Softball
Young Jeannette softball team ready to turn the corner
March 13, 2019
Jeannette softball won’t field a senior this season, but coach Zac Karas said the team has plenty of leaders.
3-time defending PIAA softball champion Hempfield has holes to fill
March 12, 2019
Don’t pencil in the Hempfield softball team as the favorite to win WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A titles just yet.
DeJidas ready to cap career on high note with Freeport softball
In her years at Freeport, Ally DeJidas has experienced plenty of success as a state volleyball champion, a key member of a Yellowjackets’ softball team that made three straight playoff appearances and was part of the recent girls basketball run to the playoffs.
Youthful Fox Chapel softball sets sights toward future
March 11, 2019
Fox Chapel softball coach Lisa Hess is in a situation she hasn’t seen in her five seasons with the program after nine seniors graduated from a team that made the postseason last year.
Burrell softball motivated for final run under coach Brian Eshbaugh
March 9, 2019
Evidence of the Burrell softball team’s motivation — and its persistent practice — lies in some beyond-battered equipment.
No shortage of energy for Apollo-Ridge softball
Apollo-Ridge senior pitcher Mollie Charlton felt it. Heck, she could almost taste it.
Experienced Franklin Regional softball team eyes more success
Franklin Regional has strung together four consecutive winning seasons in softball.
Without Parshall, Belle Vernon softball team seeks new identity
March 7, 2019
How will Belle Vernon’s softball team fare without Bailey Parshall?
Hempfield’s Orischak commits to St. Francis (Pa.)
February 20, 2019
Another Hempfield softball player has committed early to a Division I college.
Coaches Corner – Billy Simms
July 5, 2017
In this feature titled "Coaches Corner", I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts. This week features head softball coach Bill Simms of the West Greene Pioneers. Coach Simms finished his 12th year with WG, and has helped turn the program into a perennial playoff contender. In 2016, he led his team to 4 straight blowout wins, earning them the Pioneers first ever WPIAL softball title. Coach Simms is also the Athletic Director, as well as a teacher at West Greene. Let's take a look inside Coach Simms's corner:
2017 Diamond Dolls Softball All-Stars
June 24, 2017
Morgan Ryan finished off a great career as a Hempfield pitcher this season. Bailey Parshall still has one year left as a pitcher at Belle Vernon, but already has had a great career. The two were so good this season - and in their careers - that the MSA Sports staff found it impossible to pick one over the other as Player of the Year. So there is a double take on Player of the Year this year. Ryan and Parshall have been selected co-Players of the Year and lead the MSA Diamond Dolls softball all-star team. The Diamond Dolls are the top 12 players in the WPIAL, regardless of position, and they are picked by the MSA staff. Here are thumbnail sketches of the players of the year and the rest of the Diamond Dolls team.
After Long Wait, South Park is 3-A Softball State Champs
June 17, 2017
The South Park Eagles redeemed a third place finish in the WPIAL playoffs and had the last laugh by taking home the program's first PIAA state title in history 4-2 over District 11 champion Pine Grove. The Eagles scrapped and clawed for a run in the first, second, fifth, and seventh innings to pull out a hard-fought victory over a Pine Grove team that defeated three other district champions on its way to the title game. South Park's lone senior Justine Dean silenced the high-speed Cardinal attack that had blitzed its way to 32 runs in the previous three rounds of state postseason play.
West Greene Rallies Past Williams Valley for State Softball Revenge
June 16, 2017
After falling 3-2 to Williams Valley in the 2016 PIAA championship game, the West Greene Pioneers had redemption on their mind all season. In the rematch on Friday at Penn State University's Beard Field, West Greene gained revenge by mounting an epic comeback en route to a 9-8 victory in the 1A finals. As a result, the Pioneers (26-1) captured their first state gold in program history.
Hempfield Perfect in Winning Back-to-Back State Titles
June 15, 2017
When asked which of his Hempfield squads was the better over the past two years, coach Bob Kalp could not give a definitive answer. However, he certainly made a...perfect...point. "It's hard to argue with 27-0." His Lady Spartan softball team repeated as PIAA state champions with a 5-3 victory over Hazleton in the Class 6A Championship game on Thursday at Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park. The back-to-back championships are the first ever to occur at the highest classification of PIAA softball. The victory also extended the Hempfield winning streak to 41 games, capping off a perfect 27-0 season.
Mount Pleasant Wins First State Softball Title
Last season, the Mt. Pleasant Vikings were crowned WPIAL AAA champions, but the PIAA playoff run lasted just one game. This year, Mt. Pleasant had to win the third-place consolation game to reach the state playoffs and they did. Mt. Pleasant then had to defeat the district 10 champion (Harbor Creek), WPIAL Champion (Belle Vernon) and WPIAL runner-up (Yough), they did. Looking past last year's PIAA let-down, Mt. Pleasant overcame the difficult odds and were crowned PIAA 4A Champions with a 5-3 victory over the Tuckhannock Tigers.
Minersville Drops South Side for PIAA 2A Softball Crown
District 11 Champion Minersville (24-2) scored four runs in the 4th inning to win their tenth PIAA Championship, defeating WPIAL runner-up South Side (20-4) in the 2A Softball Championship Game at Penn State's Beard Field on Thursday. The tile win for Minersville , their first since 2014, comes with some controvery, as South Side pitcher McKenna Smith was called for throwing ten illegal pitches during the game, with one directly leading to a solo home run by Minersville's Adrienne Kroznuskie.
Coaches Corner – Craig Taliani
June 5, 2017
In this feature titled "Coaches Corner", I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts.
West Allegheny Rolls Past Moon for 5-A Softball Gold
June 1, 2017
For the first time in school history, the West Allegheny softball team has captured a WPIAL Championship. The top-seeded Indians won the 5-A crown by defeating the #3 seed Moon, 12-2 Thursday night via mercy rule after 6 innings. It was the third time the Indians defeated the Tigers this season, as they won the first two meetings by scores of 5-4 and 10-7 back in mid-April. The third meeting wasn't as tight as the bats and the gloves were working for West Allegheny.
Parshall Shines as Belle Vernon Beats Yough for 4-A Gold
Belle Vernon's Bailey Parshall is well-known for her pitching exploits. Why wouldn't she be' She led the WPIAL in strikeouts this season and has been quite adept as a pitcher since her freshman year, a year in which she committed to Penn State University. But in the WPIAL Class 4A championship softball game, Parshall showed she is pretty skilled with a bat as well. The junior went 3-3 with three doubles and two RBIs in a 4-1 victory over Section 2 4-A rival Yough at California University's Lilley Field. That doesn't mean Parshall didn't shine in the pitching circle. She turned in a sparkling performance with nine strikeouts (which brings her season total to 224) and allowed just four hits and two walks.
West Greene Pounds Monessen to Repeat as WPIAL 1-A Softball Champs
The West Greene Pioneers won their second consecutive WPIAL title on Thursday at Cal U's Lilley Field with a 10-0 win over section-rival Monessen. In two regular season meetings this year, West Greene won much closer games with finals of 6-2 and 1-0, but the Championship Game looked more like the two matchups from a year ago when the Pioneers defeated the Greyhounds 10-0 in the regular season and again, 10-0 in the WPIAL Semifinals on the same field as Thursday's 10-0 win.
