Bill Beckner stories, Page 76
Hempfield to face state’s most dominant ace: North Penn lefty Julia Shearer
A forbidding challenge awaits Hempfield with unbeaten North Penn (27-0), the District 1 champion that features senior ace pitcher Julia Shearer and her ridiculous numbers: 27-0 record, 0.23 ERA, 346 strikeouts and 13 walks in 159 innings. Hempfield (21-3) likely will have to scrape together offense against the left-hander, who...
PIAA Class 6A softball championship preview: Hempfield vs. North Penn
PIAA softball playoffs Class 6A Championship Hempfield (21-3) vs. North Penn (27-0) 4 p.m. Thursday at Beard Field, Nittany Lion Softball Park, Penn State University TV: PCN Tickets: piaa.org (Hometown ticketing) District seeds: Hempfield 7-1; North Penn 1-1 PIAA titles: Hempfield 4 (1999, 2016, ‘17, ‘18); North Penn 4 (1976,...
Hempfield softball notebook: Freshman Lauren Howard scoring runs at record pace
Lauren Howard is as promising a freshman as any Hempfield has put in the starting lineup. The third baseman known as “Lou” already has her name in the program record book. Howard scored two runs in Monday’s semifinal win to break a record shared by Ali Belgiovane (2017) and Laura...
Battery power fuels Hempfield softball on electric run to state finals
If Hempfield wins a fifth PIAA softball championship Thursday at Penn State, it will likely happen in an electric atmosphere. But a win will probably be battery powered. If its four previous state titles are any indication, the pitcher-catcher combo will play a key role for the Spartans (21-3) in...
Unflappable Hempfield looks to add to softball program’s championship legacy
Tina Madison looked pensive and anxious as her team hit softballs into nets in a light drizzle Monday at St. Francis (Pa.) University. The Hempfield coach was concerned the downcast weather conditions might affect her team in a PIAA Class 6A semifinal against Cumberland Valley. Truth be told, she wasn’t...
Hempfield softball surges past Cumberland Valley, advances to Class 6A state final
LORETTO — Hempfield asked for the pregame music to be turned off while it took infield practice Monday after a half-hour rain delay. The Spartans then proceeded to make a lot of noise on the basepaths. Hempfield jumped on District 3 champion Cumberland Valley early and kept the offense coming...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Jack Oberdorf picks up All-American honor
At this rate, Jack Oberdorf’s postseason award total is going to catch up to his home run total. The senior third baseman from Seton Hill added a prestigious honor as he joined sophomore teammate and pitcher Blake Barker as a Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association All-America honorable mention selection. Oberdorf,...
PIAA softball playoff capsule: Class 6A semifinal, Monday, June 12, 2023
PIAA softball playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Hempfield (20-3) vs. Cumberland Valley (19-5) 4 p.m. Monday at St. Francis (Pa.) University, Loretto District seeds: Hempfield 7-1; Cumberland Valley 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of 1-1 North Penn (26-0)/3-3 Chambersburg (13-1) in championship 4 p.m. June 15 at Beard Field, Nittany Lion Softball...
Hempfield softball team wins with stifling defense
In the PIAA softball playoffs, every team can hit. Short game or long, small ball or power shots. But pitching and defense, now that makes for a lethal combination. Take those two and blend them with just the right amount of offense, and the state championship can be well within...
Hempfield coach Madison hopes for return trip to alma mater
Making the state softball championship would carry special meaning for Hempfield coach Tina Madison, not just because she is a proud alum and former ace pitcher for the Spartans. Hempfield (20-3) can clinch a spot in the PIAA Class 6A title game with a win Monday over Cumberland Valley (19-5)....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: New Hempfield girls soccer coach up for a challenge
New Hempfield girls soccer coach Jim Jones has several goals. His team will settle for one. Jones is set to lead a struggling program into what he hopes are better times. He takes over for Aryn Askin, who is no longer with the team after two seasons. How tough has...
Norwin notebook: Ex-Knights standout Jack Whalen wraps up big freshman year at Seton Hill
Not many freshmen in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference had a better debut season than Seton Hill’s Jack Whalen, a Norwin alum. The outfielder broke a school record for stolen bases in a season and led the team in a couple of offensive categories, finding his place in the lineup...
