Penn-Trafford softball team named tops in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 6:08 PM

A PIAA championship brought Penn-Trafford softball local and statewide attention.

The team went national this week.

Prep website MaxPreps named the best returning softball teams in the country, one in each state, among all classifications.

Penn-Trafford was the choice for Pennsylvania after the Warriors won their second PIAA 5A championship in six years.

Warriors coach Denny Little’s reaction, after he realized the honor encapsulated Class 6A to Class A, was as succinct as an umpire making a safe-or-out call: “Wow.”

“At first I was like, well, yeah, we won the state championship, we should be first,” Little said. “But then when it sank in, I realized that was all classifications.

“I mean, considering the amount of top-notch programs right around us … that’s pretty impressive.”

Penn-Trafford went 24-3, capping one of its greatest seasons with a 2-0 win over Greencastle-Antrim in the state final at Penn State.

The Warriors scored both runs with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Juniors Liz Welsh and Ella Mains ripped back-to-back doubles after senior Giuliana Youngo doubled to open the frame. Four of the Warriors’ five hits were doubles.

Just enough offense backed a sharp three-hitter by sophomore pitcher Allyson Paulone. She did not issue a walk.

Penn-Trafford has work to do as it goes for a repeat.

It must replace seven seniors, including TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year Cam Ponko, Youngo, Kylie Anthony, Jadyn Pellis, Rilie Moors, Lorryn Sepe and Bella Rubbe.

Paulone returns as the centerpiece after a record 20-3 season. Welsh, Mains, Mackenzie Cox, and Gabriella Rubbe are among the expected returnees.

Little and his staff are eager to begin molding a new lineup with the same goals.

“I am blessed to have such a talented coaching staff,” Little said. “That award is a reflection of the whole coaching staff and athletic training staff, our athletic director, Kerry Hetrick, and the parents who raised such awesome kids.

“It really makes me cherish what a special run the ladies made last year. From the leadership and consistency to the heroics and the dramatics, it is something for us all to remember the rest of our lives.”

Practice begins March 2, and the season opens March 13.

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

Tags: Penn-Trafford