WPIAL Softball – 2013 Softball PREVIEW

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 30, 2013 | 2:16 PM

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Canon-McMillan in Class AAAA, Montour in Class AAA and Deer Lakes in Class AA are all ready to defend their WPIAL softball crowns. One thing we know even before section play begins is there will be a new champion crowned in Class A. Chartiers-Houston, winners of back-to-back Single-A crowns and five of the last eight titles, have moved up to Class AA for the next two years.

Here is a look at the new section alignment, players to watch in each class and the pre-season MSA Sports Top Ten in each classification.

2013 WPIAL SOFTBALL RE-ALIGNMENT:

CLASS AAAA ~ 29 Teams

SECTION 1       SECTION 2        SECTION 3         SECTION 4

Connellsville      Allderdice          Butler                Baldwin

Franklin Reg      Gateway           Fox Chapel         Bethel Park

Hempfield          McKeesport       North Allegheny Brashear

Kiski Area          Oakland Cath     North Hills         Chartiers Valley

Latrobe             Penn Hills          Pine-Richland     Canon-McMillan

Norwin              Plum                 Seneca Valley    Mt Lebanon

Penn Trafford    Woodland Hills   Shaler               Peters Twp
 

Upper St Clair

 

CLASS AAA ~ 33 Teams

SECTION 1      SECTION 2         SECTION 3         SECTION 4        SECTION 5

Ambridge          Carrick              Belle Vernon      Albert Gallatin    Hampton

Blackhawk         Montour            Elizabeth Forw   Brownsville        Highlands

Central Valley    Moon                Southmoreland  Derry                Indiana

Ellwood City       Ringgold            South Park       Grburg-Salem   Kittanning

Hopewell           South Fayette    Thomas Jeff      Laurel High       Knoch

New Castle        Trinity               West Mifflin      Mt. Pleasant       Mars
 

West Allegheny   Yough             Uniontown

 

CLASS AA ~ 34 Teams

SECTION 1        SECTION 2       SECTION 3      SECTION 4            SECTION 5

Avonworth        Bentworth         Apollo Ridge     Brentwood          Beaver

Carlynton          Beth-Center       Burrell             Charleroi            Beaver Falls

Keystone Oaks   Char-Houston    Deer Lakes       East Allegheny    Freedom

OLSH                Fort Cherry       Ford City          Greensburg CC    Laurel

Quaker Valley    McGuffey          Freeport           South Allegheny  Mohawk

Seton LaSalle    Washington       Shady Side Ac.  Steel Valley        New Brighton

                       Waynesburg      Valley                                        Riverside

                                               West Shamokin

 

CLASS A ~ 32 Teams

SECTION 1      SECTION 2      SECTION 3      SECTION 4

Avella               California          Ellis School       Aliquippa

Bishop Canevin  Carmichaels      Jeannette         Neshannock

Burgettstown     Frazier             Leechburg        Quigley

Cornell              Jeff Morgan      Riverview         Rochester

North Catholic    Mapletown       St. Joseph        Shenango

Northgate          Monessen        Springdale        South Side

Sewickley Acad   Serra              Vincentian Ac.   Union

Sto-Rox             West Greene                           Western Beaver

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2013 WPIAL SOFTBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Class AAAA:
Maddy Wensel – Norwin
Maddie Antone – Kiski Area
Taylor Muffie – Kiski Area
Kaity Finley – Latrobe 
Ashligh Yanniruberto – Penn-Trafford
Cassie Szmyd – Penn-Trafford
Justyne Falbo – Hempfield
Alaina Montgomery – Hempfield
Hope Pehrson – Hempfield
Kaelin Jackson – Franklin Regional
Angela Buccilli – Franklin Regional
Courtney Roperti – Franklin Regional
Laura Hudak – Gateway
Kelsey Geyer – Woodland Hills
Jordan Seneca – Plum
Taylor Johns – Plum
Courtney Patterson – McKeesport
Jessica Beitler – McKeesport
Megan Godovchik – Allderdice
Sammi McKown – Allderdice
Christine Scherer – North Allegheny
Mary Funderlich – North Allegheny
Maddie Mulig – Shaler
Giorgiana Zeremenko – Canon-McMillan
Olivia Lorusso – Canon-McMillan
Alayna Astuto – Canon-McMillan
Jen Rimmel – Bethel Park
Karsen Rooney – Upper St. Clair
Kaitlin Klinchock – Mount Lebanon
Abbey Suhoski – Baldwin
Abby Cunningham – Peters Township
Anna Bruecken – Brashear
Karlee Ralston – Brashear

