Bill Beckner stories, Page 218
Top-tier AAU girls basketball tournament coming to Western Pa. this weekend
One of the top AAU girls basketball tournaments in the country will play out Saturday and Sunday at 25 gyms throughout WPIAL territory. The event is hosted by the local Western PA Bruins and will feature more than 250 teams — several thousand players — with out-of-state teams coming in...
Latrobe softball team rallies around new ace Tallman
Latrobe softball is running on battery power again, only the charge is coming from a slightly different pitcher-catcher combo than the Wildcats first envisioned. Senior catcher Makayla Munchinski returned to anchor the defense, and the team knew she would provide a productive bat in the order. Sophomore Jordan Tallman, meanwhile,...
McNab resigns as Seton Hill women’s soccer coach
Andy McNab has resigned as women’s soccer coach at Seton Hill after four seasons. McNab is leaving to coach the women’s team at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. He spent two years with the Griffins as an assistant. “Seton Hill is a special place where it is easy to build...
Saint Vincent tabs Wisneski to coach new men’s volleyball team
Saint Vincent has a coach for its newest varsity sport. The school added men’s volleyball, its 24th sport, and on Tuesday announced Derry native Scott Wisneski will lead the first-year program, which is expected to begin play for the 2019-20 season. Wisneski was an assistant for the Bearcats women’s volleyball...
Westmoreland campus clippings: DeFazio on offensive tear for Mt. Aloysius softball
Lydia DeFazio is taking the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference by storm this softball season. The sophomore first baseman/catcher at Mt. Aloysius was named AMCC Player of the Week after a dominating, four-game stretch for the Mounties (17-4, 4-0). A Penn-Trafford graduate, DeFazio went 13 for 15 — hitting safely in...
IUP women finish No. 4 in national rankings
After another memorable season that lasted into March and generated more national interest in the program, the IUP women’s basketball team can reflect. The Crimson Hawks went 30-4 and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second consecutive season. They climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Derry grad Bisi finds groove with Penn State softball
Chelsea Bisi started the softball season slowly as she adjusted to Division I pitching and worked her way back from a knee injury that cost her the majority of her senior season at Derry. The freshman at Penn State, though, has found her groove and has become one tough out...
Penn-Trafford grad DeFazio putting up big numbers in AMCC
Lydia DeFazio is taking the AMCC by storm this softball season. The sophomore first baseman/catcher at Mt. Aloysius was named AMCC Softball Player of the Week after a dominating, four-game stretch for the Mounties (17-4, 4-0). Her numbers have been astronomical. A Penn-Trafford graduate, DeFazio went 13 for 15, hitting...
Penn-Trafford grad Nedley adds pop to Penn softball
Emma Nedley was once a wide-eyed youngster plopped in front of the TV watching college softball with innocent wonderment. She enjoyed the double plays. She appreciated the diving catches and smiled when the teams started chanting with excitement to start a rally. But she loved the home runs. That’s what...
Westmoreland lookahead for Week of April 1, 2019
MONDAY Baseball: Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette are no longer section opponents but the teams plan to renew their rivalry with a nonsection game at Clarkson Field in Jeannette. Penn-Trafford will take on Hampton in nonsection play at Hempfield Park. Southmoreland visits Greensburg Salem, and Yough goes to Norwin. Franklin...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Hempfield sophomore catcher reopens recruitment
Sophomore Emma Hoffner still plans to play Division I softball and clearly has the talent to do so. But the Hempfield all-state catcher is going to explore her options before making a firm commitment. Hoffner has opened her recruitment after initially verbally committing to St. Francis (Pa.) as a freshman....
Norwin grad Matijevic assigned to Double-A
JJ Matijevic will start his third season in the minor leagues in Double-A. The former Norwin and Arizona star was assigned to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League, an affiliate of the Houston Astros. The 6-foot, 206-pounder who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, finished last season with the...
