Remember the West Point 12U team that made it to the Little League Softball World Series in 2024?
Well, many of those girls are making fast progress as freshmen in the WPIAL.
The team, coached by Hempfield head coach Tina Madison, finished one game shy of the championship in North Carolina.
Four key players from that run are making waves right away at the high school level.
Freshmen Jocelyn Luft and Jayelyn Luft, Madison’s daughters, are putting up big numbers early for the 6A No. 1-ranked Spartans.
Jocelyn was hitting .516 with 16 hits, Jayelyn .484 with 15 hits. Both were batting over .500 against section opponents.
Jayelyn also has done some pitching in relief of senior Julia Varhola.
Morgan Maiers, meanwhile, had a .613 average with four home runs, 15 runs and 19 RBIs for Latrobe.
And don’t forget hard-throwing pitcher Lexi Stabile, who is starting in the circle for Fox Chapel. She tossed a one-hitter against Plum.
She had 32 strikeouts in her first two varsity games.
“These girls have been playing high-level travel ball since they were 10 years old all over the country,” Madison said. “I am not surprised they are having a ton of success and contributing to their HS teams. They have been waiting for this opportunity to represent their schools for a long time. It has only just begun.”
Rian Starz is another freshman at Fox Chapel who played for West Point.
Four other West Point girls have yet to reach the high school level in Piper Hoppel, Braylyn Graft, Mia Graft and Alana Graft.
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Suspended game
Norwin played at Seneca Valley Friday but didn’t come home with a result.
The teams were tied 5-5 after five innings when wet weather came through Jackson Township.
The teams will finish the game April 27 at Norwin before they play their second section game.
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Rainy but good night
Mt. Pleasant hosted Ligonier Valley last Friday for a night game under the lights at the Norvelt youth field.
While rainy weather dampened the occasion, the Vikings staged an exciting finish to stretch their winning streak to seven.
Kendra Brunson delivered in the clutch with a walk-off two-run single to give Mt. Pleasant a 15-14 win.
“Even though the weather didn’t cooperate, it was still a great experience,” Vikings coach Paul Reho said. “Many people from the community came to watch, and most of them stuck it out.
“I am certainly not pleased with the mistakes, but I am so proud of the fight in this team. They never thought they couldn’t win. I am so happy for Kendra to end the game that way. That was such a big moment for her.”
The team combined for 29 runs, 27 hits and five errors.
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Berkebile’s big week
Hempfield senior catcher Ella Berkebile has been in a groove at the plate.
The Bucknell commit played a key role in the team’s winning streak, which reached seven heading into Friday’s game against Norwin.
Berkebile had a double and two RBIs in a 10-0 win over Mt. Lebanon. She hit two home runs and drove in four in a 15-5 win over Pine-Richland, went 2 for 3 with a grand slam in a 13-0 win over Canon-McMillan then had two doubles as the Spartans defeated Butler, 10-0.
On Monday, she went 4 for 4 with a triple and five RBIs in a 17-2 win over Pine-Richland in six innings.
Six of the team’s games during the winning streak were shortened to at least five innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
Hempfield has outscored its opponents 103-14.
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Another record
Senior Lauren “Lou” Howard has another career mark in the Hempfield softball record book.
Howard, a Virginia commit, broke Laura Fox’s mark for career hits last week with her 112th.
Howard already had the top mark for career runs, which now stands at 106.
Howard also has her eye on career marks for triples, RBIs, doubles and batting average.
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Ranking em
Five local teams are ranked this week by TribLive HSSN.
Hempfield remains No. 1 in Class 6A, while Penn-Trafford is back in the top five, at No. 5, in 5A.
Mt. Pleasant is No. 3 and Yough No. 5 in 3A, while Jeannette dropped two spots to No. 5 in Class A.
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By the numbers
10.3: Hempfield’s runs-per-game average.
14: Combined wins for Mt. Pleasant softball (8) and baseball (6) through Monday.
32: Combined strikeouts in Monday’s Serra Catholic at Jeannette game.
31: Combined hits in Monday’s Franklin Regional at Latrobe game. Latrobe won 18-7.
4: Games for Norwin this season decided by two runs or fewer.
21/22: Runs and hits for Belle Vernon in a 21-4 win over Ringgold.