Class AAA:
Lauren Stiles – Ellwood City
Francesca Nardone – Ellwood City
Kara Sainato – Ellwood City
Bridgette Shaffer – Blackhawk
Emily Emge – Blackhawk
Kelly Haslett – Ambridge
Heather Mueller – Ambridge
Hannah Smith – Ambridge
Dana Perrotta – New Castle
Mallory Gerst – Montour
Stacey Cupp – Montour
Alyssa McMurtrie – Montour
Brittany Zeigler – West Allegheny
Olivia Gray – Trinity
Deanna Hileman – Belle Vernon
Natalie Bashada – Belle Vernon
Katie Anna – Belle Vernon
Portia McBride – Elizabeth Forward
Ashley Baker – Elizabeth Forward
McKenna Kern – Elizabeth Forward
Marla Small – West Mifflin
Kaylyn Andress – West Mifflin
Meghan Pavlick – South Park
Taylor Mehan – Greensburg-Salem
Jayne Oberdorf – Greensburg-Salem
Claire Oberdorf – Greensburg-Salem
Paige Hertzog – Mount Pleasant
Derica Crowley – Mount Pleasant
Jocelyn Gula – Mount Pleasant
Karlie Tomich – Yough
Samantha Shoaf – Yough
Christina Davison – Brownsville
Miranda Arison – Brownsville
Rikki Brown – Southmoreland
Kristen Suhan – Southmoreland
Kaitlyn Palmer – Indiana
Jordan Gibson – Uniontown
Bethany Hey – Knoch
Abbi Smithmyer – Knoch
Britni Brandstetter – Knoch
Erin Hershman – Mars
Taylor Rotz – Mars
Danielle Voyko – Highlands
Gabby Miller – Highlands
Terra Schall – Kittanning
Paige Paskorz – Hampton

Class AA:
Cassie Weiss – McGuffey
Jess Weiss – Seton-LaSalle
Taylor Mercurio – Seton-LaSalle
Lauren Zola – Seton-LaSalle
Kiersten Badzgon – Keystone Oaks
Eryn Caragein – Keystone Oaks
Megan Staab – Keystone Oaks
Emily Quinn – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Natalie Pollack – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Jordan Melko – Carlynton
Sydney Smith – Avonworth
Sydney Bauer – Brentwood
Hannah Gibbons – Waynesburg
Jenna Henry – Waynesburg
Jordan Moore – Waynesburg
Piper McLaughlin – Chartiers-Houston
Kayla Briggs – Chartiers-Houston
Hannah Blinn – Deer Lakes
Becca Babincak – Deer Lakes
Siera Sarver – Deer Lakes
Jaila Manga – Burrell
Claire Fisher – Burrell
Abby Nitkowski – Burrell
Taylor Massart – Freeport
Ashley Sample – Freeport
Alyssa Meta – Freeport
Bethany Meyer – West Shamokin
Carolyn Appleby – Greensburg Central Catholic
Karly Mellinger – Greensburg Central Catholic
Nikki Adisey – Greensburg Central Catholic
Brooke Barker – Riverside
Kirsten Wilson – Riverside
Shelby Brown – Mohawk
Lucia Fee – Mohawk
Bella Valent – Beaver
Kiersten Manor – New Brighton

