May 31, 2026 By Jerin Steele 5 min read

In the last four years the Carmichaels softball team has suffered plenty of heartbreak in the WPIAL playoffs.

Three runner-up finishes and a semifinals loss has left them wanting more and they get one more opportunity to win a title in the state tournament.

It’s the last shot for standout seniors: pitcher Bailey Barnyak and shortstop Carys McConnell, who have their sites set on an extended stay in the state playoffs.

Carmichaels is not alone in aiming for a bounce back.

The South Fayette and Fort Cherry baseball teams both lost their WPIAL final.

Chartiers-Houston softball lost in the Class 2A consolation game. Jefferson-Morgan softball won a consolation game and the lone team to win a WPIAL title last week was Bentworth softball.

All six teams will begin their quest at a state championship on Monday.

“We’re optimistic,” Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs said. “The biggest thing is can you get back up for the first game? You know you’re going to play somebody good and you’re going on the road. It’s about being in the right mental state to make a run.

“We have pretty good senior leadership, so I think we’ll be ready to go.”

Carmichaels plays at District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley at 4:30 p.m. in a rematch of a first-round game last year. Berlin Brothersvalley won last year’s meeting, 3-0.

“Last year it seemed like we were really defeated after the loss (at WPIALs),” Briggs said. “We just didn’t have any energy when we went up there last year.”

The Mountaineers beat Meyersdale,10-1, in the District 5 championship and have some mashers in their lineup. Elena Richey is hitting .580 with 10 homers and has driven in 52 runs. Elsie Barna has a .533 batting average with nine homers and 45 RBI. Richey is also the starting pitcher and has a 13-0 record with a 1.88 ERA. She has 119 strikeouts and 19 walks over 85.2 innings.

Jefferson-Morgan defeated Greene County rival West Greene, 5-4, in the Class A consolation game to advance to the state playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The Rockets play District 10 champion Cambridge Springs at 4 p.m at Allegheny College in Meadville.

The Devils beat West Middlesex, 7-1, in the District 10 title game.

Kayla Crawford had a dozen strikeouts in the win and did not allow an earned run in a complete game in the circle.

Cambridge Springs was a state semifinalist last year where it lost to Union and brought back most of that team.

In Class 2A, Bentworth will look to keep rolling after winning its first WPIAL title, knocking off four-time defending champ Neshannock, 4-1.

The Bearcats play District 10 runner-up Wilmington at 4 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in McMurray.

Wilmington enters the state playoffs with a losing record at 8-11 but pulled two upsets as the lowest seed in the tournament against top-seeded Mercer and No. 5 Cochranton to get to the District 10 title game where it lost 4-0 to Saegertown.

Chartiers-Houston made a run to the state semifinals last year and will look to make noise again, but this time it’ll be on the east side of the bracket.

After dropping the consolation game to Laurel, The Bucs are the fourth-place team out of the WPIAL, which bumped them into the east bracket.

The Bucs play District 6 champion Bellwood-Antis at 4 p.m. at Mt. Aloysius College in Cresson.

Bellwood-Antis dethroned defending District 6 champ West Shamokin with a 2-0 victory in the final. It’s the first time the Blue Devils have made the playoffs since 2015.

The Blue Devils have a standout freshman pitcher in Lainey Stinson, who struck out 18 batters in the victory over West Shamokin, which came into the game unbeaten. Stinson is one of four freshmen in the Blue Devils’ starting lineup.

Baseball

South Fayette made an incredible run as a No. 10 seed to the WPIAL Class 5A title game before falling to Upper St. Clair.

Now the Lions will try to replicate it in the state tournament.

Their journey begins with a trip to play at District 6 champion Hollidaysburg at 4 p.m.

“It’s a new stage to perform on,” South Fayette coach Marc “Bubba” Snider said. “Our first stage was within the section, and the second one was in the WPIAL playoffs. When we get on that bus Monday, there’s a brand-new stage for us and we’re 0-0 just like everyone else.”

The Golden Tigers earned a 7-3 win over defending District 6 champ Central Mountain in the final. They are led by junior pitcher Vincent Boland, who has an 8-0 record with a 0.83 ERA. He’s yielded only 30 hits in 50.1 innings and has 76 strikeouts to 26 walks.

Josh Banks, a Penn State football recruit, is the team’s top hitter with a .544 batting average, with four homers and 22 RBI.

Fort Cherry will look to shake off a disappointing performance in the WPIAL Class A championship, an 11-2 loss to Neshannock, and start anew in the state playoffs.

The Rangers play at District 5 champ Everett at 2 p.m.

Everett edged Windber, 5-4, in the District 5 final.

Chase Sherwood is the ace of Everett’s staff. He’s 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA and 119 strikeouts to 24 walks in 61 innings pitched.