Lady Pioneers headline all-state team
State champion West Greene was a standout team with an all-star cast this past softball season and several Lady Pioneers were recognized by the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association.
The 2017 PaHSSBCA All-State Softball Team includes seven Greene County players with Carmichaels and Waynesburg Central also represented.
Lady Pioneers sophomore twins McKenna Lampe and Madison Lampe were selected as Co-Players of the Year in Class 1-A.
The Lampes were two of five West Greene all-state players, all on the first team, including freshman pitcher Jade Renner.
Greene County had one senior representative on the second team in Class 3-A in first baseman Tara Staley of Waynesburg Central, the only team to defeat West Greene in 2017.
Staley, a California University of Pa. recruit, batted .466 and only struck out once all season.
West Greene coach Bill Simms was proud to have the Lampes recognized as Class 1-A players of the year but pointed out that one could’ve chosen any combination of the Lady Pioneers’ five first-team picks for the honor.
Sophomore second baseman Kaitlyn Rizor and junior shortstop Madison Renner joined outfielder McKenna Lampe, third baseman Madison Lampe and pitcher Jade Renner on the first team for West Greene.
“There are a lot of similarities in their stats and I could go on for seven hours discussing all their great numbers,” said Simms, who has guided West Greene to consecutive WPIAL titles in addition to this year’s PIAA crown. “McKenna had that great lefty bad and speed and Madison had a little more power. Madison Renner set the state record for RBIs last year with 66 and had a ton more this year.
“This is all icing on the cake at this point. I’m so appreciative of what everyone thinks about our players.”
The Lady Pioneers were statistically almost unbelievable as a look down the top five in their batting order showed.
McKenna Lampe hit .683 with 50 runs, 10 doubles, seven home runs, 31 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, 17 walks and a 1.175 slugging percentage from her lead-off spot.
Madison Lampe batted .612 with 11 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 44 RBIs, 19 stolen bases and a 1.254 slugging percentage in the No. 2 spot.
Madison Renner hit .471 with 32 runs, eight doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs as the No. 3 hitter, and also was 6-0 with a 1.15 ERA in the circle.
Rizor’s batting average was .524 with nine doubles, three home runs, 22 RBIs, 19 runs and 10 stolen bases from the clean-up spot, and also won her only start as a pitcher.
Jade Renner was 19-1 as West Greene’s main pitcher with a 1.66 ERA and struck out 84 with just seven walks in 71 2/3 innings. She also hit .368 with 17 RBIs and had four hits in the PIAA championship game from her No. 5 spot.
“They are all very deserving,” Simms said, “but I probably feel the best for Kaitlyn Rizor, who I thought should’ve been on this team last year. I consider her the most important person in my lineup.”
The loaded Section 2-A of which West Greene is a part of put two other players on the all-state team in junior first-team pitcher Dana Vatakis of Monessen and junior second-team catcher Megan Walker of Carmichaels.
Walker batted .397 with 26 runs, 10 doubles and 10 stolen bases while playing stellar defense behind the plate for the Lady Mikes.
Besides the loss to Waynesburg, only three teams stayed within one run of the Lady Pioneers: Williams Valley, 9-8, in the PIAA final, Monessen, 1-0, and Carmichaels, 4-3.
“We were a very good section, that’s for sure,” Simms said.