Offensive pop fueling strong start for North Hills softball

By: Josh Rowntree
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Last spring, North Hills had WPIAL softball title ambitions that were dashed in a stunning postseason upset.

A year later, those same dreams remain, but with a hardened lesson learned for a group of players focused on slugging their way to a championship in 2025.

The Indians went 14-5 in 2024, taking the Section 1-5A title and earning the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. But a shocking quarterfinal upset by No. 10 Thomas Jefferson stopped what appeared to be a team bound for a title game appearance.

“This group is pretty focused,” said Libby Gasior, in her 18th year as North Hills’ head coach. “They have some experience and they know that if you lose, you’re out.”

Gasior and her team are trying to make sure there is not a repeat of last season’s disappointment by bringing the bats out in a major way this spring.

At 8-1 through games on April 7, the Indians had scored 97 runs, racking up double digit runs in six games.

“We’ve just been really consistent,” Gasior said. “We’ve had players step up against different pitchers and be really consistent. It’s been pretty well balanced and offensively pretty strong.”

Continuity has played a major role. North Hills lost just two seniors from last year’s lineup, returning seven starters, including a large and potent junior class.

“We had a lot of people who knew what kind of roles they were stepping into, which has helped early on,” Gasior said. “And we’ve been jelling well. We weren’t sure on how we’d do there, but everyone has gotten into a nice role with each other.”

The Indians have also greatly benefited from the return of Cal (Pa.) recruit Alexa Edmunds, who received all-section honors as a pitcher in 2023 but missed nearly the entirety of 2024 because of injury.

“She missed a full year pretty much,” Gasior said. “Her bat and her overall presence as a senior has been good. She’s been able to play a lot looser for us, as well. She’s not pitching for us now, which has just taken a lot of pressure off of her.”

Abby Sutton has taken the majority of the reps in the circle as the team’s primary pitcher and also features a strong bat at the plate.

“Abby’s a really good kid,” Gasior said. “She worked really hard in the offseason. We have a pretty decent strength and conditioning program we do, and she did a really good job getting stronger. She put a lot of time in on different pitches and different things we stressed from last season. And she’s a sponge. She wants to learn and compete and go out and get better.”

Gasior has also been impressed with the play of junior catcher Lily Adamski.

“She’s the kid you want to coach,” Gasior said. “We can pull her out and say, ‘Hey, Lil, we want to try you at third base,’ and she’s going to give everything she can. She’s going to run through a wall for you.”

Around those players has been that balanced attack that seems to have a new player step up each game. But it’s one that Gasior knows still can find another level.

“Hitting is one of those things that can come and go,” she said. “We’ve established a pretty good, consistent approach where we can put up some good numbers there. A lot of these kids have put in a lot of work, a lot of swings and they buy in.

“I’m not a big believer in anything being complete. Everything can be improved. Defensively, we can always get sharper. We can always get better. There’s always something to learn.”

The hope is that, with the lesson of last season’s disappointment and the over-emphasis on refinement, the Indians will be able to hoist their first WPIAL championship trophy since 2021 next month.

“We’ve worked on, in terms of mindset, being grateful for the opportunity we have,” Gasior said.

“It’s not taken for granted or ‘Let’s get through the regular season to get to the playoffs.’ You have to play your best every game.”

Tags: North Hills