Bucks County Courier Times

Star Power: Check out the Softball All-Area teams in Bucks County area for spring 2024

By Melissa Hanejko, Bucks County Courier Times,

23 days ago

It was quite the season for softball in the Bucks County area. We had district and league champions and several teams make deep runs in the state playoffs, culminating with North Penn and Council Rock South facing each other in the state championship game.

And it was all due to the incredibly talented student-athletes who stepped up to the plate time and time again. These are some of the players who hit it out of the park this season.

2024 Softball All-Area: Coach of the Year / Player of the Year / Team of the Year

Readers' choice: Who is your pick for this season's softball MVP? Vote here.

Player of the Year:

Bella Nunn, North Penn, senior

In her first year pitching for the Knights, Nunn finished with a 1.45 ERA, giving up 84 hits, 57 walks and 34 earned runs in 164 innings, while striking out 301 batters. She pitched a two-hit shutout in the PIAA Class 6A championship game to secure the 1-0 win.

All-Area First Team

Pitchers:

Brianna Slack, Bristol, sophomore

Slack was named the Bicentennial Athletic League’s Independence Division Player of the Year for the second year in a row after a stellar season in the circle and at the plate. Slack went 17-1 with a 1.40 ERA, giving up just 70 hits in 90 innings while striking out 140 batters. At the plate, she hit .466 with 37 RBIs, including seven doubles, five homers and one triple. After winning the District One Class 2A title, Slack led the Warriors to a first-round win in the PIAA playoffs, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out nine and driving in three runs against MaST Charter II.

Karlye Teman, Palisades, junior

The junior led the Pirates to their third straight District 11 Class 3A title after a phenomenal season in the circle and at the plate. Teman posted a 1.98 ERA, allowing just 91 hits and 46 earned runs in 162 innings, including two complete-game no-hitters. Even more impressive is the 248 strikeouts she racked up, as she is on pace to surpass 1,000 career strikeouts next season. Teman also led the Pirates in several offensive categories, posting a team-high .438 batting average, 35 hits, 23 RBIs and 14 doubles.

Alyssa Tooley, Hatboro-Horsham, senior

After a great regular season, Tooley was even better in the playoffs, giving up just three hits and one earned run while striking out 30 (yes, 30!) through 13 innings in two District One Class 5A playoff games. Tooley finished the season with a 1.86 ERA, giving up just 51 hits with 190 strikeouts. Tooley, a three-sport athlete who will play softball at West Chester University next year, also helped her cause at the plate, leading the Hatters with 24 hits and a .369 average.

Lexi Waring, Council Rock South, junior

Waring was very good in the regular season and district playoffs. But her performance in the PIAA state championships was historically great. In four playoff games, Waring gave up a grand total of 10 hits, seven walks and one run, while striking out 40 in 27 innings. All four games had final scores of 1-0.

Abbey Wagner, Quakertown, senior

After cruising through the regular season with a 19-1 record, 1.55 ERA and 148 strikeouts, Wagner led the Panthers to their first-ever district championship game. In the District One Class 6A semifinals, Wagner held powerhouse Downingtown East to two hits and one run without giving up a walk, striking out five, for the 3-1 win. She also drove in two of the Panthers’ runs. The Kutztown commit finished the season with 168 strikeouts while giving up just 16 walks in 150 innings and batting .370.

Catchers:

Grace Stepp, Council Rock South, senior

A four-year starter and four-time All-SOL selection, Stepp, who hit .333 with 16 RBIs in the regular season, really ‘stepped it up’ in the playoffs. In the Golden Hawks’ first district playoff game, Stepp hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning to ignite the team’s run to the state championship. In the bottom of the seventh during the first round of the PIAA playoffs, Stepp caught a throw from right field and tagged out the runner trying to score the game-tying run from second to end a 1-0 win. Stepp, who will play Division 1 softball at UMass-Lowell, hit .333 in eight playoff games, and in the district playoffs, she was 6-for-14 with 10 RBIs, five runs scored, two doubles and a home run.

