Bill Beckner stories, Page 148
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield grad Uschock to finish softball career at Shippensburg
Maddie Uschock is rebooting her college softball career. The former Hempfield ace is leaving Dominican, a Division II program in Orangeburg, N.Y., and will transfer to Shippensburg. Uschock, who just completed her junior year, said she needed a change. “Despite really loving my friends, teammates and professors, the environment wasn’t...
Locals Palmer Jackson, Jason Li competing at star-studded U.S. Open qualifier
The old “look to your left, look to your right,” stock phrase often used on the first day of college could pertain to the U.S. Open qualifier going on Monday in Columbus, Ohio. Every time Palmer Jackson and Jason Li look around they see PGA stars. Jackson and Li, once...
Westmoreland PIAA softball capsules for June 7, 2021
PIAA softball playoffs Monday’s games Class 2A First round Ligonier Valley (19-2) vs. Sharpsville (14-6) 3 p.m. at Slippery Rock University Coaches: Mark Zimmerman, Ligonier Valley; Mark Piccirilli, Sharpsville Players to watch: Bella Vargulish, sr., Ligonier Valley; Breanna Hanley, so., P, Sharpsville Winner plays: Winner of Chestnut Ridge (17-6)/Shenango (16-5)...
WPIAL champ Mt. Pleasant hopes to carry momentum into PIAA playoffs
Mt. Pleasant won its second WPIAL softball title with a relentless, rapid-fire offensive attack. Frozen ropes and gap shots. Doubles off the wall. The Vikings touched all the bases. “We practiced hitting off tees to get ready for (Ellwood City pitcher Julia Nardone),” Vikings senior third baseman Haylie Brunson said....
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Local baseball, softball players earn honors
Westmoreland County was well represented on the Big 5/6 Conference all-section baseball and softball teams. The Big 5/6 recognizes team and individual accomplishments in the WPIAL’s two largest classifications. In baseball, WPIAL Class 5A champion Franklin Regional dominated the Section 1 team with five first-team selections: seniors Louie Kegerreis (SS),...
Norwin notebook: Knights baseball, softball teams reflect on seasons
Postseason runs that were expected to last a lot longer ended rather abruptly in the WPIAL semifinals for the Norwin baseball and softball teams. The baseball Knights were roughed up by rival Hempfield, 12-2, while the softball team fell to Canon-McMillan, 7-4. Both were No. 2 seeds. Neither team qualified...
Supporters donate thousands to Jeannette athletics in memory of dedicated fan
All his life, Jay Clayton celebrated Jeannette athletics. You might say he put the Jay in Jayhawks. Now, Jeannette athletics are celebrating him. Clayton, a longtime Jayhawks fan, died in April at age 84. In lieu of flowers, Clayton wanted donations to be made directly to the Jeannette athletic department....
Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli pulls in offer from Wisconsin
Another week, another Division I football offer for Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli. Actually, the rising senior running back and defensive back added two more scholarship offers this week, but one stands out among all of the others. Wisconsin of the Big Ten offered him after he attended a Badgers’ prospect camp....
Ligonier Valley softball hits reset button, sets sights on PIAA run
Mark Zimmerman said the chip Ligonier Valley softball had resting firmly on its collective shoulder is all but gone. “That’s been knocked off a little bit,” the veteran coach said. “That can be a good thing, too. This is the start of a new run. Now it’s all about the...
Big-hitting Mt. Pleasant blanks Ellwood City for 2nd WPIAL softball championshipVideo
A fourth-grade student made the Mt. Pleasant softball team a good-luck card before the WPIAL championship, one of several the players received and read. One charming message stood out from the pile: “Softball was invented to show boys how it’s done.” The Lady Vikings must have been inspired. They showed...
W&J utility man Tyler Horvat earns first-team All-America honor
One of the premier two-way utility talents in Division III baseball, sophomore Tyler Horvat seemed to have an impact in every one of Washington & Jefferson’s 37 wins this season. The Penn-Trafford product was honored for his contributions by being named to the D3Baseball.Com All-America First Team. Horvat, an outfielder...
