Bill Beckner stories, Page 148
W&J utility man Tyler Horvat earns first-team All-America honor
One of the premier two-way utility talents in Division III baseball, sophomore Tyler Horvat seemed to have an impact in every one of Washington & Jefferson’s 37 wins this season. The Penn-Trafford product was honored for his contributions by being named to the D3Baseball.Com All-America First Team. Horvat, an outfielder...
Ligonier Valley earns Class 2A bronze in softball with 4-0 win over Frazier
“Mad dog” doesn’t like to hear about games being meaningless. Even though both teams already had clinched PIAA playoff berths, Maddie Griffin, Ligonier Valley’s junior ace pitcher, treated Tuesday’s WPIAL third-place game at Norwin with respect. The game still had the full attention of the WPIAL’s no-hit queen. “The expectation...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad Zach Kokoska shines in Big 12 tourney
Kansas State junior slugger Zach Kokoska (Latrobe) is among the top home run hitters in NCAA Division I baseball. He also was one of the top players in the Big 12 Tournament. After he helped the Wildcats (34-23) reach the semifinals, Kokoska was named to the all-tournament team. In five...
Battery powered: Chemistry between pitcher Smithnosky, catcher Shawley drives Mt. Pleasant softball
Catcher Lexis Shawley received an unsolicited compliment from an umpire after a recent playoff game. It made the Mt. Pleasant senior grin. “He said he liked the way I was framing my pitches,” Shawley said. “He said it probably helped us get a few strikes.” The proficiency also had something...
WPIAL Class 3A softball championship preview: Mt. Pleasant vs. Ellwood City
Softball Class 3A 1-Mt. Pleasant (16-3) vs. 11-Ellwood City (14-4) 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Mt. Pleasant — Mt. Pleasant has yet to yield a run in the postseason, beating Derry, 6-0, and Avonworth, 8-0. Pitcher Mary Smithnosky is 2-0 with 23...
WPIAL 2A softball consolation game preview: Ligonier Valley vs. Frazier
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 2A 3rd place game Ligonier Valley (18-2) vs. Frazier (16-4) 4 p.m. Tuesday at Norwin Coaches: Mark Zimmerman, Ligonier Valley; Don Hartman, Frazier Players to watch: Maddie Griffin, Jr., P, Ligonier Valley; Madison Bednar, So., P, Frazier What’s at stake: Both teams have qualified for the...
Zilli leads Hempfield into WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship game
Dinner time at the Zilli house used to turn into a competition, which confirms a couple of things. One, Christian Zilli learned how to win at a young age. And, two, Christian Zilli eats his vegetables. “It’s not OK to lose in our household,” said Zilli, a Hempfield senior shortstop...
Kegerreis swinging hot bat as Franklin Regional heads into WPIAL baseball final
Louie Kegerreis is seeing the baseball better than he has all year, but he isn’t just laser-focused on incoming pitches. The Franklin Regional senior wants to do his part to win a championship. His relentless preparation and team-first mentality is a pleasant bonus to Panthers coach Bobby Saddler, who could...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: More accolades for Seton Hill’s Pellis
Tommy Pellis could land with a major league organization with the draft looming. The Seton Hill grad student outfielder will have plenty of awards on his resume for the scouts. Pellis’ latest honor in an All-American nod from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His career season earned him a...
WPIAL Class 5A baseball championship preview: Franklin Regional vs. Bethel Park
1-Franklin Regional (18-1) vs. 2-Bethel Park (18-3) 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Franklin Regional — The biggest test for the Panthers came in the quarterfinals. They were locked in a 5-5 tie with Mars when the game was delayed a day because...
WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship preview: Hempfield vs. North Allegheny
1-North Allegheny (19-3) vs. 3-Hempfield (15-7) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Hempfield — The Spartans will make their WPIAL finals debut after handling No. 2 Norwin in the semifinals. Seton Hill commit Christian Zilli had three hits, including a pair of two-run...
New Jeannette girls basketball coach admires dedication to program
Bill Flow called the Jeannette girls basketball program “a sleeping giant.” While the road back to relevance in the WPIAL appears long for Jeannette, the program’s new coach thinks with the proper encouragement and nurturing, it can turn a corner. A Norwin graduate, Flow is bringing extensive experience and waves...
