Freshman, sophomore pitchers make early impact for Westmoreland County teams

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 | 3:48 PM

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Grace Stein acknowledges she had a freshman season to remember for Jeannette softball. She wears a badge of pride.

But it’s the encore the super sophomore wants to focus on now. If there is a rising star in the WPIAL who is resting on her laurels, it is not Stein.

There is a youth movement in local pitching, and Stein is lighting the way.

“I have definitely worked hard and improved since then,” said Stein, who went 12-5 last season, struck out 136, had a 1.50 ERA and tossed five no-hitters. “I’ve spent a lot of time preparing for this season, doing pitching lessons and working by myself to get better on my speed, accuracy and spin pitches. I’ve changed a few mechanics in my pitching, but they’ve definitely helped overall.”

Stein is one of several underclassmen pitchers who are making noise this spring for Westmoreland County teams.

The pitching circle looks to be in a good place for years to come with players such as Stein, Mt. Pleasant freshman Dani Trainer, Greensburg Salem sophomore Alle Scarpa, Yough freshman Kylee Fisher and Penn-Trafford freshman Allyson Paulone challenging batters.

The girls are young, but they bring a mix of power, speed, spin and movement to their pitches that is ahead of their years. And their coaches will tell you how fearless the girls are.

Stein struck out 17 in Monday’s 7-0 win over Bishop Canevin to improve to 4-0. In 30 innings, she had 74 strikeouts, zero walks and a 0.23 ERA.

She also knocked off a nemesis from last year in Leechburg, 5-2. Jeannette was 3-0 in Section 3-A.

“Grace’s big thing is her accuracy and movement on the ball,” said her father and coach, Tubby Stein. “While she has continued to work on her speed, it definitely isn’t her money maker. It’s her junk and movement pitches and spin on the ball. She has improved the most this year with her movement pitches.”

Trainer is another hard-throwing right-hander with strength and stamina.

“Dani is physically mature for her age,” Mt. Pleasant coach Chris Brunson said. “She is probably a junior physically but still a freshman mentally. She works her butt off to get better.”

Anna Marie Gatti, a former pitching ace at Greensburg Central Catholic who played at Syracuse, joined the staff at Mt. Pleasant this season, giving Trainer a seasoned teacher who once led the WPIAL in strikeouts.

Trainer was 3-4 with 48 strikeouts and eight walks in 26 innings.

Scarpa, who broke onto the scene as a freshman when she began to show signs of being a go-to pitcher, is a left-hander with budding potential in 4A.

“She throws hard. We have had her on the radar consistently between 60-62 mph,” Greensburg Salem coach Bill Wright said. “She really worked hard over the winter on her movement and offspeed pitches. She has the right attitude and wants to succeed. She is always working to better herself. She works hard in the weight room and studying video. Just yesterday, she spent her Sunday off day working with her pitching coach, Rick Shaheen, because she has had some control issues the last two games.”

In the first five games, Scarpa kept the Golden Lions close despite not getting help from a slow-starting offense.

She had 58 strikeouts in 46 innings.

Like Stein at Jeannette, Scarpa also can swing the bat. She was batting .615 with seven doubles, a triple and four home runs.

Paulone has been “a pleasant surprise,” according to Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little.

Her steady arm has Penn-Trafford back to winning more often and contending for a playoff berth in 5A.

“She works very hard to make adjustments when needed,” Little said. “She is very coachable and continues to battle, even if she is getting hit. She keeps us in every ballgame, which, with a combination of good offense and a solid defense, has been the reason for early-season success.”

Paulone was 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings.

At Yough, Fisher moved into the circle for the first time and has been impressive.

“Fish has been on the radar here since her seventh-grade year,” coach Dutch Harvey said. “As the starting pitcher on a middle school team that has not lost in two years, she was expected by the coaching staff to be our next starter.”

Fisher had only allowed four earned runs in four games and had only walked two, while yielding a 1.40 ERA.

Opponents were hitting just .178 against her. Heavy-hitting Southmoreland only managed five hits against her.

“Her command of all of her pitches is pretty impressive, and the way I can mix her pitches has kept opposing teams off balance,” Harvey said. “I fully expect her to get better as the year goes on. She, just like the three other freshmen we are playing (in the starting lineup), has been on the big stage and embraced the big game. Her demeanor is steady, and she does not get rattled in close games.”

Mt. Pleasant and Trainer will go against Yough and Fisher twice in Section 3-3A later this season.

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

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford, Yough