Blue Devils step it up
Burgettstown battles in ‘AA’
WPIAL Class A softball did not adopt a European soccer style of promotion last season, it just seems that way.
Similar to European soccer leagues where the top teams in one division are promoted to a higher division the following season, WPIAL Class A saw four of its top teams move up to Class AA this year.
Defending WPIAL Class A and Section 4-A champion Neshannock, last year’s WPIAL runner-up South Side Beaver, Section 2-A cochampion Carmichaels and Section 1-A champion and WPIAL semifinalist Burgettstown, all moved up to Class AA this year.
If the challenge of trying to navigate a new classification was not difficult enough, a team such as Burgettstown must also deal with former Class A rivals.
The Blue Devils were 12-0 in Section 1-A last season and won 18 games total. If not for running into Neshannock twice in the postseason, they may have won some WPIAL and state hardware. They lost to Neshannock in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals.
“Neshannock was one heck of a team,” Burgettstown coach Mark Deer said. “We had to play them twice last year and the second time we did a lot better. Most of the good Single-A teams are now Double-A teams.”
Fortunately for Burgettstown, nine starters are back from a year ago and the team could be considered an immediate contender in Class AA.
“We are hoping to build a lot from last season,” Deer said. “We gained a lot of experience.”
Burgettstown started the season by traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to participate in the Ripken Experience. It played three games and won two of three. Upon returning home, it blasted Class A Avella, 15-0, in a non-section game before beginning Section 1-AA competition.
The Blue Devils edged Carlynton, 5-3, and blanked Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 15-0.
“Carlynton was a very good ballgame,” Deer said. “They have a team that I don’t think anyone is giving them credit for. It was a very good challenge for my girls.”
Burgettstown is certainly a team deserving of credit. It was ranked No. 4 in the PostGazette Class AA preseason rankings. The junior pitching duo of Katie Tarr and Morgan Ellek returns this season. Tarr was 7-3 last year and Ellek was 5-1.
“Katie is a power pitcher,” Deer said. “She has been clocked around 59-60 [mph]. She pitched about half the games last year and Ellek pitched the other half.”
Ellek has been out with an early-season injury and Tarr had pitched all the innings through six games. Both are right-handed but both are entirely different pitchers.
“Morgan is more movement and placement, more finesse,” Deer said. “We’ll probably go with whoever has the hot hand with matchups. If someone is doing well, then we will leave them in. We may even go with them splitting games.”
Senior Sami Scopel batted .472 last year and returns at third base.
“She is a very good contact hitter,” Deer said. “She hits to the gaps, she is not a power hitter or a slapper, just a very good contact hitter.”
Junior Caley Ritts batted .393 and moves from catcher to shortstop to make room for junior catcher Shania Winters who started as a freshman but took a year off last season.
Ritts was an all-section catcher last season. The unusual move from catcher to shortstop is not expected to be a problem for her.
“Caley is just a heck of an athlete,” Deer said.
Ritts was batting .533 through six games with eight RBIs. Tarr is also one of the best hitters in the lineup, she had one home run, 11 RBIs and was batting .438. Scopel was batting .467 and new starter, sophomore second baseman Paige Sherman, has emerged with 10 RBIs and a .429 batting average.