HS Softball: State champion Cards team to beat in Division I
Pine Grove celebrates its PIAA Class 3A softball championship June 13 at Penn State's Nittany Lion Softball Park. The Cardinals defeated Bald Eagle Area 4-3 in 13 innings. (Photo courtesy of Pine Grove Athletics)
The final image of the 2025 softball season will live forever.
Pine Grove’s Jamie Dinger lofting a fly ball to center field. Teammate Meadow Umbenhauer tagging up at third base. Bald Eagle Area’s Taylor Habovick making the catch, and Umbenhauer breaking for home. She scores without a play and runs into the waiting arms of jubilant teammates.
Final score … Pine Grove 4, Bald Eagle Area 3 … in 13 — yes 13! — innings at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.
For the second time in program history, the Cardinals became the PIAA Class 3A state champion.
So now, nine months later, the question hangs in the air: Can the Cards do it again?
The short answer is yes. They have the talent. They have the experience. And they have the drive to be better today than they were yesterday.
In the one-and-done world of the PIAA playoffs, nothing is guaranteed. But the Cardinals (27-2) have as good of a chance as anyone to hoist more hardware this season.
“The girls have seemed very driven and not settling for last year’s season,” Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler said. “I think it’s more their experience and knowing what they need to do.
“It’s going to be a great year, a fun year,” Leffler added. “They’re excited, and I really believe what we did last year is going to help them.”
To start, Pine Grove has the best player in the Schuylkill League and last year’s Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches’ Association Class 3A Player of the Year, Callee Leffler. The Florida State recruit is putting together arguably the greatest career in Schuylkill League softball history.
Last season, Leffler posted huge numbers: .536 batting average, 60 runs, 10 doubles, 11 triples, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, a .655 on-base average and a 1.000 fielding percentage.
For her career, in three seasons, Leffler is hitting .555 with 126 hits, 137 runs, 23 doubles, 32 triples, 20 home runs and 81 RBIs. She has 77 stolen bases, 58 walks and four strikeouts.
She’s the undisputed leader of the team, but she’s one of eight returning starters.
Next up, the 1-2 pitching punch of juniors Chelcy Clark and Dinger. They’re throwing harder as they get older, hitting 60 mph-plus on the speed gun.
Clark went 14-1 with a 1.94 ERA last season, striking out 101 in 90.1 innings. The recent Monmouth commit also batted .323 with one home run and 21 RBIs.
Dinger, meanwhile, went 13-1 with a 0.76 ERA in the circle, striking out 160 in 100.2 innings. At the plate, Dinger, an All-State first-teamer, batted .363 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBIs.
“They’ve both been putting the work in,” Ryan Leffler said. “Whoever’s dealing and the ball’s working, they’re going to get the start. They really work well together. If one’s off, the other one comes in and has their back.
“We’re thankful to have two, especially two workhorses,” Ryan Leffler added. “It goes a long way. We have two great kids.”
A softball truism is that you want to be strong up the middle. Few teams are as strong as Pine Grove in those positions. Senior catcher Tailyn Bohr came on at the end of last season, playing stellar defense and using a quick release to throw out baserunners. The slapper hit .351 with 16 runs scored and 14 RBIs.
Then there are Clark and Dinger in the circle. Behind them are senior shortstop Hannah Aungst and junior second baseman Lily Flynn, one of the best double-play combinations in the league. Aungst, an All-State second-teamer, batted .310 with 40 runs scored and 22 RBIs, while Flynn came on strong at the end of the season.
And, of course, Callee Leffler patrols center field.
Junior third baseman Umbenhauer and sophomore left fielder Nicole Morgan also return. A talented crop of six freshmen are vying for playing time.
“We’re not settling,” Ryan Leffler said. “They’re looking to get better. We have great leaders on this team. We can’t look at what we did last year because everybody wants to do what we did.”
As a new season dawns, other questions to ponder:
***Will Pine Grove do it again and join the exclusive list of back-to-back state champions?
***Will anyone join them in the finals at Penn State?
***Will multiple teams — last season it was four — advance to the state playoffs?
***Will anyone be able to knock off the Cardinals?
All of those questions and more will be explored over the next two days. Today, Division I will be the focus. Then, on Sunday, March 15, Division II will be previewed.
New skipper
After having six new head coaches in 2025, just one program will have a new head coach in 2026. That’s Pottsville, where Jeff Bowers takes over for Chuck Rinaldo, who retired at the end of last season.
Bowers, Minersville’s Police Chief, has years of experience as a travel coach and more recently as an assistant coach in the Pottsville High system. His daughters played for the Crimson Tide during their high school years.
The Tide have seven returning starters, led by senior center fielder Jes Siminitus (.473, 23 runs, 19 SB) and senior pitcher Peyton Eckert (.333, 2 HR batting; 11-10, 4.45 ERA), as they try to break into the top tier of the division.
“We have a lot of athletic players, a lot of talented players,” Bowers said. “Taking over, we implemented some new culture, some new changes that we think are going to make a difference for us. The players have embraced it. Our attendance (at offseason workouts) is great.
