The North Allegheny team has many players who call themselves “softball sisters,” even though they are not actually related.
Coach Morgan Vescovi started an informal mentorship program a year ago, where older players are paired with younger ones from the varsity or junior varsity. This helps the players form bonds, share knowledge, and team traditions, especially important this spring as the team has a mix of young and experienced players.
Vescovi said it started small last year, with the players writing each other notes before games. It's nice to see how the girls embraced it and made it their own.
She is pleased it became a new tradition.
This season’s team has seven seniors and six players who played in 2022 when the Tigers reached the WPIAL finals. Vescovi shares lessons about successful teams but believes hearing stories from teammates who were there is sometimes more effective.
“It’s a neat thing,” she said. “We have the older girls with the experience mentoring the young talent and showing them the ropes.”
Outfielder Carlyn Vaupel, now part of a strong senior class, came up with the “softball sisters” idea.
The team can have all seven seniors in the game together at times, along with junior pitcher Sammy Plotsko, junior shortstop McKenna Rowlands, sophomore catcher Taylor Neese, and sophomore outfielder Avelyn Kropf.
North Allegheny had five senior starters last year, including Meghan McDonough, who is now a freshman outfielder for Pitt-Johnstown.
But the Tigers brought back both starting pitchers from last year. Plotsko had 10 wins and 116 strikeouts in 102 innings. Melle had four wins and 30 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Vescovi said they will need to use both pitchers again, especially when they have multiple games per week.
Plotsko and Melle are also good hitters and their bats remain in the lineup even on days they’re not pitching. Plotsko batted .427 and hit six home runs last season. Melle had four homers and hit better than .300.
Logan, the team’s third baseman, also hit four home runs and tied Melle with 20 RBIs. Plotsko drove in 29 runs. Rowlands batted .324 and scored 15 times.
“We have a lot of experience coming back, between our seniors and our underclassmen who played the last year or two,” Vescovi said. “But we also have some really talented freshmen and sophomores.”
The roster includes five sophomores and four freshmen.
Vescovi is returning for her sixth year as head coach after having a son, Luca. She coached last spring while pregnant and despite the challenges of becoming a new mother, decided to keep coaching.
She mentioned that there were times when she thought it might be too busy, but she was determined to come back after the playoff loss last year to Pine-Richland.
“I recall coming home, looking at my husband (Darren) and saying, ‘I’m not prepared to be finished yet,’” Vescovi stated. “He’s such a great support and said, ‘Okay. If that’s what you want to do, we’ll make it work.’ Our schedule becomes a bit interesting, but we’re managing. And the girls had the chance to spend time with Luca a few times during practice.”
Vescovi expressed her pride in the team’s culture being like a family already, which is why the idea of “softball sisters” was well received.
“The girls liked it, which made me happy,” she commented. “It was definitely something I wanted to reintroduce this year. It helps everyone feel like one cohesive program, and allows them to share those experiences and the values we're trying to establish.”
The only issue was that in selecting “big sisters” there was an obvious favorite teammate, who Vescovi didn’t mention.
“She provides the best snacks,” Vescovi mentioned with a chuckle. “And you know how the snack economy operates in high school.”
