Realignment brings ‘brutal’ section for softball teams

Aug 25, 2026 By Jerin Steele 4 min read

When asked about his team’s new section, Carmichaels softball coach Dave Briggs replied with two words.

“It’s brutal,” he said.

The WPIAL released the new alignments and sections for spring sports on Tuesday and assembled one of the most difficult softball sections in recent memory.

Class 2A Section 3.

Here’s a list of the teams in it: Bentworth, Brownsville, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston, Frazier, Jefferson-Morgan and Washington.

Every single team in the section made the playoffs in the spring.

Bentworth and Carmichaels played in a WPIAL championship game. The Bearcats won Class 2A and the Mikes were runners up in Class A to Union.

Chartiers-Houston made the state championship in Class 2A. Jefferson-Morgan was a state playoff team in Class A.

Washington nearly upset Chartiers-Houston in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. The Bucs secured a 2-1 walk-off win, which started their journey toward the state final.

Bentworth coach Jack Cramer pointed out that in the last cycle there were four sections in Class 2A and this time there’s three, which played a part in the robust Section 3.

“There’s no way around it, if you come out of our section you’re going to be battle-tested,” Cramer said. “That’s the type of section you want though to get you ready for the playoffs. If you play teams and beat them 15-0 in three innings, that really doesn’t prepare you for the playoffs.”

Wash High coach Mike McCort agreed with Cramer’s assessment of the section.

“At the end of last year, with Ava Clark from Brownsville and Gina Tedrow (Waynesburg) graduating, I thought that maybe we’d get a little bit or a reprieve on the pitching in our section, but they’ve replaced an All-State pitcher graduating with another one coming in with Taryne (Drilak) from Chartiers-Houston,” McCort said. “It’s going to be pretty tough I think and you add in Jefferson-Morgan and Carmichaels too, which are talented teams.”

Fort Cherry and Burgettstown are in Class 2A Section 1 with Freedom, Lauren, New Brighton, Neshannock and Shenango.

The WPIAL will once again go with one section for Class 6A, which is nine teams and Canon-McMillan is one of them.

In Class 5A, South Fayette is in Section 3 again with the same exact opponents as last season. Trinity and Peters Township are in Section 4 with Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, Connellsville, McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson.

Belle Vernon and Ringgold are in Class 4A Section 2 and have the same opponents, minus West Mifflin, which moved to Section 1.

Waynesburg has bumped up to Class 3A and is in Section 3 with Charleroi, McGuffey, Keystone Oaks, Seton LaSalle and South Park.

Class A is 16 teams divided into two sections. Avella, Beth-Center, California, Mapletown, Monessen and West Greene are in Section 2 with Jeannette and Serra Catholic.

Baseball

The Burgettstown and Fort Cherry baseball teams will need to keep the bus fueled up this spring.

After playing in a mostly local section the last two years, the Blue Devils and Rangers will be making some longer road trips for section play in 2027.

Both teams are in Class 2A Section 3 with Brentwood, Carlynton, Riverview, Springdale and Sto-Rox, all teams from outside Washington County.

The rest of the local teams in Class 2A: Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Chartiers-Houston, Jefferson-Morgan and Washington are in Section 1 with Frazier. Washington dropped from Class 3A and Jefferson-Morgan moved up from Class A.

Class 6A added one team, WPIAL 5A champ Upper St. Clair, which was put in Section 2 with Canon-McMillan.

South Fayette, the Class 5A runner-up, is in Section 2 again, but Trinity has moved to Section 4 with Peters Township. Baldwin, Bethel Park, McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson.

There are no changes in section opponents for Ringgold and Belle Vernon in Class 4A Section 2.

South Park replaced Washington in an otherwise unchanged Class 3A Section 3, which houses McGuffey, Charleroi and Waynesburg.

Avella, Carmichaels, Mapletown, Monessen and West Greene are in Class A Section 1 with Geibel Catholic.

All section alignments for every spring sport can be found on the WPIAL website.