Softball sensations: Carmichaels leads way for GCM team
Carmichaels鈥� Bailey Barnyak pitches to a Glendale batter during a PIAA Class A quarterfinal game on June 8. Barnyak is the Greene County Messenger All-County Softball Team Player of the Year. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs stands in the third base coaching box during a PIAA Class 1A quarterfinal game against Glendale at Somerset Area High School. Briggs is the Greene County Messenger All-County Softball Team Coach of the Year.
Mark Marietta
West Greene鈥檚 London Whipkey singles during a game at Chartiers-Houston this past season. Whipkey was selected to the Greene County Messenger All-County Softball Team Top 5.
Carmichaels鈥� Sophia Zalar (43) slides safely into third base ahead of the tag from Chartiers-Houston鈥檚 Heidi Almo during a game this past season. Zalar was selected to the Greene County Messenger All-County Softball Team Top 5. (Photo by Mark Marietta)
Carmichaels rode a stellar group of players sparked by a pair of talented freshmen to an undefeated regular season and into the WPIAL Class A final under coach Dave Briggs this past season.
Briggs knew he had two gems in ninth-graders Bailey Barnyak and Carys McConnell to go along with a strong returning group but he didn鈥檛 know how good they would turn out to be as they helped lead Carmichaels to the Section 2-A title and into the district final where the Lady Mikes fell to eventual PIAA runner-up Union, 10-8.
The Lady Mikes also qualified for the state tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals before falling in a controversial clash with Glendale, 5-4 in eight innings, to finish the season at 19-2.
Briggs is the Greene County Messenger All-County Softball Team Coach of the Year.
Carmichaels wasn鈥檛 only team to claim a section crown, though. Waynesburg Central under coach Jim Armstrong did so as well, finishing first in Section 4-AAA with a perfect 10-0 mark while going 16-6 overall and also reached the state tournament. The Lady Raiders edged Ligonier Valley, 3-2, in the WPIAL quarterfinals before losing to Southmoreland in the semifinals.
West Greene, under coach Bill Simms, and Jefferson-Morgan, under coach Rich Rush, also reached the postseason by placing third and fourth, respectively, in Section 2-A and both won one playoff game before falling in the quarterfinals.
Barnyak was 14-0 in the regular season with 152 strikeouts, doing her best to emulate her mother, former Lady Mikes superstar Nikki Gasti, and was one of Carmichaels鈥� top offensive players as well. Barnyak is the GCM All-County Softball Team Player of the Year as well as a Top 5 player after also being named first team all-state.
Barnyak is joined on the Top 5 Team by teammates McConnell, a .531-hitting shortstop who also had 28 RBIs and 28 runs, and speedy senior outfielder Sofia Zalar who hit .543 with 27 runs from the lead-off spot. Both were also first team all-state choices.
Other members of the Top 5 Team were West Greene supreme catcher and second team all-state senior London Whipkey and another catcher in Waynesburg Central senior Hannah Wood who batted. 536 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs and 23 runs.
The complete GCM All-County Softball Team follows:
Player of the Year
Bailey Barnyak, Fr., Carmichaels
Coach of the Year
Dave Briggs, Carmichaels
Top 5
Bailey Barnyak, Carmichaels
Carys McConnell, Carmichaels
Sophia Zalar, Carmichaels
London Whipkey, West Greene
Hannah Wood, Waynesburg Central
Second Team
Ali Jacobs, Carmichaels; Ava Wood, Jefferson-Morgan; Kendall Lemley, Emma Zehner, Dani Stockdale, Waynesburg Central; Lexi Six, West Greene.
Honorable Mention
Ashton Batis, Kendall Ellsworth, Carmichaels; Taylor Karvan, Ali Goodwin, Payton Gilbert, West Greene; Kayla Larkin, Payton Farabee, Jefferson-Morgan.