters a year ago, including Meghan McDonough, now a freshman outfielder for Pitt-Johnstown.

But the Tigers brought back both starting pitchers from last year’s team that went 14-7 and reached the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals. Plotsko led the way with 10 wins and 116 strikeouts in 102 innings. Melle had four wins and 30 strikeouts in 34 innings.

“We’re going to need to use both of them again,” Vescovi said. “As much as the motion for fast-pitch softball is very forgiving for arms, when we get into situations where we have two, three or four games per week, we’ll definitely utilize both.”

Plotsko and Melle are also good hitters, so their bats remain in the lineup even on days they’re not pitching. Plotsko batted .427 and hit a team-high six home runs last season. Melle had four homers and was one of eight players to hit better than .300.

Logan, the team’s third baseman, also homered four times and tied Melle with 20 RBIs. Plotsko drove in 29 runs. Rowlands batted .324 and scored 15 times.

“We have a lot of experience coming back, between our seniors and our underclassmen who played the last year or two,” Vescovi said. “But we also have some really talented freshmen and sophomores.”

The roster includes five sophomores and four freshmen.

Vescovi is back for her sixth year as head coach after giving birth to a son, Luca. She coached last spring while pregnant, and despite the whirlwind of becoming a new mother, decided to keep coaching.

She said there were moments when she thought it might be too hectic, but was resolved to return after last year’s playoff loss to Pine-Richland.

“I remember I came home, looked at my husband (Darren) and said, ‘I’m not ready to be done yet,’” Vescovi said. “He’s such a wonderful support and said, ‘OK. If that’s what you want to do, we’ll make it work.’ Our schedule gets a little interesting, but we’re making it work. And the girls got to hang out with Luca a few times at practice.”

Vescovi said she’s proud that the team’s culture is already that of a family, which is why the “softball sisters” idea was a hit.

“The girls liked it, which made me happy,” she said. “It was definitely something I wanted to bring back this year. It helps everybody feel like one big program, and allows them to share those experiences and the values were trying to establish.”

The only dilemma was that in choosing “big sisters” there was clearly a favorite teammate, who Vescovi didn’t name.

“She gives the best snacks,” Vescovi said with a laugh. “And you know how the snack economy works in high school.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny