PIAA 6A Softball Preview: North Penn vs Hempfield

North Penn will face District 7 champion Hempfield in Thursday’s PIAA 6A title game at Penn State University (4 p.m.). Both teams boast impressive resumes. Check back for photos and a complete game story.

NP team photo courtesy of Kadi Schenk of KM Photography: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f983803863 (Senior photo courtesy of Marlee Doherty/NP softball)

North Penn softball has an opportunity to make history.

The Knights are one win away from a perfect season and a clean sweep of the SOL Colonial, District 1 6A and PIAA 6A titles, but it isn’t going to be easy. Hempfield Area is not to be confused with District 3’s Hempfield that was knocked out of the district tournament by a Chambersburg squad (10-2) that advanced to the state semifinals.

This Hempfield squad from Harmony, Pa., boasts a tradition of excellence on the diamond and has won four state titles in four previous trips to the state title game. This is the Trojans first state final appearance since 2018 when they three-peated, capping an impressive run that saw them win the state championship in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Trojans also won the state crown in 1999 when second-year coach Tina Madison – then Tina Skelly – was the sophomore pitcher and Hempfield defeated Williamsport 2-1. Madison went on to pitch at Penn State University.

Hempfield is the owner of eight WPIAL titles and has advanced to the state semifinals six times since 2015. This is the Trojans’ fourth trip to the state finals in eight years. They are the lone representative in states from District 7 and had to defeat a powerful Seneca Valley squad (2-1 in eight innings) to win the WPIAL title and advance to the state tournament. Seneca Valley’s pitcher – sophomore Lexie Hames –boasts Julia Shearer-like numbers, striking out 269 in 122 innings with an ERA of 0.48. Hames had 65 plate appearances but only 28 at-bats since she has been on the receiving end of 35 walks.

North Penn boasts an impressive resume of its own. The program also has four state titles with the most recent in 2021. That team – led by Gatorade Softball Player of the Year Mady Volpe – did not allow a run during its state playoff run. The Knights have won back-to-back District 1 6A titles and seven of eight SOL Colonial Division crowns under coach Rick Torresani, who surpassed the 450-win milestone this season.

The team’s five seniors – Shearer, Reyna Doherty, Sarah Sabocsik, Annabelle Smink and Brie Wilmot – lost their freshman year to the COVID pandemic but have a record of 78-4 in the three years since. They will cap their remarkable careers at Penn State University on Thursday in a battle of two of the state’s most successful programs.

#1-1 NORTH PENN vs #7-1 HEMPFIELD (Thursday, 4 pm, Penn State University

North Penn

27-0 overall
16-0 SOL Colonial Division champions
Led by senior pitcher Julia Shearer who was recently named the Gatorade PA Softball Player of the Year for the second straight year. The senior star has 346 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 159 innings and has an ERA of 0.22. Shearer has allowed 45 hits and five earned runs.
Shearer, a University of Maryland commit, is hitting .634 out of the leadoff spot (21-for-72) with nine doubles, one triple and 11 home runs. She has 34 RBIs and 52 runs scored.
Senior shortstop Annabelle Smink, a Drexel commit, is batting .486 (35-for-72) with 17 RBIs and 26 runs. Senior catcher Sarah Sabocsik is batting .453 (34-for-75) with nine doubles, two triples and six home runs. She has 29 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Junior designated hitter Casey Sokol is hitting .423 (30-for-71) with four doubles, four home runs, 16 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
Also contributing are junior second baseman Gianna Cimino (.391, 34-for-87, 8 2B, 3HR, 22 RBIs, 21R), Sophia Orth (.366, 26-for-71, 12 RBIs, 17R), Reyna Doherty (.333), Shippensburg commit Brie Wilmot (.318, 4 HR, 33 RBIs, 17R) and UMBC commit Bella Nunn (.292, 16 RBIs, 13R).

How they got here:

In Tuesday’s state semifinal, North Penn edged District 3’s third place team Chambersburg 1-0 in eight innings. Annabelle Smink, who doubled to lead off the eighth inning, was ruled safe at home with a run that turned out to be the game-winner on a sacrifice fly by Sophia Orth. Julia Shearer struck out 15 in a two-hit shutout.
In a quarterfinal contest, North Penn rolled to an 18-0 rout of District 2 champion Hazleton in a five-inning mercy rule win. Shearer fanned eight in a two-hit shutout. Casey Sokol’s 3-for-4 with a triple, 3 RBIs and three runs scored led the Knights’ 16-hit attack. Shearer was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBIs and a run scored, and Sarah Sabocsik had a bases-clearing double to blow the game wide open.
In an opening round state contest, the Knights notched a 3-1 win over District 3’s fourth place team, Governor Mifflin. Julia Shearer struck out 18 in a one-hitter. Casey Sokol had two of the Knights’ five hits and drove in a run. Brie Wilmot had two RBIs.
In the District 1 6A final, North Penn defeated 10^th ranked Haverford 5-0. Julia Shearer struck out 16 while retiring all 21 batters she faced in a perfect game. Annabelle Smink and Gianna Cimino both had two hits to lead the Knights’ seven-hit attack.

Hempfield

21-3 overall
13-3 WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 second place behind Seneca Valley
District 7 6A champion
Sophomore Riley Martin, who is 18-3 on the season, anchors the team in the circle. She has an ERA of 1.25 with 172 strikeouts and 25 walks. Martin teams with freshman catcher Ella Berkebile to form a strong battery.
Mia Bandieramonte is the lone senior in the starting lineup for the Trojans, who have just three seniors on their roster.
A hard-hitting team that is also adept at playing small ball, the Trojans have had at least one home run in every playoff game except one.
Batting at the top of the lineup are siblings Lauren and Maggie Howard. Lauren, a freshman, is the team’s speedy third baseman who is hitting .714 in the state tournament with three doubles, a triple and home run. She recently broke the program record for runs scored with 36. Maggie is a junior outfielder and Georgetown University commit. Centerfielder Peyton Heisler, a Penn commit, also hits at the top of the lineup with designated player Hannah Uhrinek batting cleanup. Junior Sarah Podkul is an outstanding bunter and a base-stealing threat. Sophomore Allie Cervola anchors the infield at shortstop.

How they got here:

In Tuesday’s state semifinal, Hempfield defeated District 3 champion Cumberland Valley 6-1. A highlight was junior Sarah Podkul’s first career home run estimated to travel 300 feet. Junior first baseman Emily Griffith hit a two-run home run. Lauren Howard went 3 for 4 with a triple, double, two RBIs and two runs. Riley Miller scattered seven hits and struck out eight.
In a quarterfinal game, Hempfield defeated District 1’s third place team, Downingtown East, 2-0. Miller allowed three hits and had a season low three strikeouts but induced 17 ground ball outs.

In an opening round state game, Hempfield defeated District 6 champion Mifflin County 5-0. Siblings Lauren and Maggie Howard combined to go 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Riley Martin allowed three hits and struck out eight in the complete game shutout win.

In the WPIAL title game, Hempfield, the tournament’s second seed, upset top-seeded Seneca Valley 2-1 in eight innings. Mia Bandieramonte’s solo home run in the eighth inning was the game-winner. Miller allowed one run on four hits in the complete game win, striking out 11.