West Greene softball a true ‘Sister Act’
John F. Brothers | 蘑菇视频
John F. Brothers West Greene head Coach Bill Simms is hugged by twin sisters Madison Lampe (left) and McKenna Lampee after the Lady Pioneers defeated Williams Valley, 9-8, in the PIAA Class A softball championship game on June 16 at Nittany Lion Softball Park in University Park. Both girls were named to the 2017 PaHSSBCA All-State Softball Team as the Class 1-A Co-Players of the Year.
Submitted photo
West Greene蘑菇视频 softball team features four pairs of sisters. Left to right are McKenna Lampe kneeling in front of twin sister MadisonLampe, Jade Renner kneeling in front of sister Madison Renner, Haleigh Thomas kneeling in front of twin sister Makenzie Thomas and Brianna Goodwin kneeling in front of sister Emily Goodwin.
Submitted photo
West Greene sophomore twins McKenna Lampe (left) and Madison Lampe.
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West Greene sisters freshman Jade Renner (left) and junior Madison Renner.
submitted photo
West Greene sophomore twin sisters Haleigh Thomas (left) and Makenzie Thomas.
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West Greene sisters senior Emily Goodwin and sophomore Brianna Goodwin.
Move over Whoopi Goldberg! Sure, you had hit movies such as 鈥淪ister Act鈥� and 鈥淪ister Act 2,鈥� but you don鈥檛 have anything on this real sisters act, the West Greene Lady Pioneers softball team.
Last season the Lady Pioneers won their first section title since 1983, and became the first girls team from the school to win a WPIAL title in school history 鈥� a 12-3 triumph over Chartiers-Houston to claim the Class A championship 鈥� and became the only team to reach the PIAA championship game. West Greene finished 26-2 last year, absorbing their second loss in the PIAA Class A finals to Williams Valley.
In 2017 they somehow managed to top that landmark 2016 campaign as the Lady Pioneers repeated as section and WPIAL champions and this time climbed to the top of the PIAA summit, winning the state title with a 9-8 victory over Williams Valley to avenge last year蘑菇视频 season-ending defeat. West Greene finished 26-1, with its lone setback to Class AAA playoff team Waynesburg Central by a score of 7-6, for a combined 52-3 mark over the past two seasons.
Balance and depth are understatements describing the Lady Pioneers.
鈥淜eys to this season have been our overall numbers and depth, and we have all team-oriented players,鈥� said coach Bill Simms, in his 12th season, describing the character of the team. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 total team effort.鈥�
And, oh yes, the Lady Pioneers are strong offensively, with five players batting over .400, as the team sported a .420 team average. They crossed the plate 283 times, while surrendering only 45 runs.
And, oh yes, pitching strength, with the 26-1 mark, is added to the mix.
And, oh yes, three of the players received all-state honors last year. Two are sophomores, one a junior this year 鈥� which means all are back next year.
But add perhaps another between-the-lines factor that has contributed to the team蘑菇视频 success: family ties 鈥� and it蘑菇视频 not a syndicated television sitcom.
In what Simms, who teaches history and is also the school蘑菇视频 athletic director, said, laughing, is 鈥渃ertainly an anomaly,鈥� there are four sets of sisters on the 25-player roster, including two sets of twins.
鈥淲e are blessed with family ties,鈥� Simms added, chuckling at the suggestion that the siblings connections had anything to do with the water in Pennsylvania蘑菇视频 southwestern-most county. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 just one of those things.鈥�
Simms added that there were three sisters and a cousin on one team a decade ago.
Leading the way for the Lady Pioneers were sophomore identical twins Madison and McKenna Lampe, returning all-state selections. Center fielder McKenna Lampe led the team with a .643 average, followed by third baseman Madison Lampe at .567. A right-handed batter, Madison Lampe hit second in the lineup
Madison has great range, a strong arm, speed and has more offensive power this season, said Simms, who added, 鈥淪he is the female version of Brooks Robinson.鈥�
Lead-off batter McKenna Lampe bats from the left side. She has speed, power and 鈥渙utruns everyone to first base,鈥� Simms said. In addition to her .643 average, McKenna Lampe hit seven home runs and, had 33 RBIs and crossed the plate 64 times this season.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been playing together a lot of years and we know how everyone on the team plays,鈥� McKenna Lampe said. 鈥淚t helps knowing each other and what they are going to do. Other teams say, 鈥榃ow, are they twins?鈥� and, 鈥業t must be pretty cool having two sets of twins on the same team.'鈥�
Referring to her twinly status, McKenna Lampe added, 鈥淏eing an identical twin is definitely cool. We are competitive and push each other, but we always support and encourage each other.鈥�
Madison Renner drove in a team-high 58 runs and last year knocked in 66, a Pennsylvania record, Simms said he was informed. Sisters, but not twins, Madison Renner (junior shortstop) hit .500 from the No. 3 spot in the order, and the right-hander was 6-0 on the mound, while her younger sister, Jade Renner, a southpaw freshman, batted .405 and was 19-1 in the circle, with 84 strikeouts and a 1.90 ERA. Madison Renner was named to the PIAA All-State softball squad last year and clubbed 10 round-trippers.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 amazing, spectacular that we have four sets of sisters on the team,鈥� Madison Renner said. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 fun to play together. We all get along and pick up each other. We believe in each other and we don鈥檛 yell at each other. We are a team. We have all grown up together and have all played together. It蘑菇视频 definitely unusual with four sets of sisters and two sets of twins on one team. It蘑菇视频 crazy how we have so many sisters on the team. Other teams say, 鈥榃ow, all those sisters,鈥� but it蘑菇视频 even crazier that we have done so well.鈥�
Sisters Emily (senior) and Brianna (sophomore) Goodwin and sophomore twins Haleigh and Makenzie Thomas round out the family connections, and are waiting in the wings.
Perusing the Lady Pioneers lineup, the numbers include two seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and one freshman (Jade Renner).
Simms, however, was quick to point out that the girls are more, much more, than softball players. Haleigh and Makenzie Thomas are members of Future Farmers of America and attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October. Additionally, they are members of the West Greene rifle team and copped the first section title in school history this year.
Emily and Brianna Goodwin are both members of the Lady Pioneers volleyball team. Emily was selected as the 2017 Prom Queen and will attend West Virginia University. Brianna was a member of this year蘑菇视频 section championship girls basketball team, the first since 2000, and this year蘑菇视频 team was the first basketball team in school history to reach the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA playoffs. Madison and McKenna Lampe qualified for the PIAA cross country championships last fall, and both are starting guards on the basketball team, on pace to score 1,000 points next season as juniors.