Westmoreland County softball notebook: Hempfield, Penn-Trafford title games delayed to Thursday, moved

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | 8:21 PM

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Hempfield and Penn-Trafford will play for WPIAL softball championships a day later than expected — at different sites.

Both are scheduled to play Thursday after rainouts Wednesday at Cal (Pa.).

Now, top-seeded Hempfield (20-1) will take on No. 2 Seneca Valley (16-3) at 11 a.m. at Norwin in the 6A final. No. 1 Penn-Trafford (20-2) faces No. 2 Shaler (17-4) at 3:30 p.m. at North Allegheny for the 5A title.

On Wednesday, the WPIAL first delayed the start of the Class 4A, 5A and 6A games by an hour before finally postponing all three because of consistent rain and worsening field conditions at Cal (Pa.)’s Lilley Field, the traditional site of the finals.

With three more games scheduled for Thursday at Cal, and pending graduation ceremonies — Seneca Valley graduates Thursday night, Hempfield on Friday night, for example — the WPIAL had to squeeze the games into one day.

The Class 4A game between Hampton and Blackhawk will be played at 11 a.m. Thursday at North Allegheny.

The three games originally scheduled for Thursday at Cal are unchanged: 3A with South Park vs. Mohawk at noon, 2A with Neshannock vs. Chartiers-Houston at 2:15 p.m. and Class A with Union vs. Carmichaels at 4:30.

Coaching chums

Here’s a “did you know” for the WPIAL finals.

The head coaches who will lead two Westmoreland County teams into WPIAL championship games Thursday were once on the same staff.

Hempfield’s Tina Madison and Denny Little of Penn-Trafford were assistants at Penn-Trafford under head coach Monica Cox in 2014 and ’15.

It was the first coaching stop for Madison, now the fourth-year leader of her alma mater, the softball factory known as Hempfield.

“I remember sitting on buckets beside each other calling pitches,” Madison said.

Little, in his ninth season, succeeded Cox in the Warriors’ top spot.

In 2014, Penn-Trafford beat Hempfield when rising Spartans ace Morgan Ryan was a freshman.

There is another connection: Some may not know Little used to be the head baseball coach at Hempfield.

Down time

Hempfield has played one softball game since May 7. Think about that. The No. 1 seed in 6A, the team going for its ninth WPIAL title, has been idle for 20 days since the regular season ended.

The Spartans also did not scrimmage anyone in that time, so the postseason has felt more like the preseason at times.

One thing has been constant in practices: the pitching machine simulating Seneca Valley ace Lexie Hames.

The Spartans have turned it up to 70-plus mph and hit with it just about every day.

“(On Wednesday), we hit off a 72 mph Hack Attack machine with the lights dim,” Madison said. “(Tuesday) we fielded in the pouring rain. We have just been working.”

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

Tags: Hempfield, Penn-Trafford