West Greene headlines remarkable season
The 2017 season was a remarkably successful one for area softball teams, producing two PIAA champions, three WPIAL champions and six section champions.
West Greene swept all three of those categories in reigning supreme in Class A, while Mount Pleasant tied for the Section 1-AAAA title and, despite falling in the WPIAL semifinals, went on to win the state crown in Class AAAA.
Belle Vernon and Yough tied for first place in Section 2-AAAA and the Lady Leopards went on to secure their third WPIAL crown. Frazier cruised to a section title and its first WPIAL championship in Classs AA. Connellsville was a section winner in Class AAAAA and Carmichaels, which finished behind West Greene in Section 2-A, continued its annual march into the postseason.
Teams such as Albert Gallatin and Monessen broke new ground for their programs while Ringgold and California snapped postseason droughts. Other playoff teams were Elizabeth Forward, Southmoreland, Waynesburg Central and Bentworth.
Following is the 2017 Herald-Standard All-Area Softball Team:
CLASS AAAAA
Player of the Year
Annalia Paoli, Albert Gallatin.
Coach of the Year
Gary Serock, Albert Gallatin
The Elite
Albert Gallatin: Ally Bezjak, Maddie Flowers
Connellsville: Mia Burd, Madison Hollis, Brooke Miller, Josie Moorhead.
Ringgold: Jillian Scherer.
Honorable Mention
Albert Gallatin: Madison Hershberger, Hannah Turtzer, Katie Kelley, Kassie Miller, Hannah Umble
Connellsville: Abbigaile Friguglietti, Francesca Stefano.
Laurel Highlands: Hailie Rusko, Mercedes Sickles, Allison Lowery, Lauren Sperry, Danielle Jones
Ringgold: Natalie Adams, Taylor Mendicino, Johnna Mocniak, Nya Adams, Maddie Beckinger.
NOTES: Greg Adams led Ringgold into the postseason for the first time in 14 years and John Burd led Connellsville to a section crown but Serock was even more impressive as he took the Lady Colonials to new heights with their first ever appearances in the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA tournament.
CLASS AAAA
Player of the Year
Bailey Parshall, Belle Vernon
Coach of the Year
Lauren Shaheen, Mount Pleasant
The Elite
Belle Verrnon: Lexie Church, Megan Christner
Elizabeth Forward: Jessica Cartia, Taylor Ludwick
Mount Pleasant: Chloe Poulich, Ava Gnibus, Caroline Alincic
Yough: Alona Sleith, Olivia Miller, Kierra Waywood, Aubrie Mance, Hannah Bach
Honorable Mention
Belle Vernon: Mekenzie Sokol, Kourtney Gavatorta, Jordan French, Alex Sokol, Hannah Legazza
Elizabeth Forward: Jordan Pinneri
Mount Pleasant: Addy Kubasky, Mya Klejka, Meadown Uncapher, Christiana Czegan, Autumn Shogan
Uniontown: Madison Yankulic, Milissa Lucas, Emilee Harvilla, Lyndsi Urani, Lindsay Merschat, Bailey Hoover
Yough: Hailey Warrick, Kayley Westerman
NOTES: Parshall is hands down the best player in the area. … Tom Rodriguez guided Belle Vernon to a WPIAL title for a third time and Dutch Harvey won another section crown and made another strong run in the PIAA playoffs despite losing several key players off last year’s PIAA championship team. But while both grabbed headlines most of the year, in the end it was a former Cal U star, Lauren Shaheen, who emerged as the Coach of the Year as her Mount Pleasant squad knocked off both the Lady Leopards and Lady Cougars on its way to winning the state title.
CLASS AAA
Players of the Year
Olivia Porter, Southmoreland and Tara Staley, Waynesburg Central
Coach of the Year
Todd Bunner, Southmoreland
The Elite
Brownsville: Hannah Batovsky
Charleroi: Adrianna Gottheld
Southmoreland: Katie Troisi-Clark, Bethany Bunner, Adeline Nicholson
Waynesburg Central: Jordan Sibert
Honorable Mention
Brownsville: Payton Hall, Emily Bohna, Bethany Gumro, Abby Vaughn
Southmoreland: Lexi Klatt
Waynesburg Central: Paige Rutan, Rachel Elsenheimer, Sydney Hare, Emma Ricciuti.
NOTES: Waynesburg handed West Greene its lone loss on the season. Southmoreland. … Bunner has guided the Lady Scotties to five WPIAL playoff victories and two semifinal appearances in the last three seasons.
CLASS AA
Player of the Year
Logan Hartman, Frazier
Coach of the Year
Don Hartman, Frazier
The Elite
Beth-Center: Londyn Brown
Bentworth: Savannah Adams
Frazier: Kayla Matway, Megan Celaschi, Emi Curcio, Lauren Mastowski, Kara Mastowski
Honorable Mention
Bentworth; Chase Watson, Autumn Zgorliski
Frazier: Juliann Johnson, Kathryn Barch
NOTES: Don Hartman showed he has the magic touch in softball just as he did in baseball, guiding the Lady Commodores, led by a spectacular freshman pitcher who just happened to be his daughter Logan Hartman, to their first WPIAL championship. Hartman coached California to a pair of WPIAL baseball titles previously.
CLASS A
Players of the Year
Madison Renner and McKenna Lampe, West Greene
Coach of the Year
Bill Simms, West Greene
The Elite
California: Bre Trusler
Carmichaels: Megan Walker, Kylie Sinn, Natalie McNett
Geibel Catholic: Gillian Yourish
Jefferson-Morgan: Brooke Diamond
Mapletown: Abby McIntire, Taylor Vanata
Monessen: Dana Vatakis, Destiny Habeck, Mattie Telegraphis
West Greene: Madison Lampe, Kaitlyn Rizor, Jade Renner
Honorable Mention
California: Kylie Trusler, Rebecca Staley, Kalsie Walker, Karen Watkins, Ashley Gush, Kristina Luko
Carmichaels: Laura Walker, Morgan Faddis, Gina Ranieri, Kaitlyn Wilson,
Geibel Catholic: Gabby Yourish, Lyn Hamborsky, Taylor Hennessey.
Jefferson-Morgan: Caitlyn Dugan, Autumn Tedrow, Krista McCartney
Mapletown: Makenzie Cree, Sara Chory, Hannah Dusenberry, Macee Chesney, Michaela Perry
Monessen: Carly Rock, Maddie Guzzie, Kelsey Bachinski, Tori Cooper
West Greene: Marissa Rode, Linzee Stover, Lexie Mooney, Mackenzie Carpenter, Shelby Morris
NOTES: Picking between all the great players on West Greene’s roster for Player of the Year made it tough to go with just one. … It’s not easy to rebound from a crushing loss in the bottom of the seventh inning in the state final, but that’s what Simms did a year later. Not only that but his Lady Pioneers faced the same team (Williams Valley) again in this year’s PIAA championship game and fell behind, 7-0, before rallying for a dramatic 9-8 victory. … Special recognition to Monessen’s Bo Teets who has done wonders with the Lady Greyhounds program in his short time there, guiding them to the WPIAL championship game for the first time in school history this season. … Carmichaels’ Dave Briggs continued his consistent work with the Lady Mikes in leading them into the PIAA postseason.