Hempfield Area softball wins so much, it is practically a brand.
“I’ve been following Hempfield softball since I was a little girl,” senior shortstop Lauren Howard said. “It’s been my dream to play on this team. I knew we’d be good again. … We’ve been good for a long time.”
A program that has never had a losing season in 45 years as a WPIAL member is on the doorstep of another state championship, which would be its fifth, the most for any WPIAL school.
The Spartans (24-1), who tied the WPIAL record for district championships with their 10th — they went back-to-back for their eighth title in 11 years — will take on Owen J. Roberts (28-1) at 4 p.m. Friday for the Class 6A title at Penn State’s Beard Field.
“I would be scared to play against a team like ours,” Howard said.
Head coach and alum Tina Madison said Hempfield’s model of consistency is owed the late Bob Kalp, the man who started it all. Madison replaced Kalp when he resigned in 2021 after 25 years leading the girls.
Kalp died in March at age 80. He has 431 of the program’s now 771 wins in four-plus decades in the WPIAL.
“It’s all because of him,” said Madison, who was a star pitcher from 1998-2001 and won a WPIAL title in ’98 and a PIAA crown in ’99 — the first for the program on both fronts. “People are always talking about the glory days of Hempfield. Even in down years.”
And there haven’t been many of those. Hempfield played as a club team from 1975-80 and joined the WPIAL in 1981. Since then, the Spartans have won 33 section titles, 10 WPIAL crowns and four PIAA championships, the last coming in 2018. The others were in 1999, 2016, and ‘17.
Joe Zahorchak went 194-27 in 11 seasons as coach before Kalp took over in 1997 and sowed the winning way of life.
“The winning culture began years ago with a legendary coach, and who better to keep it going than a legendary player?” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. “Make no mistake, this is Tina’s crew and she has started with these girls from the bottom up — when they were 8U.
“When it comes down to it, they continue to produce elite pitching. Maybe it is easier for an elite pitcher to teach her trade.
“Simply put, they laid the groundwork needed for a championship team.”
Using West Point Little League as a feeder program, Hempfield grew into a WPIAL and state power. Senior Julia Varhola is the latest ace to come through the pitching factory.
“We’ve had elite pitching for many years,” Varhola said. “The tradition carries over. And we have had coaching consistency.”
While Hempfield has flourished in other sports such as track and field, cross country, rifle, competitive spirit and bowling, other programs have longed for consistency.
“It’s a legacy of coaches,” Howard said. “Everyone wanted to play for coach Kalp. Everyone wants to play for coach Tina. Hempfield isn’t good at a lot of sports. Parents want their kids to play for a winning team. We have that with softball.”
Only three Hempfield pitchers have won WPIAL and PIAA titles in the same season. Maddie Uschock was one of them, joining Morgan Ryan and Danielle Resovich when she won the championship double in 2018.
“They focus on culture, not just wins,” said Uschock, now the head softball coach at Franklin Regional. “Before (Kalp) passed away, he told me that there is no such thing as overnight success. It takes years of consistency, long days, hard work and everyone pulling in the same direction.
“One thing he always emphasized was that every player has to buy into the team … one selfish player can damage what you’re trying to build. Over the years, he had hundreds of talented players who bought into that message and helped create the standard that exists today.”
As a former Penn State pitcher, Madison has made numerous trips to Beard Field over the years. She has taken her daughters to various camps at Penn State.
But this visit will be different.
“It’s special with my kids,” she said of Jocelyn and Jayelyn Luft. “I want to win for these seniors, for all these girls.”
The Luft sisters don’t anticipate needing to explore the space much. They know Beard Field like most girls know Sephora.
This is the ultimate girls’ night out for the softball-frenzied Madison family.
Jocelyn Luft said: “We drew this up five years ago. I am so excited to be playing at Penn State. I love Penn State.”
Her fraternal twin has been pinching herself this week.
“We’ve been there so many times,” Jayelyn Luft said. “We know that place pretty well. It doesn’t seem real we have made it here. I wasn’t sure what to expect this season. I thought we’d be good and put up a good fight, but I never thought we’d playing for a state title.”
But that is just what Hempfield does.
“When you combine a strong foundation, selfless players, consistency and coaches who stay committed to the same vision year after year,” Uschock said. “That’s what allows a program to remain successful for such a long time.”
Spartans on big stage
Hempfield has a 4-1 record in PIAA softball championship games.
1999, Hempfield 2, Williamsport 1
2016, Hempfield 1, Avon Grove 0
2017, Hempfield 5, Hazelton 3
2018, Hempfield 4, Parkland 3
2023, North Penn 1, Hempfield 0