What separates good players from great ones is what they do in big games.
Can they thrive under the pressure of the big stage?
Can they deliver in the clutch?
Are they winners?
When Pottsville and Williams Valley met in the Schuylkill League championship game, Crimson Tide senior Morgan Alisauckas and Vikings senior Cassidy Pinchorski answered those questions.
And during Minersville's run to the District 11 and PIAA Class A championships, freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie left no doubt, either.
All three players answered all three questions with a resounding yes.
That's why Alisauckas has been selected as Player of the Year, Pinchorski as Pitcher of the Year and Kroznuskie as Rookie of the Year on the 2014 Republican-Herald All-Area Softball Team.
For leading the Big Blue Machine to PIAA gold, Minersville's Dave Homa has been chosen as Coach of the Year.
Tide star works to be Division I recruit
An All-Area first-team selection as a junior, Alisauckas took her game to a higher level this spring.
Just ask North Schuylkill.
In two games against the Schuylkill League wild-card Spartans, Alisauckas hit three home runs. In the first meeting April 3, she smacked a solo shot to help the Tide rally past North Schuylkill 4-3.
In the rematch April 24 in Fountain Springs, Alisauckas went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and seven RBIs. Included were a three-run home run in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the sixth.
The 10-1 romp helped Pottsville go undefeated in Division I play and qualify for the Schuylkill League playoffs.
Against Marian and Williams Valley in leagues, Alisauckas went a combined 5-for-6 with a double, a triple, three runs scored and four RBIs. She went 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the final against Pinchorski and the Vikings.
The five-tool player - hit, hit for power, run, field, throw - proved to be one of the most consistent and intelligent players in the league.
The smooth-fielding shortstop finished with a .542 batting average (32-for-59). In just 20 games, she scored 25 runs and had five doubles, two triples, five home runs and 26 RBIs. She compiled a .569 on-base percentage and slugged .949. Alisauckas also went 10-for-12 in stolen bases.
All of that adds up to Player of the Year. She joins recent selections like Williams Valley's Alysha Bixler, Tri-Valley's Juli Weber and Pottsville's Steph Sweat.
"It was definitely one of my goals,'' Alisauckas said. "I'm speechless.''
Moments later, she added: "It's an honor. It's just awesome. ... There's a lot of good players out there.''
Her play with the Crimson Tide and the Sellersville Belles Gold travel team put her on college coaches' radar. The 17-year-old from Pottsville selected Division I Mount St. Mary's of Emmitsburg, Md., and will enter the school's nursing program in the fall.
That's coming soon. Fall ball begins Aug. 25 at Mount St. Mary's. To prepare, Alisauckas has been learning to play the outfield so that she can compete for playing time at a variety of positions.
"I'm very excited and very anxious,'' Alisauckas said about college softball. "I want a spot. I don't care what position. I want to play.
"I'm very thankful for my coaches and family,'' she added. "I couldn't do it without them.''
Pinchorski pitches Vikings to history
Let's pick up our story with the Schuylkill League championship game May 17 at Blue Mountain's Patton Field.
We've already discussed Alisauckas' excellent night. She won several battles, but Pinchorski and Williams Valley prevailed 5-3 in eight innings.
In the top of the eighth inning, Pinchorski delivered in the clutch. With Kylie Doyle on second base and nobody out, Pinchorski laced an RBI single to left field. When the ball got past the outfielder, Pinchorski circled the bases to give her team a two-run lead.
She recorded the final three outs in the bottom of the eighth to clinch the school's first Schuylkill League softball championship. She allowed just one earned run in eight innings.
In 2013, Pinchorski pitched the Vikings to their first PIAA Class A state championship.
"It was an incredible journey,'' Pinchorski said. "It didn't start well freshman year (losing in the district final). As time went on, we started making history.
"I love my team, and it's awesome.''
And being named Pitcher of the Year?
"I did not expect it,'' Pinchorski said. "It's awesome. It wasn't one of my goals, but I'm really excited.''
Pinchorski's numbers back up the selection. To begin, she was one of the driving forces on a team that won 31 straight games from May 9, 2013, to May 29, 2014.