Leah Schwalm, Quakertown, senior

The Panthers’ cleanup hitter had a team-high 40 RBIs, hitting a remarkable .560 with a 1.489 OPS in the regular season. Schwalm led the Panthers with 40 hits and four home runs, along with eight doubles and two triples.

Jenna Morrison, Gwynedd Mercy, senior

Catch her if you can – and few could on the base paths this season. Morrison swiped 37 stolen bases, while hitting a team-high .465 and scored 22 runs. Morrison had 16 RBIs from the leadoff spot, and five doubles.

Infielders:

Gianna Cimino, North Penn, senior, shortstop

The Knights’ power hitter led the team with 27 RBIs, 12 doubles and eight home runs, along with 33 hits, 31 runs scored and a .379 batting average. But what makes those stats even more impressive is when she did most of her damage. Cimino was unstoppable in the postseason, hitting a home run in all four PIAA playoff games. The Shippensburg commit went 9-for-12 with five RBIs, four home runs, three walks and a double, with her biggest hit in the state championship, when she hit a lead off home run that would hold as the game-winner in the 1-0 win.

Ava Beal, Quakertown, senior, shortstop

The Panthers’ dynamic leadoff hitter led the team with a .574 batting average, 38 runs scored, 29 stolen bases and three triples during the regular season, in addition to 20 RBIs. In the District One playoffs, Beal went 7-for-12 with three runs scored, two stolen bases and a triple, as the Panthers advanced to the Class 6A final. Beal is headed to the University of Albany, where she will play Division 1 softball.

Zoey Clark, Germantown Academy, sophomore, shortstop

The Patriots’ leadoff hitter’s speed and power were a dangerous combination. Clark hit .510 with a .630 on-base percentage and scored 31 runs. She was a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts and hit five triples and four home runs. In the PAISAA playoffs, Clark went 6-for-11 with two walks and a triple, and scored six runs to help GA advance to the semifinals. She was named first-team All Inter-Academic League.

Molly Milewski, Conwell-Egan, senior, third base

A first-team All-Catholic selection, Milewski led the Eagles with a .470 batting average. She scored 31 runs and tallied 12 RBIs, seven doubles and two home runs for the PCL champions. A fine defender and a highly regarded leader and mentor, the team captain excelled in the leadoff spot, though she hit at various spots in the lineup when needed.

Luciana Snyder, Bristol, freshman, first base

The freshman had quite the debut season for the district champion Warriors, leading the team with a 39 RBIs. Snyder hit .452 for the season, including six doubles, a triple and a home run and scored 31 runs. Defensively, she had 85 putouts and two double plays, while committing just three errors.

Molly Sheehy, Council Rock North, senior, first base

Sheehy, who had earned All-State honors at catcher, moved to first base this season where she provided gold-glove caliber defense. She also led CR North in hitting with a .516 batting average, .592 OBP, 34 hits and four home runs, all team highs. Sheehy drove in 20 runs (7 with two outs) while scoring 19, and struck out just nine times in 84 plate appearances. At first base, she boasted a .981 fielding percentage with 101 putouts, six assists, and four double plays, while only committing three errors.

Casey Sokol, North Penn, senior, first base

Sokol posted a team-high .453 batting average during the regular season, and also led the state champion Knights with 34 hits. She scored 23 runs and had 20 RBIs, along with two home runs. She scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning of the PIAA semifinals, after reaching base with a single. The Stockton University commit had 80 putouts at first base with just three errors.

Ava Storlazzi, Pennsbury, senior, second base

Blink and you might miss her – as her opponents did quite often on the basepaths. The Falcons’ leadoff hitter led the team with 43 hits and a .520 batting average. In two district playoff games, Storlazzi, who will play for Muhlenberg University next year, was 5-for-8 with two RBIs and three stolen bases. In her Pennsbury career, Storlazzi stole 68 bases without being thrown out and provided quality defense at second base.