Hempfield’s Morgan Ryan to finish career at Seton Hill
Morgan Ryan has one more year of college softball left. She will play it in her backyard. The recent Notre Dame grad who was a supreme talent at Hempfield will chase a master’s degree at Seton Hill. While she’s at it, she will play a fifth year as a member...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Fresh girls hoops coaching faces
A pair of Westmoreland County girls basketball programs will have new coaches next season. Franklin Regional recently hired former Plum coach Bernie Pucka, and Greensburg Central Catholic promoted assistant Chris Skatell to head coach. Both will replace men who coached for three seasons before resigning in the spring. Pucka replaces...
Seton Hill’s Sam Hartman wins pair of national track titles
Sam Hartman had so much fun winning a national track championship that he decided to do it twice. The headband-clad junior from Seton Hill doubled down at the NCAA Division II outdoor track & field championships by winning titles in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles Saturday in Allendale, Mich. He...
Norwin grad has career year for Seton Hill baseball
Owen Sabol got a taste of college baseball right away when he arrived at Seton Hill. He played in 10 games and started nine of them. But then the pandemic kicked in and the season was sawed off 13 games in. That’s when the waiting game began for 2021. It...
Murrysville Star notebook: FR grad earns all-region honors for Mercyhurst baseball
It has been eight years since the Mercyhurst baseball team saw a relief pitcher earn all-region honors. But then Michael Krauza came along and had a season to place on the mantel. Krauza was named to the NCBWA Atlantic All-Region First Team after making 19 regular season appearances and leading...
Play ball: Times set for WPIAL softball championships
The WPIAL softball championships will return to renovated Cal U for the first time since 2017. There will be four games Wednesday and two more Thursday at Lilley Field. The schedule is as follows: Wednesday, June 2 Class A: West Greene vs. Union, noon Class 3A: Mt. Pleasant vs. Ellwood...
Canon-McMillan advances past Norwin to reach WPIAL Class 6A softball final in a pinch
About a month ago, Taylor Eckles wasn’t sure if she would be able to join her teammates in the WPIAL playoffs. A torn tendon in her knee forced her to the sidelines, and she sat softball dormant for six weeks. The Canon-McMillan junior made her return to game action in...
Westmoreland WPIAL softball capsule for May 27, 2021
Thursday’s game Class 3A Third-place game Southmoreland (11-5) vs. Avonworth (12-6) 2 p.m. Wednesday at Gateway Coaches: Todd Bunner, Southmoreland; Jenna Muncie, Avonworth What’s at stake: The winner qualifies for the PIAA playoffs, and the loser is done for the season. Players to watch: Amarah McCutcheon, Fr., SS, Southmoreland; Abigail...
Smithnosky powers top-seeded Mt. Pleasant past Avonworth into Class 3A finalsVideo
Taking ownership of another WPIAL playoff game, senior Mary Smithnosky propelled Mt. Pleasant into the Class 3A championship with her arm and her bat. The top-seeded Vikings stood on the shoulders of Smithnosky, who tossed a one-hitter and went 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs, in...
Inspirational soccer standouts honored with ‘Moe’ Rosensteel scholarships
The Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship Foundation planned to award one scholarship to a deserving WPIAL girls soccer player in the name of the late Ringgold and travel soccer standout and West Virginia Wesleyan recruit who was killed in June of 2019 by a lightning strike at Mammoth Park in Mt....
No. 11 Ellwood City tops Southmoreland, continues underdog run to softball finals
Ellwood City coach Gary Rozanski has seen his teams win WPIAL championships before but never has judged them on aesthetics. It’s not about how it looks. It’s about finding ways to advance. “It’s about playing your best ball and getting hot at the right time,” Rozanski said. “Who takes better...
Westmoreland WPIAL softball capsules for May 26, 2021
Wednesday’s games Class 6A Semifinals 2-Norwin (14-2) vs. 6-Canon-McMillan (8-9) 2 p.m. at West Mifflin Coaches: Brian Mesich, Norwin; Michele Moeller, Canon-McMillan Winner plays: Winner of 1-Bethel Park (16-0)/5-Pine-Richland (9-8) on June 2 or 3 in WPIAL championship at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Sydney Lokay, Sr., P, Norwin; Olivia...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Jeannette grad Ciara Gregory promoted at Charlotte
Charlotte women’s basketball promoted former standout guard and Jeannette alum Ciara Gregory to a full-time assistant coach. The promotion comes after Gregory served as a graduate manager for two seasons. Gregory, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with an American studies minor in 2017, completed a master’s degree this...
