Unlike a majority of the 2023-2024 AHS senior athletes, all of the seniors on the softball team are preparing for the collegiate level as their final season of nearly ten years together comes to a close. 

This year marks the first that the softball team has graduated an entire lineup of future collegiate softball players, and it may very well be the only sport to do so in AHS history. 

Hopes are also high for the future years of the softball program at AHS, with recent junior high participation reaching record levels. 

Seniors Shelby Cloak, Emma Paul, and Jessie Pugh represented seniors Madison Baker, Abby Bauer, and the rest of the team during the interview. 

Despite it still being the first half of the softball season, Jessie and Shelby said that the younger girls are blending in well with the rest of the team. They also said that the team chemistry as a whole is looking promising. 

“For how early it is, we all get along very well,” said Shelby. “I think we lack a little communication on the field, but that will get better with time.” 

The last game of the 2024 season is scheduled for May 8, but the softball season has been extended into mid-June for the past three years. 

This year’s outfield is comprised entirely of underclassmen — a possible source of anxiety for some — but, according to Shelby, she is confident they will succeed. 

Shelby has been playing softball for eleven years, and Emma and Jessie have been playing for ten. Shelby is committed to Pitt Greensburg, Emma is committed to Fairmont State University, and Jessie is committed to Pitt Johnstown. 

Abby and Madison, the other seniors, are committed to Saint Vincent and Waynesburg University, respectively. 

“It’s a place for me to clear my head away from school, away from people,” said Jessie, when asked what the most enjoyable part of playing softball was. 

“My favorite part about sports is making your best friends on the team,” said Emma. 

Shelby said that the most important things were putting the work in, watching the underclassmen improve, and growing up with her teammates. 

“Softball is like seventy-five percent mental, twenty-five percent skill,” Emma added. 

Emma described the most notable memories of her softball career as the WPIAL parade in 2022, the WPIAL playoffs in 2021 and 2023, their Easter practice, and the state championships.

To bond, the girls had a team sleepover at the Armstrong Indoor Athletics facility. They’ve also enjoyed meals together. 

The coming years of AHS softball will bring even more excitement, according to this year’s seniors. Shelby said that the junior high team had to cut players for the first time due to the amount of interest. 

“I think it’s promising,” said Emma. “I think there’s a lot of good younger players.” 

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Jessie offered as advice for the underclassmen. 

“Don’t hope people fail. You want them to succeed, but you also want to do better,” added Emma.

Jessie Pugh, Emma Paul, and Shelby Cloak (left to right), captains of the Armstrong softball team, at an interview with Mia Shaffer  (green) and Nathan Ferraro on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at AHS. (Nathan Rosenberger)