Aside from adjusting to a different hitting angle and speed of pitches, Torrie DeStefano has adapted quite well to softball.
She’s a rookie with a veteran’s mentality.
Not only does the first-year player look the part, but the Penn-Trafford senior is contributing in a big way for the defending PIAA Class 5A champion Warriors.
DeStefano, one of the better athletes in the Class of 2026 at Penn-Trafford, could have played softball earlier, but she was busy playing another sport: baseball.
She’s sending grapefruits over the fence instead of pool cue balls.
“The toughest part in the beginning was the hitting, but I think I’m getting the hang of everything now,” said DeStefano, a Seton Hill basketball commit. “I wouldn’t say I surprised myself, I knew I would work hard and God gave me amazing athletic abilities, so I just wanted to come out and do my best.”
DeStefano recalls hitting a home run at the Ripken baseball tournament as the leadoff hitter.
“One of my favorite memories,” she said. “All the other teams were watching.”
Warriors coach Denny Little wasted little time putting DeStefano in the lineup, batting her in the No. 6 spot, while putting her at one of the most valuable positions in the field, shortstop.
“We knew she’d fit right in,” Little said. “She has all the qualities and she is one of the toughest kids we have. She’s played shortstop all her life.”
DeStefano went 3 for 3 with a home run and five RBIs in a 15-0 win over Kiski Area in three innings. She had two hits and three RBIs in the Warriors’ 9-7 win over Norwin, and went 3 for 4 in an 8-7 win over Armstrong. She added a triple and an RBI when Penn-Trafford clubbed Latrobe, 12-1.
She is slashing .488/.489/.651 and is tied with Aria Smith for the team lead in hits with 21, and leads the Warriors with 18 RBIs.
“I know there is always something I can do better,” DeStefano said, “so my goal is to just keep improving and help the team in anyway I can.”
Playoff teams
The regular season is rounding the final turn with less than two weeks remaining.
The WPIAL will release playoff brackets May 7.
Several local teams have already clinched a postseason berth.
In Class 6A, defending champion Hempfield and Norwin are in; while Penn-Trafford, Kiski Area and Latrobe have qualified in Class 5A; Mt. Pleasant, Yough and Burrell are playoff-bound in 3A; and Jeannette has clinched in Class A.
The top four teams in Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and A qualify.
In Class 6A, where there is only one section, the top six advance.
Perfect day
Derry junior ace Haylee Myers pitched her first career perfect game Tuesday in a 1-0 victory over Freeport.
She struck out 14 and did not issue a walk while facing the minimum 21 batters.
The need to get into the playoffs motivated Myers, a crafty right-hander.
“(Coach) John (DePalma) kept saying these last few section games are super important, and knowing that I went out and pitched my best for my team,” Myers said. “It feels like we are getting better as a team, and I am improving as we finish out section play.”
Myers is 6-4 with a 2.55 ERA, 105 strikeouts and 17 walks in 57 2/3 innings for the season.
Tight win
Hempfield had hardly been challenged his season in section play, except when it played Seneca Valley.
The Raiders might not have ace fireballer Lexie Hames anymore, but they still gave No. 1 Hempfield a game Tuesday.
Hempfield (12-1, 10-0) held on for a 4-3 win after leading 4-1 through four innings.
The Spartans mercy-ruled seven opponents coming into the game.
“Our team needs pressure like that,” senior first baseman Emily Bozek said. “We’re going to have close games as we get farther down the road. “We are better when we play relaxed. We don’t want our pitchers to have stress.”
Ranking ‘em
Hempfield remained No. 1 in the latest TribLive HSSN Class 6A top five rankings, while Norwin stayed at No. 3.
In Class 5A, Penn-Trafford held tight at No. 4, while Mt. Pleasant (No. 3) and Yough (No. 5) didn’t budge in 4A.
Numbers game
125 – Runs scored by Latrobe through 13 games, a county high.
68 – Number of runs scored and allowed by Norwin through 10 games.
60 – Combined strikeouts for pitchers Jeannette’s Grace Stein and Serra Catholic’s Kelly Morrissey in a pair of section matchups this season.
12 – Number of times Latrobe or its opponent scored 10 or more runs in a game.
11 — Consecutive wins for Mt. Pleasant.
10 – Runs Armstrong scored in the seventh inning to beat Franklin Regional, 11-1. It was a 1-1 game going into the final frame.
5 – Consecutive years in the playoffs for Belle Vernon, which is on the bubble this year. Veteran coach Tom Rodriguez has made the postseason 18 of 24 times.
2.5 – First-place Jeannette’s lead in games in Section 3-A.