Three years after capturing its sixth WPIAL softball championship with a surprising run to the title as a No. 8 seed, North Hills is once again exceeding expectations under longtime coach Libby Gasior.
What else is new?
With only a few players returning with any semblance of varsity experience, not many expected the Indians to make much noise in Class 5A heading into 2024. Yet, no team is making a more emphatic statement lately than North Hills, which has outscored its past five opponents by a combined score of 68-13 during its five-game winning streak and is averaging 10 runs per game on the season.
“I think the expectation from the outside looking in was low, but this group has outperformed themselves so far,” Gasior said. “We’re just trying to get better every day.”
Despite lacking the household names possessed by other Class 5A contenders such as Armstrong, Franklin Regional, Shaler, South Fayette and Trinity, the Indians have a solid lineup from top to bottom filled with up-and-coming players looking to carve out their place in the order. Now, they find themselves in the driver’s seat for the section title while making a compelling case for a top seed in the Class 5A playoffs.
“It’s the kids. They have all stepped in and taken on their role,” Gasior said. “This year’s group is really one game at a time and one inning at a time, just trying to get the business done in front of us.”
Making things even more impressive, North Hills is doing it all without all-section pitcher Alexa Edmunds, who has missed the entire season after undergoing surgery in December and will not be cleared to pitch until the fall. Gasior is still leaving the door open for Edmunds to return as a hitter later this season, but that would likely require a lengthy playoff run — a task the Indians seem to be more and more equipped for by the day.
“We are optimistic,” Gasior said. “She has been following everything that they’ve been telling her to do. … We might get her bat back, which would be amazing.”
In Edmunds’ place, sophomore Abby Sutton has moved from the backstop to the circle as the team’s new No. 1 pitcher, and so far, she has risen to the occasion without missing a beat. Through the first 11 games in 2024, North Hills ranks No. 3 in Class 5A with an average of 3.3 runs allowed per game — a testament to both Sutton’s pitching prowess and their superb play behind her on defense.
At the plate, Sutton entered the week batting .455 with 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored, and she just belted her team-leading sixth home run in a 7-3 win against Shaler on Monday to help the Indians take over first place in Section 1.
“She’s been carrying the load,” Gasior said. “I think she has more fun catching, but she definitely loves to be the pitcher. She loves that pressure, and she has really put a lot of hard work in.”
Elsewhere, sophomore Lily Adamski leads the team with a .567 average and junior Addy Wrigley is batting .500, while Savannah Bodnar has 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Bodnar is one of only two seniors on the team along with fellow outfielder Kaylee Bischoff.
Put it all together, and you have a deep and balanced team budding with confidence and eager to atone for last year’s first-round playoff exit. And with the way things are looking across the Class 5A landscape, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine North Hills earning the No. 1 seed for the postseason.
Then again, it didn’t really matter where the Indians were seeded in 2021 when they went all the way — and with this group, all Gasior is asking for is a ticket to the dance.
“We’re looking to take care of the three games ahead of us and hopefully get a little taste of the playoffs against Penn-Trafford on Tuesday,” Gasior said. “We just want to play our best games ahead of us. That’s our goal right now. I think there are a lot of teams with more experience out there than us, and we’re just going to see how we line up.
“I think the potential for them is sky-high. I think they can do whatever they want to do.”
Shaler’s sophomore star out indefinitely
Sophomore sensation Bria Bosiljevac captivated crowds across the WPIAL with her spectacular start to the 2024 season, following up on her breakout freshman campaign for Shaler by posting six consecutive shutouts to start the year — including a perfect game with 16 strikeouts in a 2-0 win against North Hills on April 9.
Unfortunately for the Titans, Bosiljevac has missed the past five games with an injury and there is no current timetable for her return, according to Shaler coach Tom Sorce. The Titans registered a pair of shutouts in their first two games without her, but her absence was really felt in back-to-back losses against section rivals North Hills (7-3 on Monday) and Plum (4-1 on Wednesday). Those defeats dropped Shaler (10-2, 7-2) into second place in Class 5A Section 1.
“She is out until further notice. With five games left, we’re hoping she can be healthy enough for the playoffs,” Sorce said. “It makes a vast difference. I have an extremely young team with new kids at a bunch of positions. She hid a lot of our inefficiencies.”
In six starts on the year, Bosiljevac is 6-0 with an 0.00 ERA and 83 strikeouts while allowing only nine hits in 40 innings pitched. Even if she is unable to return this season as a pitcher, though, Sorce indicated that Bosiljevac’s bat could provide a major boost to the Titans’ title hopes come playoff time, provided she is able to make it back in time.
“Emotionally, she’s battling it, because she’s a competitor,” Sorce said. “But she comes to every game and does whatever she can do [to help]. She chases foul balls. She’s just that type of kid. She wants to help any way she can.”
Bentworth freshman taking WPIAL by storm
A handful of first-year players have burst onto the scene as the future stars of the WPIAL this spring, but so far, one freshman stands head and shoulders above the rest — Bentworth’s Sydney Gonglik.
After returning home with a record of 2-2 and some vital experience against quality competition at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., the Bearcats have rattled off eight consecutive shutout wins in section play to grab a firm hold of first place in Class 2A Section 3. Bentworth (10-2, 8-0) has several players making a big impact, including sophomore Zoie McDonald (.514 average, 4 triples, 20 RBIs) and junior Kyleigh Glaze (.378 average, 3 home runs, 11 RBIs), but nobody has been more essential to the Bearcats’ success than Gonglik.
Through the first 12 games in her high school career, Gonglik is batting .679 with 5 home runs, 7 doubles, 10 RBIs, 13 walks and 27 runs scored — and she might be even more impressive in the circle. As Bentworth’s No. 1 pitcher, Gonglik owns a record of 10-2 with 162 strikeouts to just two walks, compiling an ERA of 0.81 and a miniscule WHIP of 0.29 across 69 innings.
In a three-game stretch of wins last week against Washington, Fort Cherry and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Gonglik fired three consecutive shutouts without allowing a hit and struck out 45 of the 53 batters she faced in 17 innings of work.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
