Neshannock’s Aaralyn Nogay watches the pitch from second against Laurel on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at Laurel High School. 2 hole into the leadoff spot, and freshman Jaidon Nogay is now batting second while holding down her big sister’s spot in center field. But guess who’s in her place this year? Senior Aaralyn Nogay has bumped up from the No. Yes, Neshannock lost a certified multisport star in Neleh Nogay, the speedy center fielder and leadoff hitter who spearheaded Neshannock’s run to WPIAL and PIAA titles in both basketball and softball last year. No WPIAL team has ever won back-to-back PIAA titles without a loss - but who’s to say the Lancers can’t be the first? Taking it one step further, Neshannock could then potentially join Beaver as the only teams to win back-to-back WPIAL titles without losing a game. As for the Lancers, they would have a chance to tie Hempfield’s 46-game streak by completing an undefeated regular season, assuming they play all 20 possible regular-season games.
Beaver won 42 in a row from 2021-22 with star pitcher Payton List before falling in last year’s PIAA Class 4A semifinals. It’s unclear who holds the longest winning streak in WPIAL softball history, but the longest streak of the past 20 years belongs to Hempfield, which won 46 games in a row from 2016-18 during its unprecedented streak of three consecutive PIAA titles. But there’s always something to work on.” “They’re perfect in my heart, I will say that. There’s a lot of things we can improve, even if it’s just a little bit. We still have takeaways we can talk about at practice and things we can work on. “We really stress the importance of playing one game at a time and not looking too far ahead, because all kinds of things can happen if you do that. “I’ll be very honest - it’s something we avoid talking about,” Neshannock coach Jackie Lash said. Things are no different this year, with Ligonier Valley, Armstrong and defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion Avonworth among the nonsection foes on Neshannock’s schedule.Īnd yet, would it really surprise anybody if lightning were to strike twice for the Lancers? Add to that four wins against section-rival Laurel - considered by some to be the second-best Class 2A team in the state last year - plus a 4-1 win against Conwell-Egan Catholic in the PIAA championship game, and you have one of the most impressive seasons in WPIAL history.
Not only did the Lancers finish 26-0 last season, they did so while taking on an extremely challenging nonsection schedule, with three consecutive 10-run rule wins against Ellwood City, West Allegheny and eventual WPIAL Class 5A champion Armstrong to end the season. It’s still early, but with Neshannock riding a 31-game winning streak and all but one player back from last year’s historic run, it’s hard not to put this team on a pedestal all its own. They say nobody is perfect, but the Neshannock softball team sure is putting that theory to the test.Īfter becoming only the sixth team in WPIAL history to complete an undefeated season while winning WPIAL and PIAA championships last spring, the Lancers (5-0, 3-0) are barreling toward an even greater feat in 2023.
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