Trib HSSN diamond team of the week – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars softball

Coach – Heidi Karcher (14th season)

Records – Thomas Jefferson finished 11-1 and won the Section 4-5A championship. The Jaguars are 12-2 overall this season.

#Earned – When it comes to softball in the West Jefferson Hills School District, you could say they are the “Sweet 16” with a section crown to prove it.

Youth is being served in a big way for a Jaguars team that has won six straight games and this week scored three wins to clinch the Section 4-5A championship.

In most games, TJ coach Heidi Karcher is penciling in a lineup of 10 players, including the flex, that are made up of seven sophomores, two juniors and one senior.

Yet they began the week with an overall record of 9-2 and were one game behind first-place Baldwin at 8-1 in Section 4-5A.

On Monday against visiting Connellsville, Thomas Jefferson broke open a tied game with five runs in the second inning. Then, after the Falcons starting chipping away, the Jaguars sealed the game with four runs in the sixth inning to win 11-3.

On Wednesday, the Jaguars traveled to Bethel Park and jumped out early with two runs in the first, then combined to score seven runs in innings 4, 5, 6 and 7 to cruise to a 9-1 victory over the Black Hawks.

Also on Wednesday, Baldwin was blanked by visiting Trinity, 4-0, thus setting up a winner-take-all contest Thursday for the section title.

The game began last Tuesday when visiting Thomas Jefferson scored two runs in the top of the first inning.

Before Baldwin could bat in the bottom of the first, there was a lightning delay and then the skies opened up as heavy rains forced the game to be suspended.

The Jaguars added to their led with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, then put the game away with two runs in the sixth inning as they defeated the Highlanders, 6-1.

Standout performers – One of the stars shining bright for Thomas Jefferson is sophomore pitcher Aubrey Shaffer.

She won all three games, pitching 21 innings, allowing five earned runs on 16 hits. She walked five and struck out 26.

At the plate against Connellsville, sophomore Jemma Danko had a double, junior Sophia Janosko had a hit and drove home two and senior Giuliana Mendel had a three-run double.

In the victory over Bethel Park, Danko led the way, going 3 for 4 with a double, home run and three RBIs. Janosko had a run-scoring triple, Zoie DeCostro had an RBI double and senior Adalina Bracco and sophomore Rylann Donahue each tripled.

Finally, in the section title clinching win at Baldwin, Bracco, Danko and sophomore Camdyn Noderer combined out of the 3-4-5 spots in the batting order to go 8 for 12 with four runs scored and four RBIs.

Both Danko and Noderer homered, Mendel and Donahue had run-scoring singles, and sophomore Rylee Nemcheck had a single and a run scored.

2026 Trib HSSN Diamond Teams of the Week

Week 3 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars baseball

Week 2 – North Allegheny Tigers softball

Week 1 – Eden Christian Academy Warriors baseball