For the season, Pinchorski went 19-1 with a 0.66 earned run average. Mixing her pitches, including a deceptive change-up, she struck out 143 in 116 innings.
At the plate, Pinchorski batted .479 (35-for-73) with seven doubles, four triples, six home runs and 30 RBIs. She also scored 16 runs.
She joins a list of recent Pitchers of the Year that includes Pine Grove's Hope Spancake, Minersville's Laykin Hughes and Pine Grove's Ethel Santai.
"I've been pitching since I was 5 years old,'' she said. "There's never an offseason for me.''
The 17-year-old from Tower City plays in the summer for Harrisburg RBI. She will head to Millersville University in the fall and become a member of the softball team. She hasn't decided on a major yet.
"I'm going to miss it a lot,'' Pinchorski said about Williams Valley softball. "They were the best years of my life. But it's time to move on to college. I wish my team the best of luck.''
Minersville freshman plays like veteran
Nothing seemed to rattle Adrienne Kroznuskie.
While the 14-year-old center fielder from Llewellyn acknowledged being nervous at times, it didn't show on the field.
Not when she saved Minersville's season with a diving catch that turned into a game-ending, line-drive double play in the District 11 final against Williams Valley.
Not when she scorched a solo home run off Pinchorski in the second regular-season meeting with the Vikings.
And not when she batted .571 (8-for-14) with 10 runs scored and three RBIs in the Miners' four state playoff games.
"I'd talk with Emily (Mealey),'' Kroznuskie said. "We were freshmen and you get nervous playing seniors who are 18-19 years old.
"We just had to do our best,'' she added. "Yes, we are freshmen, but we know how to play.''
Early in the season, Kroznuskie spent extra time with Minersville hitting coach Marty Brophy doing soft toss, adjusting her feet and learning to hit the ball to the opposite field.
She opened the season April 1 with a grand slam and five RBIs in a win over Lourdes and kept hitting at a torrid pace.
Kroznuskie finished the season with a .611 average (55-for-90) with seven doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 37 RBIs. She showcased her speed by scoring 47 runs and stealing 14 bases. She had a .643 on-base average and a 1.011 slugging percentage.
In limited duty, she also went 2-0 in the circle.
"It was a big surprise to me,'' Kroznuskie said of her numbers.
Her spectacular, diving catches against Williams Valley in the district final and against Bristol in the state quarterfinals helped Minersville win the program's ninth state championship and give Kroznuskie her first PIAA gold medal.
In the summer, she plays for the Hazleton-based Stripes & Strikes travel team and is looking forward to a tournament in Colorado later this season.
Kroznuskie is the latest in a long line of Rookies of the Year from the area's premier programs.
The previous four: Minersville's Sarah Walasavage and Tri-Valley's Weber in 2010; Minersville's Reighly Melochick in 2011; Williams Valley's Hannah Nestor and Schuylkill Haven's Emma Schweigert in 2012; and Williams Valley's Rayanne Hawk and Minersville's Rachel Sterner in 2013.
Miners coach makes all the right moves
The team Minersville coach Homa started with in March and April was a whole lot different than the one that bashed its way through districts and states on the way to the program's ninth PIAA championship.
Calling the season "a novel, not a short story,'' Homa continued to rewrite and revise well into June.
Moves like switching Mealey to the cleanup spot and inserting Maura Bentz back into the starting lineup in the state quarterfinals paid huge dividends during the final three games of the season.
He also praised the work Brophy did with the hitters, creating a Murderer's Row that outscored its seven playoff opponents 69-8.
Homa's lineup always changes during the season. Another key switch came in moving Sterner to third base and Leah Leshko to second base when Melochick, the shortstop, returned from injury at midseason. Just like that, the infield defense became airtight.
The idea is to play your best ball in May and June. The mantra is "Win the last game'' - the state championship game.
Minersville has done that three times in the past 10 years under Homa (2005, 2011, 2014). The Big Blue Machine went 24-3 this spring, raising Homa's record in 13 seasons to 251-51 (.831).