2012 MSA SPORTS DIAMOND DOLLS SOFTBALL ALL-STARS

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 15, 2012 | 11:51 PM

Since the pitching rubber for girls softball was moved back a few feet last season, pitchers don’t dominate to the same extent in this sport.

But pitchers still dominate this year’s MSA Sports Diamond Dolls all-star team.

The team is made up of the top 10 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position. It is picked by the MSA Sports staff. This year’s all-star team is made up of eight pitchers. Two of the eight pitchers won WPIAL championships.

Here is a look at this 2012 Diamond Dolls.

MSA SPORTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
KAITLYN KUTCHMAN
Montour  P  Sr.

Montour softball was on the rise the past few seasons, and twice climbed to the top of the WPIAL ladder. Kutchman was the driving force behind the Spartans’ rise.

Whether it was her pitching or hitting, Kutchman was too much to handle for most opponents. She was the starting pitcher the past three seasons. Is it any coincidence Montour won WPIAL Class AAA titles in two of those years? She was a standout two years ago when the Spartans won their first title since 1987, not allowing a run during the WPIAL playoffs. Then she came back with a terrific senior season, leading Montour to another WPIAL title and the PIAA semifinals.

This season, finished 19-6 with 207 strikeouts. She was a dominant hitter also, batting better than .400 with more than 30 RBIs and a handful of home runs.

Kutchman will take her talents to Seton Hill next season.

LAUREN HACKETT
Shaler  C  Sr.

Many feel she is the best position player in the WPIAL. Many teams pitched around Hackett, but she still hit .544 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. This came after a junior season in which she hit .604 with six home runs and 28 RBIs. Hackett also is an excellent defensive catcher and next year will play for Robert Morris.

TARA KONOPKA
Peters Township  P  Sr.

Konopka’s future is at a Division I college. On the high school level, she was grade-A. Konopka finished with a 15-5 record and helped the Indians make the WPIAL semifinals. She also had 161 strikeouts, and was No. 7 in the WPIAL in “K’s” during the regular season. Her ERA was just above 1.00 and she also hit close to .400. She will pitch next season at Drexel.

JAYNE OBERDORF
Greensburg Salem  P  Jr.

In basketball season, Oberdorf was the leading scorer on Greensburg Salem’s girls team. In softball, she led the Lions to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. Oberdorf finished with a 16-3 record and 193 strikeouts. She walked only 23 and also was one of the Lions’ top hitters. Her sister, Claire, was Greensburg Salem’s starting shortstop.

KIERSTEN WILSON
Riverside  P  Jr.

Wilson was an infielder until this season, but in her first year on the rubber, Wilson turned into one of the WPIAL’s premiere pitchers. During the regular season, she was second in the WPIAL in strikeouts. If you count playoff games, Wilson was No. 1 in the WPIAL in strikeouts with 254. She had a 16-4 record, and three of the losses were to powerful Neshannock.

SIERRA SARVER
Deer Lakes  1B  Soph.

Sierra Sarver, the super sophomore. Deer Lakes won its first WPIAL championship in school history and Sarver played a huge role. She drove in the winning run in the eighth inning of the WPIAL championship against Greensburg Central Catholic. She also drove in the winning run in the WPIAL semifinals against Neshannock. But Sarver came up big all season, leading the team in hitting with an average of better than .450. She is one of the reasons Deer Lakes will be one of the top teams in Class AA next season.

AMANDA FURST
Neshannock  P  Sr.

Furst was the only senior in Neshannock’s starting lineup, and she was the ultimate leader for a Lancers team that won the PIAA Class AA championship game for the first time in school history. She entered the title game with a 22-1 pitching record and an ERA of 1.41. She also is a strong hitter, evidenced by her three hits and four RBIs in the PIAA semifinals. She has four home runs for the season. Her sister, Rayanna, was a starting infielder for the Lancers.

KAYLA BRIGGS
Chartiers-Houston  P  Sr.

Briggs was big for Char-Houston in helping the Bucs win their second consecutive WPIAL Class A championship. She was a force pitching and hitting. She had a 25-2 pitching record for a team that also made it to the PIAA semifinals. Her ERA was 0.97 and she struck out 215. She also hit .516, scored 46 runs and had 30 RBIs.

NATALYA SMARRA
Sto-Rox  P  Sr.

Perennial power Sto-Rox made it to the WPIAL semifinals and Smarra was one of the main reasons. She had an 18-2 pitching record with 134 strikeouts. She also was one of the top hitters in Class A with an average above .500. Smarra was a two-sport standout, starting four years in basketball and averaging more than 19 points as a senior.

KIERSTEN MANOR
New Brighton  P   Jr.

Manor has been a starter since her freshman year and she is the queen of strikeouts in the WPIAL. For the second year in a row, she led the WPIAL in strikeouts during the regular season This year, she had 209. She finished with a 10-10 record.

Tags: Chartiers-Houston, Deer Lakes, Greensburg Salem