Lady Mikes put 4 on All-State team
Carmichaels and Elizabeth Forward both played for a PIAA softball championship this past season so it’s not a surprise that both schools had multiple players that earned All-State honors.
The Lady Mikes had four representatives on the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association All-State Team in Class 1A and the Lady Warriors had three in Class 4A. Both teams lost in the state final.
West Greene, Belle Vernon and Southmoreland each put two players on the team while Mount Pleasant and Bentworth had one apiece.
Carmichaels players on the Class 1A First Team were Bailey Barnyak at pitcher and Carys McConnell at shortstop, while catcher Kaitlyn Waggett and first baseman Ali Jacobs were chosen to the Second Team.
Barnyak had an 18-3 overall record and she struck out 167 batters during the regular season. She also scored 24 runs. McConnell led Carmichaels with seven home runs and 32 RBIs in the regular season. Waggett batted .531 and scored 30 runs.
“Obviously if you get to the state title game, you’ve got to have some good players,” Lady Mikes coach Dave Briggs said. “I thought all four were very deserving of it. It’s exciting for the school and exciting for the program.”
It was the second consecutive year Carmichaels put four players on the All-State team.
“We had four on the first team last year,” Briggs pointed out. “Bailey, Carys and Ali were on there and so was Sophia Zalar.”
West Greene put two players on the Class 1A Second Team in outfielder Marissa Tharp and pitcher Payton Gilbert who was selected as a utility player. Gilbert batted .517 and had 27 RBis in the regular season.
Bentworth freshman phenom Sydney Gonglik was selected to the Class 2A First Team as a pitcher. She had an 18-3 overall record and led the WPIAL in the regular season with 226 strikeouts. She also led the district in batting with a .733 average.
Elizabeth Forward’s Julia Resnik was not only chosen as a Class 4A First Team shortstop but also was the Class 4A Player of the Year. She was joined on the First Team by teammate Shelby Telegdy at pitcher.
Resnik hit .577 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 33 runs in the regular season. Telegdy had an overall record of 23-2 and batted .529 with 25 RBIs in the regular season while also striking out 138 batters.
The Lady Warriors’ Addyson Nigut, who hit .514, was named to the Second Team at third base.
Also in Class 4A, Belle Vernon’s Gracie Sokol, who batted .533 with 24 runs during the regular season, was chosen to the First Team at first base and Katie Sokol, who hit .492, was chosen to the Second Team at second base.
Southmoreland’s Makayla Etling, who batted .538 with eight home runs, 24 RBIs and 25 runs in the regular season, was named to the Class 3A First Team at catcher while the Lady Scotties’ Amarah McCutcheon, who hit seven home runs, was named to the Second Team at shortstop.
Mount Pleasant’s Danica Trainer, who batted .574 in the regular season, was named to the Class 3A Second Team at shortstop.