Nothing describes success more than Hempfield Area’s softball and baseball teams. The softball team has won WPIALS eight times and has won four State Championships, the most out of all WPIAL teams. And you would have to go back pretty far in history to find out the last time the boys haven’t made the playoffs. Despite all of this success, both teams fell short in the playoffs last year, with the boys team losing to Seneca Valley 5-4 and the girls team losing to Norwin 5-2 in the semi finals. Both results were upsetting, as the boys had gone on an 11 game winning streak, while the girls were the number one overall seed.
Both seniors, Colin Poletchko and Allie Cervola are hungry for something different this season.
The softball team is ready to bounce back mentally. For most teams, losing six seniors is scary as they struggle to find players to fill that role, but Cervola says that “we have pretty good underclassmen that have stepped up; we know on defense they will step up and hopefully they can on offense too”. The coaching staff has played a huge role in the team being very “supportive” and wishing the best for the team. The important players of the team are Riley Miller and Lauren Howard, as Cervola says “they are the majority of our success”.
For Cervola, the team is “like a family” showing how the team bond has also contributed to their successes. Cervola mentions how most of them all play travel ball and other sports together. “Last year we spent everyday together practicing so we were obviously going to bond well”. Hopefully that team bond can take them to their goals this upcoming season. Cervola says the goals never change every year. They want to win sections, win WPIALS, and win states.
The boys baseball team is ready to end their bad streak of inconsistency this season. Most of the time, they start out very strong but struggle to finish off the season on consistent winning streaks. Polechko says “I definitely think ending strong is better because you gain momentum going into playoffs, I think we just need to move on from each game to focus on the next no matter the result”.
The coaches have helped them enforce this mentality by letting them have a short memory and to forget their mistakes and move on to the next play. “It’s important to have that short memory but also learn from it while not letting it get the best of you so that mistake doesn’t happen again” Polechko says. Just as the girls team has lost seniors, so have the boys losing fourteen total. Luckily, however, they have filled those holes quickly with juniors and seniors as Polechko says “many people have stepped up into those roles”.
Their goals are always the same, win the section title, compete for WPIALS, and compete for states. It’s not just about skill though, in sports you have to have a strong team bond, and without a doubt, the baseball team does. “Last week we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse as a team, sat down, ate some food, talked, and joked around a lot with each other. We have the Myrtle trip coming up in a couple weeks; it’s a really good bonding experience.”
The team means a lot to everyone. Polechko says “I’ve been playing the game since I was five; it’s the last ride for me, and I want to make the most of it. We have to compete, win, and leave a name for the school”.
There is no doubt these teams are excellent and skillful, so there is a lot of faith in both of them to achieve their goals during this 2025 season.