Sydney Teufel, William Tennent, junior, shortstop

In addition to her standout defense at shortstop, Teufel led the Panthers’ in most offensive categories, with a .466 batting average, 29 RBIs, 27 hits and 25 runs scored. She hit seven doubles and two home runs.

Maura Yoos, Archbishop Wood, senior, second base

The Vikings’ leadoff hitter produced all season, but her best work occurred in the postseason, where she went a startling 16-for-20 with nine runs scored, six RBIs, two walks, two doubles, two stolen bases, a triple and a home run in five games. For the season, Yoos, an Eastern University commit, hit a team-best .592, leading Wood with 42 hits and 39 runs scored, in addition to 14 stolen bases, 13 RBIs and eight doubles. A four-year starter, Yoos earned first-team All-Catholic honors the past three seasons.

Outfielders:

Amirah Bell, Bristol, sophomore, center field

Bell led the Warriors with a .582 batting average, 43 runs scored, 32 hits and 22 stolen bases, in addition to 17 RBIs. In three playoff games, Bell went 6-for-10 with three RBIs and scored seven runs.

Gabby Bloom, Council Rock South, senior, right field

The right fielder hit .406 with 30 RBIs, 24 runs scored and seven doubles, but it was her defense that made heads turn in the PIAA playoffs. In the seventh inning of the Golden Hawks’ first-round game against Liberty and the tying run on base, Bloom sprinted from right to field a grounder and made a perfect throw to the catcher to get the final out in the 1-0 win. In the district playoffs, Bloom scored four runs, drew three walks and drove in four runs.

Parker Kraus, Archbishop Wood, senior, center field

A Division 1 recruit signed to UMBC, Kraus’ playoff heroics helped the Vikings make it to the state semifinals for the first time in school history when she hit the game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning of the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals. For the season, Kraus hit .510 with 39 hits, 27 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 15 stolen bases and four doubles. She was named first-team All Catholic.

Kayla Ripper, Council Rock North, sophomore, right field

In addition to batting leadoff for CR North, Ripper provided stellar defense in right field, including six outfield assists, 31 putouts and one double play while committing just one error. At the plate, she hit .417 and batted .429 with runners in scoring position. Ripper compiled 30 hits, 26 runs scored, nine stolen bases, seven doubles and 13 RBIs – eight of which occurred with two outs – during the regular season, and in two district playoff games she had three hits, two RBIs and a double.

Morgan Volgraf, Neshaminy, senior, center field

The center fielder led Neshaminy with 33 hits and a .465 batting average, while scoring 25 runs and driving in 29 runs. A Division 1 Fordham commit, Volgraf hit seven doubles, four home runs and two triples while making numerous terrific throws from center field.

Helen Woloshyn, Council Rock South, senior, center field

After transferring from a NJ high school, Woloshyn had a huge impact in her short time with the Golden Hawks. She stole her 100th career base in the first week of the season, and finished with 32 stolen bases in 33 attempts. The leadoff hitter that the Golden Hawks needed for their push to the PIAA championship game, Woloshyn hit .627 and scored 30 runs in the regular season. In the playoffs, she swiped 10 bases, and in the PIAA quarterfinals, she scored the game-winning run following her leadoff single and stolen base in the 1-0 win. Woloshyn, who will play Division 1 softball at Lehigh University, was also a standout in center field, making diving catches and impressive throws.

Utility :

Anna Evanchik, Pennsbury, senior

In the circle, Evanchik picked up wins as a starter and saves as a closer, and contributed great defense at first base. But her offensive production was even more impressive – Evanchik led the Falcons with 28 RBIs and six home runs while boasting a .429 batting average.

Designated Player :

Zahmira Coppola-Miller, Neshaminy, sophomore

The sophomore provided a pop of power in Neshaminy’s lineup, leading the team with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. She hit .343 for the season and scored 15 runs.