Chartiers-Houston softball ready for move to Class 2A

Apr 1, 2025 By Jerin Steele 4 min read

When Meadow Ferri and Ella Richey were freshmen, they played in Class 2A before Chartiers-Houston softball dropped down to Class A for the last two seasons.

As seniors they return to the classification much more experienced and fresh off a WPIAL championship.

If there was ever a year to bump up in class, this is the one for the Bucs.

Along with Ferri and Richey, they return eight starters that bring a wealth of experience to a new challenge.

Chartiers-Houston coach Tricia Alderson and her staff have experience playing in 2A in the past, so it’s not uncharted territory for them, but it will be a different set of opponents in 2025.

“We have bounced around a little bit,” Alderson said. “We were in Class A for a long time, then in Class A and now back in 2A. We thought we had a chance to move up based on where the numbers fell, so it wasn’t totally unexpected and we’ve played a lot of these teams in the past, but obviously there’s a lot of challenges that come with it. There’s a lot of really good teams in 2A with great pitching that are really well-coached.”

Ferri, a Kent State recruit, has been the team’s starting pitcher since her freshman year. Richey has been right there as her battery mate and will continue her career at King University, an NCAA Division II school in Tennessee.

Both played a huge role in giving the Bucs their ninth district title and first since 2012 with a 9-5 win over Union in the Class A final last year.

They are multi-sport athletes. Richey was a starter on the Bucs girls basketball team and an all-section soccer player. Ferri played on the Bucs’ volleyball team.

Alderson has seen both grow exponentially on the softball field since that first season.

“Ella has made the most of her time in high school,” Alderson said. “I think playing all three sports has helped her become a better athlete. She’s a competitor and loves to win no matter what she’s playing. It could be a game we’re playing in practice and she wants to win.

“Meadow is a lot like Ella. She’s super competitive and works hard at her craft. Just like Ella, watching her growth and development over the last five to six years has been awesome. She wants to be pushed, wants to be coached and will do what we ask her to do.”

Junior shortstop Lauren Rush is another key cog for the Bucs. Others that have made early impacts are junior Seanna Riggle, sophomore Taryne Drilak and sophomore Aubree Randolph. Riggle has moved from first base to second, Drilak from second to third and Randolph is slotted in at right field in her first season of varsity.

Other returning starters include outfielders Alana Palone, a senior, and sophomore Zaylee Fonner as well as sophomore first baseman Sydney English.

English has moved from third base to first for this season.

“It has been a total team effort and we have a lot of players contributing in different ways offensively and defensively,” Alderson said.

To prepare for a new section, Chartiers-Houston made a trip to Myrtle Beach last week and came home with three wins against teams from three different states. They beat Morgantown (Wva.) 10-0, Columbiana (Ohio) 6-3 and St. Mary’s Ryken (Md.) 3-2. Those three wins are part of a 6-0 start to the season.

It was the first time the Bucs have made the trip south since 2022.

“The kids had a great time and there was a lot of team bonding,” Alderson said. “We got to play some good competition against teams from different states. The team we played from Maryland had two Division I pitchers, so it was good to see that caliber of pitching.”

Chartiers-Houston had a rematch of last year’s Class A title against Union scheduled for Wednesday before section play begins at Fort Cherry, Thursday.

Other teams in Class 2A Section 3 are Burgettstown, Carlynton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Seton LaSalle.