Ligonier Valley earns Class 2A bronze in softball with 4-0 win over Frazier
“Mad dog” doesn’t like to hear about games being meaningless. Even though both teams already had clinched PIAA playoff berths, Maddie Griffin, Ligonier Valley’s junior ace pitcher, treated Tuesday’s WPIAL third-place game at Norwin with respect. The game still had the full attention of the WPIAL’s no-hit queen. “The expectation...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad Zach Kokoska shines in Big 12 tourney
Kansas State junior slugger Zach Kokoska (Latrobe) is among the top home run hitters in NCAA Division I baseball. He also was one of the top players in the Big 12 Tournament. After he helped the Wildcats (34-23) reach the semifinals, Kokoska was named to the all-tournament team. In five...
Battery powered: Chemistry between pitcher Smithnosky, catcher Shawley drives Mt. Pleasant softball
Catcher Lexis Shawley received an unsolicited compliment from an umpire after a recent playoff game. It made the Mt. Pleasant senior grin. “He said he liked the way I was framing my pitches,” Shawley said. “He said it probably helped us get a few strikes.” The proficiency also had something...
WPIAL Class 3A softball championship preview: Mt. Pleasant vs. Ellwood City
Softball Class 3A 1-Mt. Pleasant (16-3) vs. 11-Ellwood City (14-4) 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Mt. Pleasant — Mt. Pleasant has yet to yield a run in the postseason, beating Derry, 6-0, and Avonworth, 8-0. Pitcher Mary Smithnosky is 2-0 with 23...
WPIAL 2A softball consolation game preview: Ligonier Valley vs. Frazier
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 2A 3rd place game Ligonier Valley (18-2) vs. Frazier (16-4) 4 p.m. Tuesday at Norwin Coaches: Mark Zimmerman, Ligonier Valley; Don Hartman, Frazier Players to watch: Maddie Griffin, Jr., P, Ligonier Valley; Madison Bednar, So., P, Frazier What’s at stake: Both teams have qualified for the...
Zilli leads Hempfield into WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship game
Dinner time at the Zilli house used to turn into a competition, which confirms a couple of things. One, Christian Zilli learned how to win at a young age. And, two, Christian Zilli eats his vegetables. “It’s not OK to lose in our household,” said Zilli, a Hempfield senior shortstop...
Kegerreis swinging hot bat as Franklin Regional heads into WPIAL baseball final
Louie Kegerreis is seeing the baseball better than he has all year, but he isn’t just laser-focused on incoming pitches. The Franklin Regional senior wants to do his part to win a championship. His relentless preparation and team-first mentality is a pleasant bonus to Panthers coach Bobby Saddler, who could...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: More accolades for Seton Hill’s Pellis
Tommy Pellis could land with a major league organization with the draft looming. The Seton Hill grad student outfielder will have plenty of awards on his resume for the scouts. Pellis’ latest honor in an All-American nod from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His career season earned him a...
WPIAL Class 5A baseball championship preview: Franklin Regional vs. Bethel Park
1-Franklin Regional (18-1) vs. 2-Bethel Park (18-3) 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Franklin Regional — The biggest test for the Panthers came in the quarterfinals. They were locked in a 5-5 tie with Mars when the game was delayed a day because...
WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship preview: Hempfield vs. North Allegheny
1-North Allegheny (19-3) vs. 3-Hempfield (15-7) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Hempfield — The Spartans will make their WPIAL finals debut after handling No. 2 Norwin in the semifinals. Seton Hill commit Christian Zilli had three hits, including a pair of two-run...
New Jeannette girls basketball coach admires dedication to program
Bill Flow called the Jeannette girls basketball program “a sleeping giant.” While the road back to relevance in the WPIAL appears long for Jeannette, the program’s new coach thinks with the proper encouragement and nurturing, it can turn a corner. A Norwin graduate, Flow is bringing extensive experience and waves...
Hempfield’s Morgan Ryan to finish career at Seton Hill
Morgan Ryan has one more year of college softball left. She will play it in her backyard. The recent Notre Dame grad who was a supreme talent at Hempfield will chase a master’s degree at Seton Hill. While she’s at it, she will play a fifth year as a member...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Fresh girls hoops coaching faces
A pair of Westmoreland County girls basketball programs will have new coaches next season. Franklin Regional recently hired former Plum coach Bernie Pucka, and Greensburg Central Catholic promoted assistant Chris Skatell to head coach. Both will replace men who coached for three seasons before resigning in the spring. Pucka replaces...
Seton Hill’s Sam Hartman wins pair of national track titles
Sam Hartman had so much fun winning a national track championship that he decided to do it twice. The headband-clad junior from Seton Hill doubled down at the NCAA Division II outdoor track & field championships by winning titles in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles Saturday in Allendale, Mich. He...