“They’re very enthusiastic,” Bowers added. “So we’re looking forward to a good year.”
Iron sharpens iron
The best thing about the Schuylkill League is the consistently high level of competition. Few leagues are as deep or as strong year after year as the Schuylkill League.
After all, the league has gone 19-5 in state championship games, with Minersville (10-1), Williams Valley (3-2), Tri-Valley (2-0), Blue Mountain (2-0), Pine Grove (2-1) and Nativity (0-1) reaching the PIAA finals.
A theme around the league this season is the talented and experienced pitching many teams feature. By the time local teams get to the playoffs, there’s little they won’t have seen or can’t handle.
“Being part of Division I of the Schuylkill League helps make us a better program,” North Schuylkill coach Jack Flynn said. “Day in and day out, we are going up against great competition. A lot of teams in the Schuylkill League have the experience of being near the top of their district, and they also have the experience of playing in the state tournament. The Schuylkill League has a great record of getting teams to the state championship games, and it only helps to make the rest of us even better.”
Around the division
Quick, who beat Pine Grove last season?
The answer: North Schuylkill — twice. The Spartans (18-6) defeated the Cardinals 6-5 and 2-0 and went on to capture the Schuylkill League Division I title and advance to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.
North Schuylkill returns seven starters, including the pitching staff of senior Brigid Flynn (10-5, 3.42 ERA; .487, 33 runs, 3 HR, 29 RBIs batting); senior Olivia Jones (7-1, 1.92 ERA; .414, 2 HR, 25 RBIs batting); and sophomore Peyton Miscannon (1-0, 0.00 ERA).
Senior first baseman Jordanna Frie carries a big bat, hitting .487 with four home runs and 30 RBIs to earn All-State second-team honors. Other returning starters include senior outfielder Lyza Holmes (.377); senior third baseman Mallorie Croker (.368, 3 HR, 19 RBIs); junior catcher-utility Gianna Capone (.429, 1 HR, 20 RBIs); and sophomore center fielder Monica Selgrade (.366, 26 runs).
“We believe we have the talent to make a run for the Division I title, league title and district title, and to make a good run at states,” Jack Flynn said. “We hope to have an exciting year.”
After a 2-3 start, Tamaqua put it all together and qualified for the league playoffs and reached the district semifinals before falling 5-4 to Northwestern Lehigh. The Blue Raiders have two sophomore aces in Naomi Knitter (10-3, 1.85 ERA) and Peyton Faust (5-4, 2.68 ERA). Both average more than a strikeout an inning and will only get better with a year of experience. Sophomore shortstop Nico Conahan (.417, 29 runs) and senior first baseman Ceanna Gormley (.406) spark the offense. The Blue Raiders lost five fine players to graduation, so others will need to step up as consistent performers.
“We’re going to be kind of young, but we have two good pitchers, and I think that will keep us in a lot of games,” Tamaqua coach Tony Zancofsky said. “Hopefully, we hit the ball, and I think our defense will be OK.”
One team eager to rejoin the postseason party is Blue Mountain, the 2023 and 2024 PIAA Class 4A state champion. The Eagles played a lot of freshmen and sophomores last season, so now they welcome back nine players with starting experience. Junior center fielder Addyson Fishburn (.480, 37 runs, 25 SB) made the All-State first team, while sophomore catcher-third baseman Emmerson Frie (.448, 8 HR, 45 RBIs) earned an All-State second-team nod.
Seniors Avery Hudock (.417, 34 runs) and Hailey Place form a terrific double-play duo. Place started at shortstop in 2024 but missed all of last season with an injury. Senior utility Anna Borden (.368) and sophomore utility Karley Koch (.362) are back, while junior utility Callie Peel (.378) is out injured. Sophomore Emily Leonard (6-4, 3.23 ERA) returns as the No. 1 pitcher.
Panther Valley and Mahanoy Area, meanwhile, took some strides forward last season and look to continue that trend in 2026.
The Panthers return seven starters, led by seniors Ava Alabovitz (INF) and Caroline Breslin (OF). Junior infielder Janessa Prudente (.410) and junior utility Megan O’Brien and junior infielder Brooklyn Mika return as well. Prudente and sophomore Paige Goida are two experienced pitchers.
“We enter this season with a mix of experience and emerging talent,” Panther Valley coach Tara Yuricheck said. “With improved depth throughout the roster, we have flexibility to adjust, and our season goal is to have a winning season and make a run into the district playoffs.”
The Golden Bears return seven starters, including sophomore pitcher Lilly Carl (.339). Senior catcher Hailey Mroczka (.451, 20 runs); junior shortstop Naomi Kowalick (.414, 23 runs, 20 RBIs); junior first baseman-outfielder Allison Killian (.327); and junior outfielder Ella Connolly are players to watch.
Lourdes is in a rebuilding mode, but they do return junior shortstop-utility Arianna Adams. Adams hit .511 last season to earn All-State second-team honors. Sophomore catcher-third baseman Reaghan Fuller (.375) is back as well for the Red Raiders.
