Trib HSSN High School Softball Team of the Week for April 3, 2023

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | 12:06 AM

Twenty-five years ago, the Carmichaels softball team enjoyed one of the best seasons in district history when it won both the 1998 WPIAL and PIAA Class A championships.

“That was one of the best softball teams in the history of the WPIAL,” then-assistant and current head coach Dave Briggs said. “I think we gave up only six or seven runs the whole year — 26-0 and we also beat Connellsville that year and they were a state runner-up in Triple-A.”

What better way to honor that anniversary than to be in the running for the first softball title since then for the Mighty Mikes?

Carmichaels is a perfect 5-0 overall and in first place in Section 2-A after a pair of section wins last week.

The Mighty Mikes began section play Monday with a shutout win over Jefferson-Morgan, 12-0.

Senior Kendall Ellsworth and freshman Carys McConnell led an 18-hit attack with three hits each while sophomore Ali Jacobs smacked a pair of home runs.

“We got off to a good start. Jefferson (Morgan) is a big rivalry of ours. They’re right next to us,” Briggs said. “We came out and swung the bats really, really well that game. We had three home runs and an awful lot of hits. We also did the job defensively.”

On Thursday, Carmichaels picked up its biggest win of the season to date, knocking off perennial power and section foe Chartiers-Houston, 6-3.

“It’s early and we have a long way to go, but that was a good first step,” Briggs said. “Getting that win and the good start in the section was good for us. Probably the hardest loss I have had was in the WPIAL championship game in 2012. I thought we had that game a couple of times and we ended up losing in extra innings, 3-2.

“Beating a program of that stature, even though we have to play them again in a few weeks, gets us in the right direction.”

Twice the Bucs cut the Mighty Mikes’ lead to one run only to have Carmichaels answer both times.

McConnell had three more hits, including two triples and two RBIs, to lead the Mighty Mikes offense.

Freshman pitcher Bailey Barnyak picked up the win, throwing seven innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with 12 strikeouts. That was after allowing only one hit in five innings against Jefferson-Morgan, with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Pitching has been a big part to the early success for Carmichaels. The team has only allowed four runs in five victories.

“We have a young pitching staff,” Briggs said. “They’re young but talented. The pitching has been good, and we’ve been playing some nice defense and we’ve been hitting. All facets of the game, we’ve been playing really, really well.”

Carmichaels has two nonsection games this week along with a section contest at California on Wednesday.

“I really like the way we are playing so far,” Briggs said. “I like how we’re swinging the bats, and I like our aggressiveness. That Chartiers game, we never lost the lead, but they came back at us a couple of times and we didn’t flinch and did what we had to do to win, so I do like our resiliency.”

2022 Trib HSSN Softball Teams of the Week

Week 11 – Neshannock Lancers

Week 10 – Seneca Valley Raiders

Week 9 – Union Scotties

Week 8 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors

Week 7 – Bentworth Bearcats

Week 6 – Waynesburg Central Raiders

Week 5 – Charleroi Cougars

Week 4 – West Allegheny Indians

Week 3 – Avonworth Antelopes

Week 2 – Pine-Richland Rams

Week 1 – Ligonier Valley Rams

Tags: Carmichaels