YAIAA coaches had plenty of top pitchers to choose from for division all-stars
With a pair of NCAA Division I recruits on the mound for Central York and Dallastown, softball fans knew they were going to see some outstanding pitching over the course of the season.
Turns out, Central York's Ava Beamesderfer and Dallastown's Gabby Fowler weren't even half of the stellar throwers that league batters faced this season.
They weren't even the most accomplished in their division, according to league coaches. That honor went to South Western sophomore Jayda Koontz, who was selected as the YAIAA Division I Pitcher of the Year, it was announced Thursday.
The Mustang lefty was a surprise to the league. She served notice when South Western defeated defending league champion Central York, 9-2, just four games into the season and solidified it two days later by shutting down Dallastown, 1-0.
"She has a great pitch, and she knows how to control the pitch," Dallastown coach Matthew Dowell said of Koontz. "She has a great game. She's legit. She's a good pitcher for sure."
Koontz earned 10 strikeouts against the Panthers and six against the Wildcats, but she limited the latter to just one hit. The sophomore, who only plays softball, finished the season with 129 strikeouts against 35 walks and allowed just 59 hits.
Her .700 ERA was tops in the league.
South Western's strong showing -- the Mustangs won Division I and lost 1-0 to Littlestown in eight innings in the league tournament final -- doesn't take anything away from Fowler or Beamesderfer.
Fowler, who will play at Coppin State next year, was named a Division I all-star as a pitcher. She led the league in strikeouts with 206 to smash the school record of 177, and finished with a 1.57 ERA in 111.1 innings of work. Dallastown finished second in the division, with both losses coming to South Western.
Beamesderfer, who will play at Appalachian State next year, was one of Central's few returning players from last year, when the Panthers won the league and she was named pitcher of the year. This year she finished with 123 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA in 97.2 innings of work.
She struck out nine as the Panthers handed the Mustangs their only loss of the regular season.
"Jayda has been a good addition," Fowler said after the Wildcats defeated Central York late in the season. "She adds a lot of competition. There's a lot of pitching depth in the county."
That depth wasn't only found in Division I. Even though coaches selected a top pitcher in each division, it was Littlestown's Chelsey Stonesifer who really stood out.
She struck out 14 against just one walk and gave up two singles as the Division III Bolts defeated South Western, 1-0, in eight innings to win their first league tournament title in any sport.
South Western coach Megan Pilarcik said Stonesifer fit right in with the other top pitchers in the league. Pilarcik should know. Because in addition to seeing Koontz every day, she coached against Beamesderfer and Fowler throughout the season.
"She's right in line with the others," Pilarcik said of the senior after the league championship. "She consistently moves the ball around and doesn't make mistakes."
Stonesifer finished the season with 200 strikeouts and a .843 ERA. But the NCAA Division II Limestone University recruit didn't just shine on the mound.
For the second straight year, the senior was named the division's pitcher and player of the year. She finished with a .528 average with 38 hits, including nine doubles, five triples and six home runs. She had 33 RBIs.
One swing was the difference in the championship. Ashlynn Gorsuch connected on a Koontz pitch to hit a shot over the fence in left-center field for the game's only run.
"The kid made a good swing on a good pitch," Pilarcik said.
Northeastern's Brooke Shorts and Delone Catholic's Amy Anderson were the Division II and IV pitchers of the year, respectively.
Shorts had no division losses and struck out 53 in 126 innings of work for the division champion Bobcats. Anderson recorded 141 strikeouts against 32 walks in 102 innings to finish with a 2.88 ERA for the Squirettes, which won the division.
But as everyone knows, pitching alone isn't going to win games. You still need someone to hit the ball. Except for Division III, where Stonesifer won both awards, each division's player of the year was different than the top pitcher.
In Division I, that honor went to South Western's Kinsley Proepper. The junior hit .667 with 11 doubles, three triples and nine home runs among her 44 hits. She finished with 34 RBIs. She recorded 13 putouts and had only 2 errors in the field.
In Division II, Northeastern's Paige Reichard was named player of the year. The junior hit .565 with nine doubles, two triples and 28 RBIs among her 39 hits.
