Lady Pioneera again lead the way in realigned Section 2-A
Edward K.Thompson
The West Greene softball team huddles after defeating Williams Valley, 11-7, last year at Penn State University’s Beard Field to repeat as PIAA Class A softball champions.
Mapletown pitcher Madi Blaker goes into her wind-up against Sewickley Adademy during last year’s WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Peterswood Park. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
West Greene’s Madison Lampe makes solid contact during last year’s PIAA Class A Championship against Williams Valley at Penn State University’s Beard Field. (Photo by Edward K. Thompson)
West Greene’s Jade Renner fires a pitch in the first inning of last year’s PIAA Class A first-round playoff game against Glendale at Peterswood Park. (Photo by Edward K. Thompson)
What adjectives could you use to describe the three-year run that West Greene softball has had.
Historic. Unprecedented. Unbelievable.
Whatever word you chose, you can believe that the Lady Pioneers will once again embrace those high expectations this spring and has their sights set on adding more hardware to their trophy case.
West Greene will again be the heavy favorite in a realigned Section 2-A, which also includes Greene County teams Jefferson-Morgan and Mapletown, along with Monessen, California and Avella.
Here’s a look at what to expect from the three local teams this season:
West Greene
“We are excited to start the season,” said West Greene coach Billy Simms, who currently holds a record of 191-85. “We are once again deep this year and we will lean a lot on our depth. The key thing for us is to remain hungry. The run we have been on is unthinkable, but that was in the past. Past accolades cannot define the 2019 version of this team.”
West Greene is coming off a 23-4 season in which it won its third straight Section 2-A and WPIAL titles, as well as its second consecutive PIAA championship.
Since 2016, the Lady Pioneers are 75-7 on the softball diamond. West Greene is looking to become only the fifth WPIAL softball squad to win four straight District 7 crowns. The other teams that have done that are Swissvale (1979-1982), Baldwin (1993-1996), Sto-Rox (2000-2004) and Hempfield (2015-2018).
West Greene lost three senior starters from a year ago, but Simms is confident that his deep team of 28 players can fill the void.
“This group is unselfish, but very competitive with each other,” he said. “We always try to raise the compete level in practice and challenge the girls. They push each other in practice and that competitiveness usually brings success.”
Senior Brianna Goodwin will look to take over first base duties in 2019, while junior Brianna Amos and sophomore Jersey Wise will be penciled into the lineup to fill the other two spots.
Returning starters for the Lady Pioneers include seniors Kaitlyn Rizor, McKenna Lampe, Madison Lampe and Mackenzie Carpenter, as well as junior catcher Kylie Simms and junior pitcher Jade Renner.
Rizor, a .481 career hitter, held a .476 batting average last year with 21 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
Carpenter, a Waynesburg University recruit, had a .295 average and garnered 18 RBIs in 2018.
The Lampe twins will once again be the table-setters for the offense, and both will continue their softball careers at Carlow University next spring.
McKenna, a .609 career hitter, had a .571 average last year with 18 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs, 56 runs scored and 35 stolen bases. Madison, a .522 career hitter, had a .527 average with 18 extra-base hits, 44 RBIs and 50 runs scored last season.
Renner was lethal for West Greene at the plate and in the circle last spring. The junior lefty batted .530 with 38 RBIs and struck out only twice in 83 at-bats.
In the circle, Renner was 18-4 with a 2.22 ERA and held the opposition to a .243 average. She registered 109 strikeouts and just nine walks over 126 innings. For her career, she has an overall record of 37-5 and is 14-0 in the playoffs.
“Jade is just a special talent,” Simms said. “She’s a contact hitter and has a very good eye for the strike zone. She had some clutch hits for us in the playoffs last year. She will carry the pitching load for us this season and we are looking for her to be her normal self. She’s been working on a new riser and her control is always key.”
Simms is also excited about a freshman class, that includes Katie Lampe and Kiley Meek, to contribute in 2019.
