Steve Rotstein

5 days ago | unionprogress.com | Steve Rotstein

Here’s a look at the WPIAL softball playoffs, which begin Monday and conclude May 28-29 at PennWest University, California’s Lilley Field. CLASS 6ADefending champion: Seneca ValleyNo. 1 seed: HempfieldBest quarterfinal game: Canon-McMillan vs. Pine-RichlandPlayer to watch: Lexie Hames, Seneca Valley. There isn’t much left to be said about the Raiders’ flame-throwing, home-run smashing superstar that hasn’t already been written.

1 week ago | unionprogress.com | Steve Rotstein

If you’re a fan of action-packed softball games with lots of lead changes and dramatic shifts of momentum, South Park probably isn’t the place for you. After all, with superb junior pitcher Sydney Sekely starring in the circle, once the Eagles cross home plate for the first time, the game is usually as good as over. Dating back to April 6 of last season, South Park has won 34 of its past 36 games, with 26 of those victories coming by way of shutout.

1 week ago | unionprogress.com | Steve Rotstein

When the postseason comes around and each game takes on its own massive level of importance, certain teams just know how to rise to the occasion — but few have done so better than Bethel Park in recent years. In four seasons under 36-year-old coach Pat Zehnder, the Black Hawks have played in three WPIAL Class 5A championship games and won a pair of state titles.

1 week ago | unionprogress.com | Steve Rotstein

Three years ago, Keara Mangieri was hardly on anybody’s radar as a little-known freshman at New Castle. Now, the Red Hurricanes’ star shortstop is the talk of the town, generating enough buzz to strike up a storm with every thunderous crack of her bright-red Easton Inferno Ghost Unlimited bat. “When you hear that crack of the bat, you know it’s gone,” said New Castle coach Laurie Lidak. “To look at her, you wouldn’t think she has the power to put it out there.

1 week ago | unionprogress.com | Steve Rotstein

Year in and year out, longtime Pine-Richland coach Kurt Wolfe always finds a way to get the most out of his ballclub — and this year’s team is no different. With four WPIAL titles and 275 victories under his belt in two decades at the helm, Wolfe is one of the most successful and well-respected coaches in the district. But while he always seems to have the Rams in the thick of the championship chase at season’s end, they haven’t been to the WPIAL final since 2019.