Fairfield senior Sarah Devilbiss hit .509 with nine doubles and five home runs among her 27 hits and was named the Division IV Player of the Year. She struck out just once and drove in 35 runs.
Complete list of YAIAA all-stars and honorable mention:
Division I
Player of the Year: Kinsley Proepper, South Western
Pitcher of the Year: Jayda Koontz, South Western
Coach of the Year: Megan Pilarcik, South Western
Olivia Bateman, South Western, utility/DH
Alyssa Dennison, Red Lion, infielder
Alexi Dowell, South Western, infielder
Gabby Fowler, Dallastown, pitcher
Katie Gartrell, Spring Grove, infielder
Ella Heap, Central York, outfielder
Jenna Myers, Dallastown, catcher
Marissa Shuman, Red Lion, outfielder
Jenna Stiffler, Central York, infielder
Miakoda Young, Spring Grove, outfielder
Honorable mention
Brooke Altland, Dallastown
Riley Crowl, South Western
Kaelyn Savinon, Red Lion
Ashlyn Weigle, Central York
Aiyana Young, Spring Grove
Division II
Player of the Year: Paige Reichard, Northeastern
Pitcher of the Year: Brooke Shorts, Northeastern
Coach of the Year: Joe DiCandeloro, Susquehannock
Jocelyn Davis, Susquehannock, infielder
Cora Diviney, New Oxford, infielder
Hailey Harbin, Susquehannock, pitcher
Brooklyn Hodges, New Oxford, outfielder
Sydney Lambdin, Susquehannock, infielder
Autumn Lehigh, New Oxford, outfielder
Rileigh Lunglhofer, Dover, Utility/DH
Pepper Markel, Northeastern, Outfielder
Cameryn Sturgeon, Dover, infielder
Amaya Wheeler, Susquehannock, catcher
Honorable mention
Hannah Becker, New Oxford
Nora Craig, Dover
Colleen Finnegan, Northeastern
Emma Holmes, Northeastern
Alison Karst, Susquehannock
Laken Kinard, York Suburban
Elena Mitrovich, Northeastern
Kim Morris, Susquehannock
Jasmine Negron, York Suburban
Taylor Neumann, York Suburban
Kendall Noel, Dover
Mercy Smyser, Northeastern
Division III
Player of the Year/Pitcher of the Year: Chelsey Stonesifer, Littlestown
Coach of the Year: James Loveless, Littlestown
Kayleigh Becker, West York, outfielder
Libby Brown, Littlestown, outfielder
Rylan Fant, West York, infielder
Kendal Hengst, Eastern York, infielder
Sarah Loveless, Littlestown, catcher
Isabella Olvera, Littlestown, utility/DH
Bailey Rucker, Littlestown, outfielder
McKenzie Tapias, West York, pitcher
Carly Vaughan, Kennard-Dale, infielder
Honorable mention
Hannah Barthel, Littlestown
Allison Cook, Eastern York
Cassidy Crean, Eastern York
MacKenzie Deaner, Eastern York
Alexis Kirkessner, Eastern York
Madison McGlynn, West York
Adyson Popoff, Littlestown
Division IV
Player of the Year: Sarah Devilbiss, Fairfield
Pitcher of the Year: Amy Anderson, Delone Catholic
Sarah Devilbiss, Fairfield, catcher
Mandy Estes, York Tech, infielder
Christina Hamilton, Fairfield, infielder
Olivia Miller, Biglerville, infielder
Maddy Payne, Fairfield, outfielder
Ellie Snyder, Fairfield, pitcher
Kierney Weigle, Biglerville, outfielder
Alyssa Wiles, Fairfield, infielder
Mackenzie Zienkiewicz, York Tech, outfielder
Honorable mention
Hannah Church, Hanover
Teagan Funkhouser, Delone Catholic
Olivia Kale, Delone Catholic
Kat Keller, Delone Catholic
Noelle Holcomb, York Tech
Hannah Naylor, Biglerville
Jill Sherdel, Delone Catholic
Ava Steinfelt, York Tech
Leah Strawsburg, Biglerville
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: YAIAA softball: Coaches name all-stars, top players and pitchers