Murrysville Star notebook: Franklin Regional standouts earn all-section honors
The Big 56 Conference, a website that recognizes accomplishments of teams and athletes in the WPIAL’s largest classifications, announced its all-section teams. Class 5A baseball’s Section 1 first team included junior Max Bernadowski (IF) of Franklin Regional and senior Dylan Grabowski (P), junior Brody Hoffman (DH) and Chuck Fontana (OF)...
Hempfield softball team learns PIAA semifinal playoff location
Hempfield will continue its march toward a fifth state softball championship with a semifinal matchup against Cumberland Valley at 4 p.m. Monday at St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto. The WPIAL champion Spartans (20-3), in the PIAA semifinals for a 10th time, will look to defeat the District 3 champion Eagles...
Latrobe grad Jake Biss to play in Premier Basketball League
With his first year of professional basketball in the books, Jake Biss is making sure his game stays sharp in the offseason. The former Latrobe and Shippensburg standout guard, who played last season with the Dan Helder Suns in the Netherlands, signed to play this summer with the DuBois Dream,...
Elizabeth Forward avenges WPIAL playoff loss, stops Belle Vernon in PIAA quarters
Elizabeth Forward restored the balance of power in its softball rivalry with Belle Vernon, and catcher Alivia Grimm restored confidence in her swing as the Warriors moved on in the state playoffs. Grimm, a sophomore, came up clutch in the seventh inning with a game-changing hit and followed with a...
Westmoreland PIAA softball capsules: Games for Thursday, June 8, 2023
PIAA softball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Hempfield (19-3) vs. Downingtown East (22-3) 4 p.m. Thursday at Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg District seeds: Hempfield 7-1; Downingtown East 1-3 Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Cumberland Valley (18-5)/1-2 Haverford (21-5) Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Coaches: Tina Madison, Hempfield; Peggy O’Dwyer, Downingtown East...
Hempfield freshmen burst into starting lineup, play key roles in playoff run
When Tina Madison talked about her team’s prospects and potential strengths at the start of the season, she couldn’t help but mention the emerging talent coming down the pipeline. The Hempfield softball coach didn’t try to hide anyone, either. The future is now for a budding group of newcomers. “There...
Howard sisters lead Hempfield softball past Mifflin County in PIAA opener
Sisters Maggie and Lauren Howard are a couple of years apart in age and class, but they look alike, talk alike and, to Hempfield’s delight, play alike. The Hempfield siblings had a key impact on Monday morning’s PIAA Class 6A playoff opener against visiting Mifflin County, combining to go 4...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Tyler Horvat a 5-time All-American
More postseason honors have rolled in for Washington & Jefferson baseball standout Tyler Horvat. What hasn’t the Penn-Trafford graduate won? Horvat, a pitcher and outfielder, became the first player in the history of the W&J program to earn three All-America honors when he made D3Baseball.com First Team All-America, the second...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Coaches want more Class 6A state qualifiers
Talk about one and done. WPIAL Class 6A softball coaches think something needs to change. Only the champion, Hempfield (18-3), moved on to the PIAA playoffs, meaning the semifinal and title-game losers were done for the year. In other classifications, the top three or four finishers advanced to the state...
Westmoreland PIAA softball capsules: Games for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA softball playoffs Class 6A First round Mifflin County (12-8) at Hempfield (18-3) 11 a.m. Monday at Robert D. Kalp Field, Hempfield District seeds: Mifflin County 6-1; Hempfield 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-2 Central Dauphin (20-2)/1-3 Downington East (21-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch:...
Dan Boring to resign as Southmoreland athletic director
Dan Boring believes the Southmoreland athletic department is in better shape than when he began overseeing Scotties sports in 2020. “Absolutely,” he said. “We have done some great things over the last three years. We put some new systems in place that have smoothed out some kinks.” Boring, however, will...
Southmoreland softball driven to succeed in state playoffs
As the only senior on the Southmoreland softball team, second baseman Brynn Charnesky has a voice on the field, in the dugout and on drab bus rides home from championship game losses. When she talks, the Scotties listen. After a 5-1 loss to playoff nemesis Avonworth in the WPIAL Class...
Latrobe looks to shake off WPIAL finals loss before state playoffs
Latrobe players tried to keep their heads up when the Pirate Parrot handed them their WPIAL Class 4A runner-up trophy last Tuesday at Wild Things Park. Even the Parrot seemed somber. The season wasn’t over, but it felt like it was to the Wildcats after a tough, 4-3 loss to...
