C-H leads area with 5 all-state selections
Following a 16-4 record during a season that saw head coach Trisha Alderson surpass 400 coaching wins and a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, Chartiers-Houston’s softball team had a few surprises left for the fans.
Five players were named either the first or second team on the Class 2A all-state team on the Pennsylvania High School Softball Association’s teams, including outfielder Bella Hess, who made first team for the third straight competitive season.
Freshman Ella Richey was one of three catchers to make first team. Her battery mate, freshman Meadow Ferri, was one of four pitchers to make second team. Senior Nicolette Kloes was named second team second base and sophomore Paige McAvoy was one of five shortstops to make second team.
“They all had stellar seasons and they all worked hard,” Alderson said. “I’m really proud of them. The hard work really paid off for them. They all had great seasons.”
Belle Vernon junior outfielder Maren Metikosh was named the Class 4A Player of the Year.
Carmichaels junior Sophia Zalar was one of four second team outfielders in Class 2A.
In Class A, West Greene had one first-teamer in junior catcher London Whipkey and two second-teamers in senior shortstop Katie Lampe and senior pitcher Kiley Meek.
Kylee Goodman, a senior from Waynesburg, was one of four first-team shortstops in Class 3A.
Peters Township’s Sami Berwick, a junior, was one of five shortstops to earn first-team honors in Class 6A.
“It’s hard to make all-state,” said Alderson. “Pitchers and shortstops usually dominate the positions. It’s tough to make it at any position but those positions are tougher because of the sheer number at those spots.”
Hess led the Bucs in hitting (.597), hits (40), singles (28) and runs (43). McAvoy batted .557 with a team-high 1.698 OPS. She had six home runs with 37 RBI. Kloes hit .545 with four home runs and 30 RBI. Richey had seven home runs, tops on the team.
Ferri put together a 13-4 record with a 2.75 ERA. She struck out 120 batters in 91.2 innings.
Metikosh hit .563, slugged five home runs and drove in 32. Zalar and Goodwin each hit .508. Berwick batted .500 with five home runs and 27 RBI.
Whipkey led the Pioneers with 8 doubles, 3 home runs and 24 RBI to go with a .493 batting average. She was also a vacuum cleaner behind the plate. Lampe hit .405 with 30 runs and 23 RBI.
Meek went 12-5 with a 3.03 ERA and hit .328 with 22 RBI.
Nomination forms went out across the state May 10 to all districts garnering coaches and media selections. The process is then whittle down to its current form.