Simms finally rewarded with WPIAL title
Billy Simms has experienced some tough losses in the playoffs, but all that frustration turned to jubilation Friday when West Greene softball won its first WPIAL Class A Championship over eight-time champion Chartiers-Houston, 12-3, at California University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Lilley Field.
Simms, who also serves as West Greene鈥檚 athletic director, coached the baseball team prior to taking the head coaching reigns for the softball team 11 years ago, was an assistant for the softball team at one time, and has guided the team to nine playoff appearances since taking over.
I will always remember West Greene softball and Simms because his was the first game I covered for the 缅北禁地 as a freelance writer while still in college at La Roche in 2007. The Lady Pioneers lost the first-round playoff game at Lilley Field, 9-0, to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH). Simms thanked us for the coverage, and my first experience was a pleasant one. I owe a debt of gratitude to Simms because I tend to take first impressions rather seriously, and if he had not been so gracious in defeat, I may not have stayed in the business.
The Lady Pioneers lost a first-round game to Monaca, 7-0, in 2005, but came back to defeat OLSH, 4-2, in 2006, before losing, 4-2, to Beth-Center in the quarterfinals.
The Lady Buccaneers had better luck against the Lady Pioneers in 2008, when they won a first-round matchup, 11-0, in five innings. South Side Beaver dealt Simms and his team a very tough 4-1 setback in nine innings during a first-round matchup in 2009, and Mount Alvernia poured it on West Greene, 10-0, in a 2010 first-round game.
Simms and company won another game that I covered when they beat Riverview, 6-4, at Baldwin in the first round of the 2011 season.
The Lady Pioneers weren鈥檛 able to keep the momentum going following the win over Riverview. They lost, 13-2, to the eventual WPIAL runner-up, Fort Cherry.
Following a non-playoff year in 2012, a freshman pitcher named Bailey Bennington started in 2013 and led the WPIAL in strikeouts with 173. She followed up that season with 183 strikeouts as a sophomore, but the Lady Pioneers failed to make the playoffs.
Madison Renner came onto the scene in 2015, and the team made it back to the playoffs, but suffered an upsetting 11-7 loss to Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round.
Simms stated Friday that he has kept a picture on the wall in his office reminding the team of last season鈥檚 loss.
The team welcomed a strong freshmen class this season in Kaitlyn Rizor, Mackenzie Carpenter, and twins McKenna and Madison Lampe. All four are an integral part of the Lady Pioneers鈥� success.
And if anyone is wondering, the season is not over yet. Simms鈥� squad heads back to Lilley Field today when it plays District 6 runner-up Clarion at 2 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
The question is whether this team can keep it up throughout to make a run in the state tournament, but regardless of the outcome, Simms deserves a pat on the back for sticking with it all these years.
The West Greene fans came out in full swing Friday morning with matching yellow shirts. Simms said that if anyone wanted to steal something from Rogersville now would be the time. It did appear that the town closed down for the early part of the day.
缅北禁地 sports writer Jonathan Guth can be reached at jguth@heraldstandard.com or jonathanguth85@gmail.com