Pitch and catch: 125 YAIAA softball players to watch this season
South Western softball came out and shocked Division I to win the title and reach the YAIAA tournament final last season.
There the Mustangs ran into an even hotter team and pitcher in Littlestown, who needed eight innings to win the school’s first league title.
The pitcher who fueled South Western’s season is back for her junior season. The pitcher Littlestown rode to the Division III and league titles is not. In fact, many of the hot pitchers from last year have moved on.
And then there’s Jayda Koontz, the lefty Mustang who was named Div. I Pitcher of the Year after recording 129 strikeouts and 59 hits against 35 walks to finish with a .700 ERA. She isn’t the only top player returning for the Mustangs.
Senior Kinsley Proepper hit .667 with 11 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 34 RBIs to be named the Div. I Player of the Year. With first-team all-star Olivia Bateman and honorable mention all-star Riley Crowl, it’s easy to say South Western isn’t sneaking up on anyone this year.
Dallastown and Central York lost their top pitchers but bring back enough talent to make runs in Div. I.
Northeastern brings back Paige Reichard, last year’s Div. II Player of the Year, and Brooke Shorts, the division’s pitcher of the year.
Reichard hit .565 with nine doubles, two triples and 28 RBIs, and Shorts struck out 53 in 126 innings to lead the Bobcats to the division title. Northeastern also has three honorable mention all-stars among their six returning seniors.
If Littlestown comes close to repeating last year’s success, that spells trouble for the rest of Div. III because the Bolts have no seniors. They will start over in the circle but will have first-team all-stars Libby Brown (left field), Sarah Loveless (catcher) and Isabella Olvera (first base) back for their sophomore seasons. Sophomore Ashlynn Gorsuch, who played shortstop last season, is expected to be the pitching workhorse this season.
Fairfield returns a trio of first-team all-stars – senior infielder Christina Hamilton, sophomore outfielder Maddy Payne and senior pitcher Ellie Snyder – to try and defend their Div. IV co-championship. Delone Catholic, which shared the title with the Knights, returns honorable mention all-stars Teagan Funkhouser (junior catcher), Kat Keller (senior first base) and Jill Sherdel (sophomore shortstop and outfield).
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Here are the players to keep an eye on this year:
Emily Adams, New Oxford, jr.: pitcher/utility
Brooke Altland, Dallastown, sr.: Div. I honorable mention all-star, center field
Bella Arnold, New Oxford, sr.: first base
Emma Baney, South Western, sr.: catcher, infield
Hannah Barthel, Littlestown, so.: Div. III honorable mention all-star, third base
Olivia Bateman, South Western, so.: Div. I first-team all-star, outfield
Hannah Becker, New Oxford, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, shortstop
Kayleigh Becker, West York, jr.: Div. III first-team all-star, outfield
Olivia Bateman, South Western, jr.: Div. I first-team all-star, utility/DH
Sarah Bauhaus, Susquehannock, so.: third base
Stephanie Bauhaus, Susquehannock, so.: catcher/outfield
Claire Bohannon, Central York, jr.: outfield
Rylie Brewer, Biglerville, jr.: right field
Libby Brown, Littlestown, so.: Div. III first-team all-star, left field
Andrina Cailleri, Spring Grove, jr.: first base
Naomi Carrasquillo, York Suburban, jr.: first base
Allison Cook, Eastern York, sr.: Div. III honorable mention all-star,
Riley Crowl, South Western, sr.: Div I honorable mention all-star, shortstop
Bailey Daughenbaugh, Central York, so.: pitcher
MacKenzie Deaner, Eastern York, sr.: Div. III honorable mention all-star, pitcher
Chloe Diggs, York High, so.: first base, pitcher
Cora Diviney, New Oxford, sr.: Div. II first-team all-star, third base
Kenna Douts, Susquehannock, jr.: outfield, catcher
DeAnna Eaton, York Suburban, sr.: catcher
Mackenzie Ecker, Delone Catholic, sr.: third base
Mandy Estes, York Tech, sr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, infielder
Rylyn Fant, West York, sr.: Div. III first-team all-star, infield
Colleen Finnegan, Northeastern, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, left field
Teagan Funkhouser, Delone Catholic, jr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star, catcher
Ashton Gorsuch, Littlestown, so.: pitcher, shortstop
Lisbeth Grullon Ramirez, York High, so.: first base, shortstop
Christina Hamilton, Fairfield, sr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, infield
Ella Heap, Central York, sr.: Div. I first-team all-star, outfielder
Grace Hewitt, Delone Catholic, so.: designated hitter
Taylor Hicks, Dallastown, sr.: third base
Noelle Holcomb, York Tech, sr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star
Emma Holmes, Northeastern, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, outfield
Makenzie Johnson, Dover, sr.: third base, first base
Olivia Kale, Delone Catholic, sr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star, center field
