This was a historic season in WPIAL softball in so many ways, between the success of the teams and the outstanding contributions by so many outstanding players.
Having a Terrific 20 all-star team would have been tough to whittle down to, let alone coming up with only 10.
It was not easy, but here is a look at the TribLive HSSN softball all-stars for the magical ride that was the 2026 season.
Terrific 10
Addison Aleski
Shaler, so., CF
It takes more than a stud pitcher to win WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A gold and Shaler was proof of that as the lineup was filled with some titanic bats. One stick that was consistent throughout the season was that of Aleski, a sophomore outfielder. She batted .477 (42 for 88) with 22 extra base hits. She had nine doubles, two triples and 11 home runs. She scored 31 times and drove home 45 runs. Aleski made contact, walking only nine times and striking out 10 times all season.
Bailey Barnyak
Carmichaels, sr., P
Barnyak’s career at Carmichaels was littered with silver linings. The recently graduated pitcher led the Mighty Mikes to one PIAA runner-up and three WPIAL second-place finishes, including in 2026. In the circle, she was 17-6 this season with a 0.47 ERA, throwing 133⅓ innings, allowing nine earned runs, 54 hits and 29 walks with 237 strikeouts. At the plate, Barnyak batted .470 with two homers and 20 RBIs. Barnyak will continue her academic and softball career at IUP.
Bria Bosiljevac
Shaler, sr., P
This marks the second straight year Bosiljevac ended up on this all-star team, both after leading Shaler to WPIAL Class 5A gold. She finished the season with a perfect record of 21-0 with an ERA of 0.58. In 133 innings pitched, she allowed 11 earned runs, 47 hits and 23 walks and registered 245 strikeouts. Bosiljevac contributed at the plate as well, batting .333 with 23 hits in 69 at-bats. In four district playoffs wins, she allowed nine hits, seven of which came in the finals. In the PIAA title game, she allowed one hit and struck out eight. Bosiljevac will continue her academic and softball career at Indiana University.
Lily Duffill
Chartiers Valley, sr., C
The senior catcher was a bright star on a Chartiers Valley team that finished the season seven games under .500. Duffill lived up to her reputation this spring with 15 of her 26 hits going for extra bases. She batted .605 (26 for 43) with six home runs and 18 RBIs. Duffill had a .679 on-base percentage, 1.226 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.905. For her career, she blasted 34 homers and had 124 RBIs. Duffill will continue her academic and softball career at Penn State.
Irelyn Fisher
Union, jr., C
Fisher is not just the daughter of coach Doug Fisher; she is also one of the top juniors in the area. On defense, she shut down many opposing teams’ running attacks with her strong arm, while on offense she swung a lethal bat. Fisher batted .553 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. She homered in all three of the Scotties’ district playoff wins and in three of their four state playoff victories. After one more year at Union, Fisher plans to continue her academic and softball career at Akron.
Sydney Gonglik
Bentworth, jr., P
If there was a comeback player of the year in the WPIAL, Gonglik would win it after an injury kept her out of the circle for most of her sophomore season. She was 19-3 this year with a 0.95 ERA. In 132 innings pitched, she yielded 18 earned runs on 43 hits with 20 walks and 269 Ks. Gonglik batted .522 with nine homers and 24 RBIs. In leading the Bearcats to their first WPIAL title, she allowed no earned runs on three hits with 10 Ks in the finals. After one more year at Bentworth, Gonglik plans to continue her academic and softball career at LSU.
Berlyn Holibaugh
Elizabeth Forward, jr., P/2B
After pitching only three innings in her sophomore year, Holibaugh took over this spring as the top pitcher for Elizabeth Forward and helped the Warriors win their third WPIAL 4A crown as they finished with a 21-3 record. She was a key contributor at the plate as well with a .398 batting average (33 for 83) with six doubles, a triple and five home runs. She scored 32 runs and drove in 26. She had a .453 on-base percentage, .675 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.128.
Lauren Howard
Hempfield, sr., SS/3B
This marks the second straight year Howard ended up on this all-star team, both after leading Hempfield to WPIAL Class 6A gold. Howard may have struggled out of the gates this season but was on fire in the postseason run to district and state gold for the Spartans. She finished batting .409 (36 for 88) with four home runs, five triples and eight doubles. She sparkled on the left side of the infield with only one error on 50 chances. Howard plans to continue her academic and softball career at Virginia.
Sydney Sekely
South Park, sr., P
After leading South Park to back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A runner-up trophies, it was time for Sekely and the Eagles to raise gold in the winner’s circle in 2026. She was lights out in the circle, finishing the season with a 19-2 record and an ERA of 0.43. She pitched 130⅔ innings with 24 walks and 236 Ks. Sekely was also dangerous at the plate, batting .487 with four home runs and 22 RBIs and a 1.229 OPS. She will continue her academic and softball career at Gannon.
Aubrey Shaffer
Thomas Jefferson, jr., P
Shaffer was a model of consistency, helping lead a young Thomas Jefferson team loaded with sophomore starters to win its section and reach both the WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A semifinals. She ended up with a 1.96 ERA for the season and in six playoff starts, had three shutout wins, including two in the state postseason. In the Jaguars’ final game of the season, Shaffer dueled Bria Bosiljevac in an epic 11-inning battle won by Shaler, 5-3. Shaffer had nine strikeouts in the game.