Bill Beckner stories, Page 154
Hempfield beats Penn-Trafford in slugfest between big-school powers
Hempfield misses its senior starting pitcher, Callie Sowers, who has yet to play a game this season because of a broken thumb. But perhaps to the surprise of some who follow the elite softball program, this Spartans team isn’t just about pitching. They can hit … and hit … and...
Greensburg Central Catholic softball off to promising start
While three games is a small sample size, it represents a strong start to the Greensburg Central Catholic softball team, and is perhaps a sign of what’s to come for the program. The Centurions were anxious to take the field last year to display their improved pitching and defensive play....
Westmoreland campus clippings: Gray leads Seton Hill men’s lacrosse to key win
Junior Logan Gray came through in the clutch to lead the Seton Hill men’s lacrosse team, ranked No. 5 in the latest USILA Division II Coaches Poll, to a 12-11 win Friday at No. 16 Frostburg State. Gray won a faceoff and scored five seconds into overtime to propel the...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Hempfield pitcher Callie Sowers nears return
Hempfield is hoping to get senior pitcher Callie Sowers back sooner rather than later. Sowers, who broke the thumb on her throwing hand during a scrimmage, has yet to pitch this season for the five-time defending WPIAL champion Spartans. Longtime coach Bob Kalp said Sowers is “progressing.” “She is doing...
Campus clippings: Derry grad Justin Huss continues busy spring at W&J
Justin Huss is pulling double duty this spring at Washington & Jefferson. The former Derry football and track standout said he wanted to play two sports in college, and he is living up to his goal. Huss had a couple of carries in a football game last Thursday night, then...
Andrew Muraco, slick defense carry Franklin Regional past Penn-Trafford
Because he has been such a good pitcher for Franklin Regional, some forget that Andrew Muraco is going to Coastal Carolina as an infielder — and for what he can do with his bat. The senior right-hander has yet to pitch this season as he deals with a minor injury...
Emma Little slugs Penn-Trafford past NorwinVideo
Emma Little did not spend Easter Sunday afternoon eating candy. She was too busy working on her softball swing. “I made a complete change,” the Penn-Trafford senior catcher said. “Me and my dad came to the field, and I changed my whole swing, stance-wise. It was something I needed to...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Strong outing for Notre Dame’s Palmer Jackson
Palmer Jackson continues his rapid adaptation to the highest level of college golf. The former Franklin Regional standout and PIAA champion completed his third top-five finish for the Notre Dame men’s golf team, posting a 9-under-par 207 to take fifth at the Augusta Haskins Award Invite in Augusta, Ga. Notre...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Norwin pair going D-I
Norwin will send two more girls soccer players to NCAA Division I programs. Junior forward Paloma Swankler announced she has committed to play at Robert Morris, and senior Morgan Sigut is headed to Long Island (N.Y.). One of several speedsters for the Lady Knights, Swankler, an All-Big 5/6 Conference player,...
Mt. Pleasant gets past Penn-Trafford in early-season softball showdownVideo
Having played three games coming into Saturday’s nonsection showdown against Penn-Trafford, a team that finally was playing its long-awaited season opener, Mt. Pleasant had somewhat of an advantage. “An advantage, or a disadvantage?” Mt. Pleasant coach Chris Brunson pondered before the game. “You never know how that’s going to go.”...
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Latrobe’s Anna Rafferty
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year Anna Rafferty, Latrobe 6-2, Jr., C With defenders closing in all around her — and looking up at her in the process — Anna Rafferty calmly paused and made moves to the basket. Time and again, the junior center from Latrobe seemed...
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year: GCC’s Brevan Williams
Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Brevan Williams, Greensburg Central Catholic 6-3, Jr., G/F Nobody saw the type of season Brevan Williams had in store — not even Brevan Williams. The junior at Greensburg Central Catholic exploded onto the scene, both on a local and WPIAL-wide scope, as...
Franklin Regional baseball sets tone with strong start to season
They say the first game of the season can be a good or bad omen for baseball teams. It can set the tone for what lies ahead. Franklin Regional liked what it saw in its first game of 2021 — its first in nearly two years because of the coronavirus...
Latrobe grad Austin Butler chooses Charlotte as transfer destination
Austin Butler had to rediscover the recruiting process when his four years of college basketball ended at Holy Cross because he could not continue his academic career in Worcester, Mass. The former Latrobe star entered the NCAA transfer portal and got more than a few nibbles on the line. About...
Penn State offers Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin
Things are happening fast for Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin. Really fast. Then again, he likes it that way. That is how he plays football. “It’s been super crazy, this whole experience,” Martin said. “But I’m handling it pretty well.” Power-5 interest continues to swirl around the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Martin,...
Seton Hill baseball sprints out to best start in program history
When the season schedule was distributed to baseball players at Seton Hill, there was a glaring omission: opponents. It was not an oversight. It was on purpose. “The times and dates are there but no opponents,” coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “It might say ‘Seton Hill vs. … doesn’t matter’ or...
Franklin Regional girls basketball coach Anthony Kobus resigns
Anthony Kobus doesn’t want to blink and miss his two daughters’ youth and high school athletic careers. “It’s time to take a break for my family,” said Kobus, who resigned as the girls head basketball coach at Franklin Regional this week after three seasons. His oldest daughter, Ava, is a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent women’s basketball receives honors
Saint Vincent pulled in some accolades after another successful and albeit, shortened, season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Senior guard Carlee Kilgus was named PAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Jimmy Petruska, in his 11th year at SVC, was tabbed conference coach of the year. Kilgus averaged 11.8...
Jeannette’s Birch brothers planning to transfer to Gateway
Jeannette could be losing two of its best football players. The Birch brothers, Brad and Brett, appear to be on the move to a new school. Jeannette Superintendent Matt Jones confirmed the district received a request from Gateway for the Birches’ records to facilitate their enrollment there. The process could...
Mt. Pleasant stops Yough, sees room for improvementVideo
Pete Billey had just finished a 2-for-3 day at the plate. He had two doubles and drove in two runs as the Vikings improved to 2-0. But the Mt. Pleasant senior first baseman was already thinking about his team’s next practice after a 5-2 nonsection victory over visiting Yough on...
Norwin baseball team looks like the total package
It looks like a classic case of expectation vs. execution for Norwin this baseball season. If one catches up to the other, watch out. The No. 1-ranked Knights are loaded with college-level talent — a compound of Division I, II and III recruits. A dozen players are committed to play...
Talented Norwin softball squad still figuring out where pieces fit
This installment of the Norwin softball team has coach Brian Mesich scratching his head — and scratching his lineup card often with an eraser. It’s like he know the answers to a crossword puzzle, but they won’t fit in the little squares. “I couldn’t name a starting lineup right now,”...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Belle Vernon’s Judy rolling in awards
Junior Devin Judy can bring the heat, and the hard-throwing pitcher from Gannon is raking in the awards as a result. Judy, a Belle Vernon graduate, received a pair of accolades after a strong outing against nationally ranked Mercyhurst. The right-hander was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic...
Iowa senior, Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee named nation’s top wrestler
While he is hyper-focused on winning, Spencer Lee doesn’t always envision a final score when he faces opponents on the wrestling mat. He just competes, and his margin slowly expands. Lee’s matches often end in one-sided fashion because he has a way of toying with opponents and piling on bonus...
Mt. Pleasant’s multi-sport seniors bring power, athleticism to diamond
Mt. Pleasant’s six-man senior baseball class will likely not be sending anyone to play at the college level. But that doesn’t mean the Vikings will lack talent specific to the sport. In fact, it could be quite the opposite. This group is strong and athletic and plays multiple sports. It’s...