Gannon softball hits 8 home runs in conference game
Gannon turned an inconspicuous Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball game into a home run derby. The Knights belted eight home runs on the way to a 15-0 win over Mercyhurst in five innings Thursday in Erie. It was the second game of a doubleheader. Mercyhurst (5-18, 1-1) won the first...
Hempfield’s Hoffner opens recruitment
Sophomore Emma Hoffner still plans to play Division I softball, and has the talent to do so. But the Hempfield all-state catcher is going to explore her options before making a firm commitment. Hoffner has opened her recruitment after initially committing to Saint Francis (Pa.) as a freshman. Head coach...
Martindale’s grand slam lifts North Allegheny past No. 1 Hempfield
After missing last softball season with a knee injury, Rachel Martindale was anxious to get back on the field. The North Allegheny senior shortstop, though, could have shelved what seems to have become her second-best sport. She is headed to Akron on a basketball scholarship. She was one of the...
IUP women fall in semifinals
Another thrilling run through the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament finally came to an end for IUP Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio. The Crimson Hawks were stopped in the Final Four for the second straight year as Southwestern Oklahoma used a strong fourth quarter to register a 66-57 victory...
Maund helps Penn-Trafford top North Allegheny on future home field
Maclean Maund plans to play college baseball at Seton Hill. The Penn-Trafford senior looked right at home on his future field Wednesday as he and his teammates avenged a playoff loss to North Allegheny on the turf at the Seton Hill Baseball Complex. Maund was glad his team rented the...
Regula resigns as Derry girls basketball coach
Matt Regula’s stay was short at Derry, his departure not altogether by his choice. But he looks back on his time coaching the girls basketball team at his alma mater with pride. “It gave me the chance to prove that I can be a successful head coach,” said Regula, who...
Western Pennsylvania sites announced for Drive, Chip & Putt
The Western Pennsylvania Golf Association announced local qualifiers for the 2020 Drive, Chip and Putt competition that culminates in a year at Augusta National Golf Club. Registration is underway. Local qualifying sites include: Willowbrook Country Club, Allegheny Township — June 12 Green Oaks Country Club, Verona — June 13 JC...
Hempfield product Harrell to play in national 3-on-3 tournament
Now that his college career is over, Kason Harrell has every intention of playing professional basketball. The wheres and whens have yet to be worked out, but the Purdue Fort Wayne senior knows he’ll be playing against some of the country’s best players in the interim. Harrell, a Hempfield graduate,...
Penn-Trafford moves games to Seton Hill
To counter changing field conditions in Harrison City, Penn-Trafford is moving some baseball and softball games to the artificial turf fields at Seton Hill University. Last year, the Warriors softball team played Hempfield at Seton Hill. The baseball games set to be played at the Greensburg campus include: Wednesday: vs....
RMU’s Vatakis snags dual-honor from NEC
Dana Vatakis is a rare dual-award-winner in the Northeast Conference this week. The freshman softball player at Robert Morris was named NEC Pitcher of the Week and Co-Rookie of the Week. A Monessen graduate, Vatakis made five appearances last week for the Colonials (5-20, 0-1), carding three complete games and...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Big week for Saint Vincent baseball
Saint Vincent senior Bobby Finn tied a school record when he hit three home runs in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Sunday against Chatham in a 20-3 victory. Finn finished 4 for 5 with six RBIs for the Bearcats (10-3, 3-0), who had 19 hits in the win....
IUP women advance to national semifinals
IUP is headed back to the NCAA Division II Final Four. The Crimson Hawks women built a 10-point lead by halftime and cruised past Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 73-60, in the Elite Eight on Tuesday at Old Dominion in Columbus, Ohio. Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg Central Catholic) scored a team-high 17 points,...
Fundraiser started for wrestler who lost father during NCAAs in Pittsburgh
Steve Sprague watched his son, Michael, wrestle his final college match Friday in Pittsburgh. About 30 minutes after the match ended, Steve Sprague suffered “a cardiac event” and died. Now friends are trying to raise money for the grief-stricken family with a GoFundMe page. Michael Sprague is a senior 149-pound...
