Predicting the WPIAL softball playoffs
The brackets are set for the WPIAL softball playoffs, which begin Tuesday and culminate Thurs., May 28 with the championship games at California University’s Lilly Field.
Among the questions entering the tournament include: is Hempfield the top team in Class AAAA, can a freshman pitcher lead Belle Vernon to its first WPIAL title since 2007 and was Burgettstown overlooked because of a loss to South Side Beaver?
Let’s have some fun and tackle each classification with my predicted winner and what to look out for (other than rain).
Class AAAA
Hempfield (15-2) grabbed the top seed over North Allegheny (19-1) based on the strength of its section, which included Penn-Trafford. The top-four seeds received first-round byes, but the biggest surprise might be Baldwin’s placement as the No. 3 seed.
The Highlanders shared the Section 4 title with sixth-seeded Bethel Park and seventh-seeded Canon-McMillan. I was told by coaches that the Black Hawks were likely to grab the highest seed out of the three teams, but instead they open against Gateway.
I do believe that the Big Macs will upset North Allegheny in the quarterfinals based on the Tigers’ weak section schedule and C-M will enter the tournament with a chip on its shoulder.
Though Olivia Lorusso and Giorgiana Zeremenko are gone, C-M returns Linda Rush, Abby McCartney and Tara Fowler; who continuea to improve as a pitcher. The Big Macs are much better defensively and are as good an offensive team you will see in the WPIAL.
I believe Canon-McMillan will defeat North Allegheny to advance to the semifinals and could very well end up beating Bethel Park to advance to the title game for the fourth consecutive season.
Look for Penn-Trafford to make some noise as the fifth-seed. The Warriors open the playoffs against Plum, who they defeated 12-0 in a non-section game last week. Then comes defending WPIAL champion Shaler, but I like P-T to advance to face top-seeded Hempfield in the semifinals.
Prediction: Hempfield over Bethel Park. The Spartans, led by Liberty recruit Taylor Hoffman, handed North Allegheny a 7-0 loss this week and have recorded 10 shutouts this season.
Class AAA
I will say that I am completely surprised with what Belle Vernon (16-2) has been able to accomplish. I saw the Leopards lose to Trinity, 7-0, March 30 with an offense that could not generate much of anything.
Well, they have won 13 straight since that cold day at Hiller Field and have not allowed more than four runs in any game. That can be attributed to freshman left-handed pitcher Bailey Parshall, a Penn State recruit. BV bounced back to win the most difficult section in Class AAA.
Yough (14-3) grabbed the second seed and for good reason. West Allegheny grabbing the third seed is a bit of a surprise since its section was not as strong as expected and it lost to No. 12 Elizabeth Forward by six runs Monday.
A few upsets to look out for are No. 9 South Fayette over eighth-seeded Mars, which has a difficult time hitting hard-throwing pitchers. The Lions have one of the best with Ashley Iagnemma.
Fourth-seeded Beaver, which does not have a senior on its roster, will reach the semifinals by defeating EF in a close game and Yough will cruise to the semifinals with a win over Chartiers Valley.
That brings us to Trinity (14-4). The Hillers open against Central Valley, which has been wildly inconsistent this season. I see them advancing to the quarterfinals to face West Allegheny. The two were section rivals last season and split their series.
The Hillers have senior shortstop Olivia Gray, a Pitt recruit, junior first baseman Delaney Elling, a Penn State recruit, and a very balanced lineup that delivers a balance of speed and power. If pitcher Paige Galentine can find her way in the playoffs, which she is capable of doing, the sky is the limit for Trinity.
Prediction: Trinity defeats Belle Vernon to claim the program’s first WPIAL softball title. The Hillers will defeat West Allegheny in the quarterfinals before taking down Yough in the semis. They were able to hit Parshall March 30 and I expect the same in the championship game.
Class AA
There weren’t many surprises with the bracket, which includes Deer Lakes (17-1) as the top seed, Mohawk (13-0) as the second, third-seeded Seton-La Salle (13-0) and No. 4 Ellwood City (12-3). Class AA is very wide open.
With pitcher Tiffany Edwards, Deer Lakes has a pretty clear shot at the semifinals, but McGuffey could cause problems if it overcomes a few injuries. The Highlanders have a pitcher who can steal a game during the playoffs (Moriah McGuier). Much like a good goalie in the NHL playoffs, softball comes down to pitching.
Mohawk opens with Bentworth, which snuck into the WPIAL playoffs, and Carmichaels (13-0) grabbed the seventh-seed after winning Section 2. The Mikes are very capable of defeating Mohawk in the quarterfinals, but their offense needs to be better. Erica Burns is one of the top pitchers in Class AA, but they cannot rely on her shutting out every opponent.
The team I like in the tournament is Seton-La Salle, which is led by pitcher Laura Zola. Zola has more than 600 career strikeouts and has 10 shutouts this season. The Rebels have not allowed a run since April 15. Let that sink in. Not only is Zola pitching extremely well, but they are playing great defense. In fact, the team has allowed just three runs all season.
Burgettstown (17-3) took a hit with losing to South Side Beaver last week. The Blue Devils sank from a potential top-two seed to No. 6. They open against Neshannock, which handed them losses in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals last year. Look for Burgettstown to avenge those losses.
Also look for SS Beaver to upset Ellwood City in the quarterfinals. The Rams are young and possess everything a team needs to make a serious run in the playoffs, despite missing junior Connor McGaffic, a Pitt recruit who suffered a season-ending knee injury during an accident this fall.
Prediction: Seton-La Salle defeats Deer Lakes.
Class A
Chartiers-Houston (17-2) grabbed the top seed, despite sharing the section title with Jefferson-Morgan (11-2), which is the three-seed.
Second-seeded Frazier (12-1) could face a serious test in the second round against either West Greene (10-7) or Greensburg Central Catholic (9-4). The Pioneers have faltered recently, but that’s because of inexperience. They return a bulk of their roster next spring, so the best is yet to come.
This tournament is about to display a trend that few expected early in the season: Section 1 is the best. Yes, I said it. Jeff-Morgan has arguably the best pitcher in Class A (Madison Ludrosky) and an offense that has continued to improve. One coach in the section, whose opinion I respect, told me that J-M is better than the Bucs.
They will face a test against Sewickley Academy in the quarterfinals, but look for the Rockets to advance to the semifinals to face the Commodores. The Bucs are great defensively behind freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Dittrich and are playing great offensively since being no-hit by Ludrosky April 24.
Prediction: Chartiers-Houston defeats Jefferson-Morgan. This is a difficult game to pick. The Bucs won the first meeting, 4-2, before losing 1-0. I do like C-H’s balance throughout the order and sound defense.