HS Softball: Pine Grove’s Leffler named PIAA Softball Coach of the Year
Pine Grove head coach Ryan Leffler, pitcher Jamie Dinger (99) and other Cardinals gather during the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal victory over Kutztown on June 5 at Exeter Township High School. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
MECHANICSBURG — The accolades continue for Pine Grove Area head softball coach Ryan Leffler and the PIAA Class 3A state champion Cardinals.
PIAA on Monday announced the 25 coaches selected as the PIAA/NFHS Coaches of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year. The nominations are submitted by school administrators, Pennsylvania Coaches Associations, the PIAA Board of Directors and PIAA Executive Staff. The honorees are chosen for their significant impact on their respective sports programs, the success of their teams, their commitment to PIAA and their demonstration of outstanding sportsmanship throughout the year.
Leffler, whose team went 27-2 en route to the second state championship in his tenure, made the list.
“I’m honored to be on that list with those other great coaches,” Leffler said Monday by phone. “For me, it goes to my players and coaches, and I love the coaches and players that I have. It goes to them.”
Leffler stressed the dedication and contributions of his assistant coaches: Ed Kreiser, Trish Kopinetz, Scott Delinko, Joe Barra and Selina Daubert.
After going 18-2 during the regular season, Pine Grove defeated Schuylkill Haven 7-1, Williams Valley 14-5 and Tri-Valley 4-0 to win the Schuylkill League championship. In districts, the Cardinals rocked Northern Lehigh 10-0, then rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Palisades 2-1 and capture the District 11 Class 3A crown. Callee Leffler scored the winning run on Addison Zimmerman’s suicide-squeeze bunt.
In states, Pine Grove opened with a 7-2 win over Trinity. In the quarterfinals, the Cards had to rally twice late to finally eliminate Kutztown 10-8 in 10 innings. Madison Shiffer’s two-run home run sparked the 10th inning uprising.
They followed that with a sparkling 3-0 shutout victory over Mid Valley in the semifinals to earn their trip to the state finals. At Penn State Nittany Lion Softball Park, Pine Grove and familiar foe Bald Eagle Area locked up in an instant classic. Jamie Dinger’s 13 innings in the circle and her sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th inning clinched a 4-3 victory and the second state title in school history (2019).
“I was shocked, but I’m big on hard work,” Leffler said. “I’m thankful that that hard work paid off. It’s my name on it, but at the end of the day this is for the program.”
“Education-based athletics is a vital part of the high school experience, and it thrives because of the passion and commitment of our member school coaches,” said Dr. Robert Lombardi, PIAA Executive Director. “Their dedication leaves a lasting impact on the lives of student-athletes every day. On behalf of the PIAA Board of Directors, PIAA member schools and all registered officials, we proudly congratulate these individuals on being named the 2024-2025 PIAA/NFHS Coaches of the Year.”
Over the past nine years, PIAA has recognized more than 190 coaches through the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coach of the Year program. Of those honorees, more than 45 have gone on to earn Sectional Coach of the Year recognition. These awards are determined by the geographic sections in which states are grouped.
NFHS is divided into eight regions nationwide, with Section 2 — Mid-East including Delaware, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
Three PIAA Sectional Coaches of the Year have gone on to earn National Coach of the Year honors:
• 2020-2021: Ron Insinger (Loyalsock HS), NFHS National Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year.
• 2021-2022: William Pfeifer Jr. (Moon HS), NFHS National Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year.
• 2023-2024: David Kuhn (Peters Township HS), NFHS National Boys’ Golf Coach of the Year.
