Facts, figures and anecdotes
The games: Class 2A (11 a.m.), Class 4A (1:30 p.m.) and Class 6A (4 p.m.) will all be Thursday, while Class 1A (11 a.m.), Class 3A (1:30 p.m.) and Class 5A (5 p.m.) will all be Friday.
Site: All six championship games will be played at Penn State’s Beard Field.
TV: All six games can be live streamed at PCN Select.
Tickets: Tickets for all games are available for purchase by online only through the PIAA web site. No tickets will be sold at the stadium. However, tickets can still be purchased online the day of the games. There is no capacity limit and the stadium holds 1,084.
Fate of defending champs: Due to COVID19, the PIAA championships were not played in 2020. Of the six teams that won state titles in 2019, Williams Valley and Frazier were the only two to make the PIAA playoffs this year.
First champion: The PIAA’s first softball champ was crowned in 1975 when Parkland beat Coatesville, 3-2, at Ferreria Field in Topton. The tournament that year included 11 teams from the entire state and Moon represented the WPIAL. Think of it: Only 11 teams in one classification for all of Pennsylvania. This year, the PIAA playoffs have six classifications and 96 teams. The PIAA didn’t add a second class until 1979.
First champ from the WPIAL: In 1980, North Hills became the first PIAA champion from the WPIAL. Last month, the 1980 North Hills team was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame. In 1980, the PIAA took all baseball and softball teams that qualified for the playoffs and played a five-day, doubleelimination tournament at Shippensburg University. North Hills won five games over five days and won the championship with a 2-1 victory against North Penn. Leigh Curl pitched all five games in five days during the tournament. Curl went on to become the first woman team orthopedic doctor in the NFL. She has been the Baltimore Ravens team doctor for more than two decades and has two Super Bowl rings.
Remember when? This is the 11-year anniversary of the first perfect game by a pitcher in PIAA championship history. Mt. Lebanon’s Geena Badolato was perfect in a 1-0 victory against Central Bucks South at Shippensburg University. Badolato pitched a one-hitter in the semifinals.
Minersville the most: According to PIAA historian Rod Fricso, Minersville has the most PIAA softball championships with 10. Parkland and Pennsbury are tied for second with five apiece. WPIAL power Hempfield is fourth with four championships. Hempfield became the first team to win three PIAA titles in a row when the Spartans had the “threepeat” from 201618. West Greene is in the Class 1A title game this year and could become only the second WPIAL team to win three PIAA titles.
Bucs in six: The Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers have six PIAA championship appearances, the most of any team from the WPIAL. But the Bucs are 15 in championships games. Shaler has been in five title games and is 2-3.