Allison Karst, Susquehannock, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, center field
Emily Karst, Susquehannock, jr.: left field
Lindsay Knaub, Dover, sr.: outfield
Peyton Keim, Dallastown, so.: outfield
Kat Keller, Delone Catholic, sr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star, first base
Laken Kinard, York Suburban, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, outfield
Lindsay Knaub, Dover, sr.: outfield
Jayda Koontz, South Western, jr.: YAIAA Div. I pitcher of the year
Miranda Leatherman, New Oxford, so.: pitcher, infield
Addy Lehman, Northeastern, sr.:
Sarah Lim, York Suburban, so.: shortstop
Sarah Loveless, Littlestown, so.: Div. III first-team all-star, catcher
Joelie Lugo, York High, jr.: catcher, center field
Rileigh Lunglhofer, Dover, sr.: Div. II first-team all-star, catcher, infield
Alexis Martz, Spring Grove, so.: third base
Sydney McCleaf, Biglerville, so.: pitcher
Madison McGlynn, West York, so.: Div. III honorable mention all-star, pitcher, infield
Olivia Miller, Biglerville, sr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, shortstop
Michelle Morris, Susquehannock, so.: first base
Bailey Moser, New Oxford, jr.: outfield
Morgan Moyer, Dover, so.: pitcher, first base, outfield
Jenna Mummert, Susquehannock, jr.: second base
Jasmine Nassar, Spring Grove, so.: outfield
Hannah Naylor, Biglerville, sr.: Div. IV softball honorable all-star, first base
Jasmine Negron, York Suburban, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, third base
Taylor Ness, Dallastown, sr.: utility
Kendall Noel, Dover, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, shortstop, second base
Leah Noel, New Oxford, sr.: catcher
Jessica Norton, Dallastown, jr.: utility
Isabella Olvera, Littlestown, so.: Div. III first-team all-star, first base
London Parks, Spring Grove, jr.: shortstop, pitcher
Kara Paterniti, Susquehannock, jr.: pitcher, first base
Maddy Payne, Fairfield, so.: Div. IV first-team all-star, outfield
Kameryn Paules, Dallastown, sr.: first base
Ava Peterson, Biglerville, jr.: second base
Alexis Pickett, Biglerville, sr.: catcher
Adyson Popoff, Littlestown, so.: Div. III honorable mention all-star, shortstop, second base
Kinsley Proepper, South Western, sr.: Div. I player of the year, infield/catcher
Paige Reichard, Northeastern, sr.: Div. II player of the year, shortstop
Kaelyn Savinon, Red Lion, so.: Div. I honorable mention all-star,
Jill Sherdel, Delone Catholic, so.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star, shortstop, left field
Brooke Shorts, Northeastern, sr.: Div. II pitcher of the year
Marisa Shuman, Red Lion, jr.: Div. I first-team all-star, outfield
Paige Slaybaugh, Biglerville, jr.: third base
Aaralyn Smith, New Oxford, so.: utility
Kelsey Smith, South Western, so.: infield
Mercy Smyser, Northeastern, sr.: Div. II honorable mention all-star, third base
Ellie Snyder, Fairfield, sr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, pitcher
Ava Steinfelt, York Tech, sr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star,
Cammble Sterner, Central York, sr.: third base
Leah Strawsburg, Biglerville, jr.: Div. IV honorable mention all-star, DP
Kaitlyn Thomas, Dover, jr.: second base, catcher, outfield
Harmoni Torres, York Suburban, sr.: outfield
Ashlyn Weigle, Central York, jr.: Div. I honorable mention all-star, right field
Kierney Weigle, Biglerville, jr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, left field
McKenzie Weigle, Biglerville, sr.: center field
Hailey Webster, Dallastown, so.: infield
Amaya Wheeler, Susquehannock, sr.: Div. II first-team all-star, catcher
Alyssa Wiles, Fairfield, sr.: Div. IV first-team all-star, infield
Miakoda Young, Spring Grove, sr.: Div. I first-team all-star, outfield
Caylee Zortman, Delone Catholic, so.: second base
YAIAA softball newcomers to watch
Makenzie Chronister, Dover, fr.: first base, outfield
Ellie Diehl, New Oxford, fr.: outfield
Madison Dubbert, Littlestown, jr.: right field, pitcher
Alaina Dubbs, Northeastern, fr.
Jozalynn Hartman, Spring Grove, so.: outfield
Emma Hockenberry, Dover, fr.: pitcher, outfield
Olivia Holtzman, Central York, jr.: catcher
Brooklyn Horick, New Oxford, fr.: outfield, third base
Adyson Hummer, Delone Catholic, so.: second base
Celina Jones, York Suburban, fr.: infield
Alexus Montanez, York High, so.: left field
Molly Murray, York Suburban, fr.: infield
Mikayla Myers, Spring Grove, fr.: catcher
Camryn Ortiz, Dover, fr.: outfield
Delviannette Ortiz, York High, so.: second base
Zoe Roland, Dallastown, fr.: pitcher, utility
Reese Rucker, Littlestown, so.: utility
Maura Shirk, New Oxford: outfield
Callie Shue, Susquehannock, fr.: outfield
Alexis Stonesifer, Littlestown, fr.: utility
Ella Wetzel, Susquehannock, fr.: pitcher
Zoe Wickrowski, Susquehannock, jr.: outfield
Maggie Wildasin, Spring Grove, fr.: catcher
Emma Wilson, Delone Catholic, sr.: pitcher
Emma Zeigler, Dover, so.: outfield
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter @ShelStallsmith.