Bill Beckner stories, Page 119

Latrobe has done just fine without Jordan Tallman, thank you. Don’t get the wrong idea. The Wildcats miss their senior ace and can’t wait to get her back in the circle. But they have done more than provide a stopgap with a pair of underclassmen arms. Tallman injured the wrist...

Norwin had lost two section games in a row and was looking to recharge its battery – and its bats — against Franklin Regional in a nonsection baseball game that had some extra shine to it. It’s not often teams of this ilk get to meet just before the WPIAL...

Former Mt. Pleasant ace softball pitcher Carolyn Alincic is changing college programs, and possibly divisions. The strikeout pitcher who won WPIAL and PIAA titles with the Vikings, is leaving Morehead State (Ky.) after just less than two seasons. Candid and open about her decision, Alincic said she needed to hit...

Nate Ward and Luke Mort pondered about the two of them meeting in a college soccer game, but chances seemed slim with them playing in different conferences. If they did meet, it could likely have to be in the postseason, maybe a few years down the road. The former Greensburg...

Seton Hill made history Tuesday. The Griffins softball team downed visiting Gannon, 4-1, to win a best-of-three PSAC semifinals series and advance to the conference finals for the first time. The top seed from the West Division, Seton Hill (32-12) will host East No. 3 West Chester (28-11) in a...

The Presidents’ Athletic Conference softball and men’s lacrosse playoffs were going on in full force over the weekend, but one school was missing from both tournaments: Saint Vincent. The Bearcats had to forfeit their earned spots in both tournaments because of a covid-19 shutdown on campus in Unity Township. The...

Get used to seeing WPIAL softball teams squeeze in their remaining regular season games this week. The WPIAL will release playoff pairings early Thursday evening so teams are trying to complete their schedules. As a result, Greensburg Central Catholic has a busy Wednesday planned. The Centurions (7-3, 4-2 Section 2-A)...

It is Roundball Classic week and Western Pennsylvania’s top all-star senior basketball players will begin gathering at Geneva College. Girls teams will practice at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with the boys’ 6A players to follow at 7:30. On Wednesday, the boys’ Class A, 2A, 3A and District 10 all-stars will practice...

With the regular season winding down and no extension in sight, the Southmoreland softball team suddenly is in cram mode. The No. 2-ranked Scotties have played only nine games, including four in section, and have not yet clinched a playoff spot. That means a busy week lies ahead. Southmoreland (8-1,...

Seton Hill cleaned up when postseason awards were announced by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Griffins men’s lacrosse team, which finished second in the standings, reached the conference title game and earned its third straight NCAA Division II Tournament bid, had two major award-winners and 12 all-conference picks. Junior...

A local summer basketball league is taking shape, and it will feature some of the top returning WPIAL girls players and teams. The Greensburg YMCA will host varsity girls and boys leagues beginning June 1. The girls field includes Connellsville, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant and...

When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...

The coach from the start in 2003, Marc Marizzaldi has molded the Seton Hill baseball program into a model of consistency, on a local and national scale. He has constructed top-tier recruiting classes, cultivated a winning culture and helped turn the Griffins into a Division II power. Over time, wins...

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Track and Field Championships usually are pretty good to Norwin’s athletes. This year’s event, conducted May 1 at Latrobe, was no different. Jordyn Turcovski took home track MVP honors for the girls after winning the 100- and 200-meter dash events with times of 12.87 and...

Close games aren’t always a bad thing, especially when you find ways to win them. Highly touted Norwin knows a little something about razor-thin baseball games this season. The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and No. 4 in the state in Class 6A, had played in six one-run...

When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...

College golf just keeps getting better for Mark Goetz. The West Virginia senior from Greensburg was selected to compete in the NCAA Regional qualifier May 15-19 at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. Goetz, who attended The Kiski School and plays out of Hannastown Golf Club, becomes the first individual...

The Presidents’ Athletic Conference softball and men’s lacrosse playoffs are going on in full force this weekend, but one school is missing from both tournaments: Saint Vincent. That is because the Bearcats had to forfeit their earned spots in both tournaments because of a covid-19 shutdown, and necessary protocols, on...

Seton Hill softball players Jenna Osikowicz and Christiana Skrabak were as impactful in Thursday’s 16-0 runaway against Mercyhurst in the deciding game of a best-of-three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinal series as they have been all season. Osikowicz is a senior with perspective — and a bonus year to play...

Greensburg Central Catholic baseball had serious postseason expectations last year, as in, we can win the WPIAL and PIAA kind of expectations. The Centurions admit they were loaded. The pandemic didn’t care. With a half-dozen seniors unable to play and help to bring those high hopes to fruition, the younger...

Ligonier Valley is on the verge of securing a playoff spot in its first season playing in the WPIAL. The Rams, who had a strong program in District 6 before joining a new league last year, were playing .500 baseball (7-7, 4-4 Section 3-3A) at midweek. Coach Brett Marabito said...

Each time Southmoreland smacks an ear-ringing home run over the fence — and it happens often these days — the Scotties exchange fist-bumps and high-fives in a mob at home plate, then it’s on to the next hitter. “New at-bat, new batter, new everything,” said freshman shortstop Amarah McCutcheon. New...

Westminster junior Tyler Caterino (Monessen) was named the United Soccer Coaches Division III Men’s Soccer Player of the Week. Caterino notched the first hat trick of his career as the Titans defeated Saint Vincent, 4-0, to secure the No. 4 seed in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference playoffs. Caterino helped Westminster...