Canon-Mac softball database

Maybe I'm a nerd.

Or maybe I got to Penn State a little early today.

Whatever the case -- probably a little of both -- I decided to put together a set of links on all the stories we've done on the Canon-McMillan softball team this season.

Here we have it, all 14 of 'em:

Canon-McMillan returns solid nucleus from WPIAL championship team

Canon-Mac’s bats carry team to 7-0 win over Peters Township

Athlete the Week: Alayna Astuto, Canon-McMillan softball

Hard-hitting C-M tunes for playoffs with win over Trinity

Big Macs top Penn-Trafford, 6-0, in WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinals

Astuto perfect in Canon-McMillan’s softball win

Canon-McMillan softball successfully defends WPIAL title

McCartney swinging hot bat as Big Macs enter PIAA playoffs

C-M edges Hempfield in game of inches

Canon-Mac in Rush to semifinals, blanks North Allegheny

Canon-Mac’s McCartney heeds advice, clubs clutch two-run homer

Canon-Mac softball carries baseball-like approach into PIAA final

Layered approach defines Canon-Mac’s trip to the top

Canon-Mac’s Lorusso commits to Robert Morris

BeeGraphix rosters

The BeeGraphix All-Star Football Game will be played Saturday at Southmoreland, and here are the rosters.

North Squad
1 Dylan Morrell, OL/DL (Bentworth)
2 Connor Craig WR/DB (Chartiers-Houston)
3 Jake Seabright, WR/DB (McGuffey)
5 Rhamir Thomas, TE/LB (Washington)
7 Mijerean Witcher, WR/DB (Washington)
11 John Dugas, RB/DB (Burgettstown)
13 Matthew Johnston, WR/DB (West Greene)
21 Tyreke Brown, WR/DB (Fort Cherry)
22 Tyler Ramsey, RB (Southmoreland)
23 David Kincaid, RB/LB (Chartiers-Houston)
24 Garrett Vulcano, WR/LB (Chartiers-Houston)
25 Darius Spinks, WR/DB (Washington)
32 Je'Vone Hairston, RB/DB (Chartiers-Houston)
39 John Mascaro, FB/LB (Bethel Park)
42 Daron Whitaker, RB (Washington)
44 Brent Blacharczyk, FB/LB (McGuffey)
55 David Martin, OL/DL (South Park)
59 Torre Carr, DL (Canon-McMillan)
60 Justin Kulwicki, OL/DL (Frazier)
62 Blake Greene, OL/DE (Fort Cherry)
66 Zach Vinski, OL (McGuffey)
71 Jacob McNeice, OL (Southmoreland)
73 Rikwon Moore, OL/DL (Washington)
79 Tanner Severns, C/DL (Bentworth)
80 Jaime Fell, WR/DB (Frazier)
91 Michael Bruckner, OL/DL (Bethel Park)
92 Alex Campbell, TE/LB (Canon-McMillan)
95 Evan Yarger, OL/DL (Bethel Park)
99 Angelo Broglia, OL (Canon-McMillan)

South Squad
1 Nicholas Landman, TE (Brownsville)
4 Brandon DeCarlo, QB (Brownsville)
5 Cody Durant, RB (Beth-Center)
6 Ian Patterson, K (Waynesburg)
7 Joey Wall, WR/CB (Ringgold)
8 Demetrius Louis, RB/FS (Ringgold)
9 C.J. Novak, WR (Beth-Center)
10 Xavier Daniels, DE (Laurel Highlands)
11 Josh Mundell, DB (Carmichaels)
12 Jucqui Taylor, DE/WR (Uniontown)
13 Jason Vankirk, QB (Trinity)
17 Joe Pegg, DB/WR (Laurel Highlands)
21 Jacob Pato, DE (Trinity)
30 Jordan Griffin, WR (Mapletown)
31 Patrick Short, WR (California)
32 Colton Henry, DB (Carmichaels)
33 R.J. Small, DT (Monessen)
34 Connor Durko, FB (Trinity)
41 Keith Davis, RB (Monessen)
44 Austin Young, DE (Ringgold)
50 Taylor Kennison, OL (Mapletown)
51 Evan McWreath, DE/LB (Trinity)
52 Peter Tarka, C (Monessen)
53 Luke Moskal, LB (Carmichaels)
55 Michael Mitchell, OT (Carmichaels)
58 Matt Devenney, C (Ringgold)
59 Jeremy Saternos, OT (Ringgold)
65 George Teslovich, OG (Laurel Highlands)
67 Collin Woss, OT (Belle Vernon)
70 Nathanael Wolfe, OL (Jefferson-Morgan)
73 Zach Miller, DT (Beth-Center)
74 Tucker Tolbert, DT (Albert Gallatin)
83 Jonathan Hager, DB/P (Uniontown)

Details on Friday

Who: Canon-McMillan vs. Neshaminy
What: PIAA Class AAAA championship game
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: Penn State University's Nittany Lion Softball Park, Beard Field