Once again, the Lady Pioneers will head down to Myrtle Beach for the Ripken Experience to play in four games on March 28-31.
The section opener is at home against California on April 2.
Jefferson-Morgan
Over the last decade, Jefferson-Morgan has been a perennial playoff squad and also added a WPIAL title in 2015.
Coach Rich Rush is hoping that 2019 the Lady Rockets can return to their winning ways and make it back to the postseason after a two-year absence.
“We return a strong core back from last year and I just think the kids are approaching the season a little different,” said Rush, who was an assistant on that WPIAL championship team four years ago. “The section has come back to us I think, and the playoffs are right there for us.”
The Lady Rockets lost two seniors from last year’s team that went 5-8 overall and finished one game out of a playoff spot with a 4-8 mark.
“I think for us to be successful, our returning starters have to take that next step,” Rush explained. “They have to play with a winning attitude. I think we have a good freshmen class coming in and that will hopefully push them. I really believe we are a better team at this point than last year’s team.”
One key piece to the overall success for J-M this spring is the heath of junior ace Caitlyn Dugan.
“She broke her foot a couple of weeks ago and she will be on the shelf a couple of games into the season,” Rush said. “We are not going to rush her back and we want her to be 100 percent healthy. Our target date for her return is hopefully by our section opener.”
Rush pointed out that this injury for Dugan could be a blessing in disguise.
“It sounds weird to say this, but I think this may help Caitlyn,” he said. “I believe she is more motivated and appreciative of her spot on this team. She knows she a has a solid team around her and she doesn’t have to worry about carrying all of the load. She is very mature, and we expect great things from her.”
Other key returnees for the Lady Rockets are seniors Brynn Boyd and Maddie VanDivner, as well as junior Autumn Gustovich and sophomore Abby Ankrom. Another player that has elevated her game in practice so far has been freshman Jasmine Demaske.
“I think after West Greene at the top, there are a lot of unknowns about this section,” Rush said.
“Monessen lost their star pitcher, but they should still be good. I know Mapletown has lost some starters, but they are on the upswing. I just feel like if we are consistent and play within ourselves, we have a chance at the playoffs.”
J-M will start section action against Monessen on April 2 at Dugan Memorial Field.
Mapletown
After ending a nine-year playoff drought last spring, Mapletown will look to carry that success into 2019 under first-year coach Raquel Cole.
“What I want this team’s identity to be is to compete every inning,” Cole said. “We have to play hard and play with confidence. We are going to be young this year and I think the girls are ready for the challenge.”
The Lady Maples are coming off an 8-8 season last year, as they finished fourth in the highly-competitive Section 2-A with a 5-7 mark.
Mapletown faced Sewickley Academy in the first round and lost a wild 13-12 contest in Class A. In the final two innings, the Lady Maples were outscored 8-2 and lost in the bottom of the seventh.
Last year the Lady Maples were led by an offense that averaged 8.3 runs per game and scored more than 10 runs in a game eight times.
Unfortunately for Mapletown, its top five hitters all graduated.
“We will depend on our youth on offense,” Cole said. “We have to have a simple approach every at-bat and we can’t afford to get in our heads. We always stress attitude and effort at the plate.”
The Lady Maples’ top hitters this year will be senior Hannah Dusenberry, who missed last season with a knee injury, and freshmen Taylor Dusenberry and Hannah Hartley.
Mapletown does have its starting pitcher back in sophomore Madison Blaker, but the righty was battling an injury at the start of the season.
Blaker pitched in 15 games last year and registered 72 strikeouts over 80 innings. Handling some of the pitching duties this year will be freshman Macee Cree.
“I think everyone in the section is looking up to West Greene,” Cole said. “They are definitely the team to beat. We want to compete for a playoff spot. We have to accept the underdog role and just play to our strengths. This group made a huge jump to get back to the playoffs last year and we want to continue that climb.”
The Lady Maples’ section opener is at home versus Avella on April 2.