March 27, 2012 — Schuylkill Haven freshman Emma Schweigert homers on the first varsity pitch she ever sees in a 4-0 victory over Kutztown.
May 19, 2015 — Schweigert homers on the last varsity pitch she ever sees in an 8-5 loss to Notre Dame-Green Pond in a District 11 Class AA first-round game.
Spring 2014 — Minersville freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie bursts onto the Schuylkill League scene and starts piling up hits at a prolific pace — 59 of them in all, including nine home runs.
Spring 2015 — Kroznuskie picks up where she left off, belting pitches all over the yard against the league’s best and slugging 11 more homers to shatter the school record in less than two seasons.
So it’s only fair that Schweigert and Kroznuskie, who put up nearly identical numbers in 2015, dominated opponents and were the driving forces on their respective ballclubs, have been named the Co-Players of the Year on the 2015 Republican-Herald All-Area Softball Team.
Tri-Valley senior Taryn Wilson, a 20-game winner, is the overwhelming choice as Pitcher of the Year.
Minersville sophomore Abby Schoffstall, an instant asset in the middle infield, at the plate and on the bases, is the Rookie of the Year.
Pottsville’s Chuck Rinaldo, who overcame deep graduation losses to lead the Crimson Tide to the Schuylkill League championship, is the Coach of the Year.
“I’m honored and it’s bringing a tear to my eye,’’ Rinaldo said when told the news. “I’m really shocked.’’
Schweigert leaves
lasting legacy
As Emma Schweigert leaves Schuylkill Haven High School for Division I softball at La Salle University, she set the bar exceedingly high for those who will follow for the Hurricanes.
She played all over the diamond in her career — center field, catcher, shortstop, third base and first base. Schweigert started in center field this spring and then moved to third base just before the midpoint of the season.
It didn’t matter where she played in the field. She hit all the time.
Let’s go through some of the numbers. For the season, she hit .600 (33-for-55) with six doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 35 RBIs and 33 runs scored in 21 games.
Schweigert also walked 12 times and was hit with five pitches for a .667 on-base percentage. She was 18-for-18 in stolen bases and slugged 1.273.
“That’s awesome,’’ Schweigert said when informed she was Co-Player of the Year. “It was definitely a goal of mine since the start of the season.
“As a senior, I wanted to have a really good year for my team,’’ she added, “and I think I did that.’’
Here are some more statistics to consider: In 12 games against district playoff qualifiers, Schweigert batted .458 with four home runs.
She homered against Pitcher of the Year Wilson and first-teamer Tianna Yanoscak of Williams Valley. The homer against the Vikings came on the last regular-season varsity pitch she saw.
Schweigert holds school single-season and career records in the following categories: Home runs (9 season, 23 career); hits (33 season, 114 career); RBIs (37 season, 112 career); and runs (33 season, 98 career).
Now the 18-year-old from Auburn is gearing up for college life. She’s projected as an outfielder, but the coach wants her to get some innings behind the plate, too, this summer.
“I want to go to La Salle, play as a freshman and contribute,’’ Schweigert said. “I’m happy with any playing time I get.’’
Kroznuskie already
making her mark
In just two seasons, Adrienne Kroznuskie has put up a career’s worth of statistics.
After an amazing freshman season, this year was just more of the same.
Kroznuskie batted .571 (44-for-77) with 34 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. She had a .662 on-base percentage and slugged 1.104.
She also went 4-4 with a 2.23 ERA in the circle.
“I’m very excited and thankful because I’m only a sophomore,’’ Kroznuskie said about earning Co-Player of the Year honors.
In two seasons, the 15-year-old from Llewellyn has 103 career hits, a .602 batting average and a school-record 20 home runs.
In the season opener, Kroznuskie homered twice off Yanoscak to lift Minersville to a 4-3 victory over Williams Valley. At the end of April, she went 3-for-3 with three stolen bases against Tri-Valley and Wilson.
Playing for the Stripes and Strikes 18U Gold travel team, Kroznuskie already has drawn attention from Division I programs, such as Missouri.
“I felt happy with (my season),’’ Kroznuskie said. “I couldn’t do it without my parents and coaches, especially my dad in the cage and doing drills with me.’’
Dawgs senior
steps up as ace
Taryn Wilson has pitched throughout her high school career at Tri-Valley.
Until this year, though, Wilson seldom had to take the ball in the big game against the tough opponent.
As a senior, she became the dominant No. 1 hurler a team needs to succeed. Wilson led the Dawgs to the Schuylkill League Division II championship, a spot in the league playoffs and a run to the District 11 Class A final.
For the season, Wilson went 20-3 with a 1.34 ERA. In 131 innings, she struck out 224 and walked just 16.
“I’m really excited, kind of shocked,’’ Wilson said when informed she was Pitcher of the Year.
The 18-year-old right-hander from Hegins also swung a pretty potent bat. She hit .500 (35-for-70) with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 30 RBIs.
In the fall, Wilson heads to Shippensburg University to become a member of the Raiders’ pitching staff. She will study for a career in a health-related field.
“Since I was little I watched softball on TV, and I wanted to be like them,’’ Wilson said.
Crimson Tide reload,
capture championship
When Chuck Rinaldo looked at his lineup cards after the 2014 season, he knew the first six names in the starting lineup wouldn’t be returning in 2015.
Graduation is a part of high school coaching, but losing one through six in your order isn’t easy to replace.
So Rinaldo, his staff and his returning players put in countless hours of training in the offseason.
That hard work paid off this spring with an 18-6 record, 12-1 in Division I games. The Crimson Tide then defeated Tamaqua 4-3 in eight innings in the Schuylkill League Division I tiebreaker, prevailed 5-1 over Marian in the league semifinals and 5-3 over Tamaqua in the championship.
The league crown marked Pottsville’s first since the playoffs returned in 2009.
“Winning that Schuylkill League title was really special for us and our program,’’ Rinaldo said.
That program includes veteran assistant coaches Cookie Herndon and Tom Mull.
“They’re huge to our program,’’ Rinaldo said. “They coach. They coach every practice. They know their responsibilities. They’re teachers of the game.’’
Just like the 2014 team, this Crimson Tide squad was senior-dominated. Pottsville started eight seniors and two sophomores at the end of the season.
“Your team is as good as your senior class,’’ Rinaldo said. “This senior class did a tremendous job. They made a commitment last summer to work out, put the time in. I explained to them that’s what they had to do.
“They were leaders. They had great chemistry,’’ he added. “They loved to come to practice, and you saw the end result.’’
Minersville sophomore
makes impact
Schuylkill League basketball fans know all about Abby Schoffstall and her energetic, often-acrobatic excellence.
Turns out the Minersville sophomore can bring that level of play to the softball diamond, too.
After missing her freshman season with an injury, Schoffstall played both shortstop and second base, solidifying spots that the Miners had to fill due to graduation losses.
Schoffstall also used one of the strengths of her game — her speed — to cause headaches for opposing defenses.
For the season, Schoffstall batted .500 (29-for-58) with four doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs. She clearly shined on the bases, scoring 22 runs and stealing 17 bags.