A look at Canon-McMillan's lineup:
CF Yaszmin Kotar — Hitting .450 in playoffs
1B Maddie Engel — Two errors in team-high 106 chances
SS Linda Rush — Two Ks in team-high 85 at-bats
RF Abby McCartney — Slugging .950 in playoffs
3B Olivia Lorusso — Leads in homers (7) and RBI (35)
C Giorgiana Zeremenko — Team-best seven postseason RBI
LF Tara Fowler — .355 with three HR
DP Kirsten Rush — HR, 2B in PIAA quarterfinals
2B Ally Bellaire — Unassisted double play in PIAA quarters
P Alayna Astuto — 125 strikeouts in 133 innings

More on Canon-Mac's baseball-like approach

My story in today's paper focuses on how the Canon-McMillan softball team can come off as more of a baseball team: laser focus, cheers only when there's a reason, very few substitutions.

From what I learned, it's basically always been this way. Just the character of the team. Assistant coach Steve Moskal started coaching them this way with the Canonsburg Lady Knights, and it has never really changed.

Then again, with the natural ability the Big Macs have, it doesn't has to.

I talked to third baseman Olivia Lorusso after I filed the story last night and decided to save some of her comments for the blog. I asked Lorusso, who Wednesday gave a verbal commitment to play softball at Robert Morris, why Canon-McMillan didn't do much of the organized chants.

"I hate teams that cheer. I don't think it's very necessary," Lorusso said. Then she clarified.

"I don't hate the teams that chant — I hate the chants. It's kind of more of a distraction. A team that cheers is no better than a team that doesn't cheer."

Fair enough. Lorusso also said the spontaneity also makes it more personal.

"I feel like when you cheer your own chants that it's a little more personal than chanting a song or a rhyme," Lorusso continued. "I like the way we do it because, quite frankly, I would probably get annoyed if the whole time I was up at bat I was hearing rhymes or chants."

I think there's something to be said for expecting success. Not making the argument that those who chant don't — pardon the double negative — but for Canon-Mac, it's almost a case of acting like they've been there before.

Or at least ignoring the belief that making a bunch of noise will help the ball travel farther or to a vacant part of the field.

"We expect more out of our team than other teams do," Lorusso said. "When someone gets a good hit, we're really excited. But we expect that to happen. Our team — not bragging — but we are very good hitters. I just feel like it's more of an expected hit than a surprised one."

Reminder that the PIAA Class AAAA state final against Neshaminy is Friday at 12:30 p.m. at Penn State's Nittany Lion Softball Park.

Hulkamania big in California

When I was younger -- talking like elementary school here -- I used to fake sick and beg my mom to take me to Phar-Mor to rent old wrestling videos. Favorite was Summer Slam '88, though many of the Wrestlemania tapes (not DVDs) were great, too.

That's why when I learned the California baseball team was drawing inspiration from Hulk Hogan, I couldn't help myself.

Plus, whenever we're constantly talking about travel leagues, club competition, AAU, etc., it's refreshing to see a high school baseball team excited to be around each other and have a little fun.

Many thanks to Brian Fisher, who coordinated the picture effort, and Aaron Previsky, who has sort of lorded over the wacky operation. Here -- because it didn't run in print -- is a close-up of what the Trojans have accumulated.

Also a reminder that today's California/Canon-McMillan baseball/softball PIAA semifinals will now be played Tuesday.

California will take on Johnsonburg at Homer City's First Commonwealth Field at 6 p.m. The Big Macs' game against Pennsbury was moved from a 4 p.m. start to 2 p.m. I will be at the Canon-Mac game, my boss, Chris Dugan, at Cal.

Thursday's PIAA games postponed

Practice in the gym this time of year? No thanks. But that's what our area baseball and softball players have to endure, as today appears to be a complete washout. Here's the revamped schedule for our local teams.

BASEBALL
PIAA Class A Quarterfinals
California vs. OLSH, Fox Chapel, 12 p.m.

SOFTBALL
PIAA Class A Quarterfinals
Carmichaels vs. Southern Huntingdon, Everett High School, 3 p.m.
Canon-McMillan vs. North Allegheny, Woodland Hills, 12:30 p.m.

PIAA schedule updated

Four softball teams and one baseball squad got their marching orders for the PIAA Tournament, with all five playing Monday.

The Canon-McMillan softball team will open the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament with a 4 p.m. first-round game against Hempfield, the No. 3 seed from the WPIAL, at North Allegheny.

In Class AA, Chartiers-Houston will play District 6 champion Phillipsburg Osceola at Penn State University, Start time for that one is 7 p.m.

Burgettstown will meet another District 6 champion, Claysburg Kimmel, at 2:30 p.m. at Penn State. Carmichaels has District 10 champion Saegertown for a 1 p.m. game at Penn State-Behrend.

California opens with Elk County Catholic at Brookville Area High School, first pitch 4 p.m.