Class A:
Madison Shaffer – Neshannock
Rayanna Furst – Neshannock
Madison Almyer – Neshannock
Delaney Cortazzo – Jeannette
Lizzie Strain – Burgettstown
Kala Cinker – Bishop Canevin
Alexis Livingstone – Frazier
Monica Joseph – Frazier
Andrea Lash – Frazier
Cara Grogan – Monessen
Lindsey Osbourne – Carmichaels
Morgan Berardi – Carmichaels
Erica Burns – Carmichaels
Reagan Rush – Jefferson-Morgan
Tina Puhnaty – California
Mary Cersosimo – Sto-Rox
Lexi Giles – Sto-Rox
Aimee Miller – Sto-Rox
Hayley Weiser – Sto-Rox
Lauren Gedeon – Sewickley Academy
MacKenzie Pryor – Sewickley Academy
Paige Kizior – North Catholic
Katie Yauch – Vincentian Academy
Miranda Reesman – Leechburg
Kenzie Young – Leechburg
Kristen Cobbs – Ellis School
Nikki Mielecki – St. Joseph
Hannah Larkin – Riverview
Michelle Klein – South Side
Alexis Tripp – South Side
Kayla Besong – Rochester
Allison Bertolino – Union
Molly Patsch – Quigley Catholic
Kim Burdett – Shenango
Jenna Petrucci – Shenango

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MSA SPORTS PRE-SEASON TOP TEN:
(2012 Record in Parenthesis)

Class AAAA:

1)   CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS  (18-6)

2)   HEMPFIELD SPARTANS  (18-6)

3)   FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS  (17-3)

4)   NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS  (14-7)

5)   PLUM MUSTANGS  (13-6)

6)   SHALER TITANS  (19-3)

7)   McKEESPORT TIGERS  (10-9)

8)   PENN-TRAFFORD WARRIORS  (9-7)

9)   LATROBE WILDCATS  (14-8)

10) KISKI AREA CAVALIERS  (5-13)

Class AAA:

1)   MONTOUR SPARTANS  (19-6)

2)   ELIZABETH-FORWARD WARRIORS  (17-8)

3)   GREENSBURG-SALEM GOLDEN LIONS  (17-4)

4)   BELLE VERNON LEOPARDS  (17-7)

5)   AMBRIDGE BRIDGERS  (17-3)

6)   MARS FIGHTING PLANETS  (12-7)

7)   YOUGH COUGARS  (10-10)

8)   MOUNT PLEASANT VIKINGS  (16-6)

9)   KNOCH KNIGHTS  (12-7)

10) ELLWOOD CITY WOLVERINES  (7-11)

Class AA:

1)   DEER LAKES LANCERS  (20-2)

2)   GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC CENTURIONS  (14-8)

3)   RIVERSIDE PANTHERS  (16-4)

4)   CHARTIERS-HOUSTON BUCCANEERS  (25-2)

5)   FREEPORT YELLOWJACKETS  (15-4)

6)   SETON-LaSALLE REBELS  (15-2)

7)   WAYNESBURG RAIDERS  (11-10)

8)   KEYSTONE OAKS GOLDEN EAGLES  (13-5)

9)   BURRELL BUCCANEERS  (11-8)

10) MOHAWK WARRIORS  (13-8)

Class A:

1)   NESHANNOCK LANCERS  (24-1)

2)   STO-ROX VIKINGS  (20-2)

3)   CARMICHAELS MIGHTY MIKES  (22-3)

4)   FRAZIER COMMODORES  (12-6)

5)   BURGETTSTOWN BLUE DEVILS  (16-3) 

6)   SOUTH SIDE BEAVER RAMS  (17-4)

7)   LEECHBURG BLUE DEVILS  (15-5)

8)   SHENANGO WILDCATS  (13-8)

9)   SEWICKLEY ACADEMY PANTHERS  (9-7)

10) JEFFERSON-MORGAN ROCKETS  (16-4)