The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media 2023 Softball All-Area Teams

Perfect is about the best way to describe the North Penn softball team’s 2023 season.

The Knights took the field 28 times and every time came away with a win, securing consecutive District 1-6A titles behind a perfect game from senior Julia Shearer in the final then earning a second PIAA championship in three years with a 1-0 victory over Hempfield Area in State College.

“Our chemistry was amazing and it hasn’t been like that in years past I will say,” Shearer said. “But on and off the field those girls are my best friends, I love hanging out with them, it makes it so easy to play with them and support them when you actually like the people you’re playing with. So  as a team it was just so much fun for us, it wasn’t even about winning in the end, we were just spending our last couple months together.”

Shearer was one of four North Penn players to be chosen for the 2023 The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media All-Area First Team, the Maryland commit joined by fellow seniors Sarah Sabocsik (catcher), Brie Wilmot (first base) and Annabelle Smink (shortstop).

Shearer, the All-Area Athlete of the Year, went 28-0 in the pitching circle with a 0.21 earned-run average, 355 strikeouts and posted 22 shutouts. At the plate, she had a .639 batting average and had 11 home runs and 34 RBIs. Sheared was named Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year for the second straight season, chosen as state’s Overall Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association and earned Maxpreps All-America First Team honors.

Sabocsik, who was named the PaHSSBCA’s Class 6A Player of the Year, finished with a .436 batting average with 29 RBIs, six home runs and nine doubles. Smink, heading to Drexel, had a .467 average as he collected 17 RBIs, five doubles and a home run. Shippensburg commit Wilmot posted a .307 average with 33 RBIs, four homers and two doubles.

Archbishop Wood – which reached the PIAA-4A quarterfinals for a second straight year – and Hatboro-Horsham, which qualified for the state 5A tournament, both had two players selected to the All-Area First Team.

Wood senior pitcher Dakota Fanelli was the Philadelphia Catholic League’s MVP and Pitcher of the Year, the Ursinus commit – an all-state 4A second-team pick – had a 2.81 ERA and struck out 201 batters while offensively had a .380 average with 29 RBIs, 10 doubles, five triples and a home run.

Junior second baseman Maura Yoos, who made all-state 4A first team, had a .581 batting average for Wood with 15 RBIs, 39 runs, five doubles and four triples.

For Hatboro-Horsham, seniors Amya Lundy (third base) and Tess Kearney (outfield) were also both PaHSSBCA 5A first-team selections. Lundy, who will play at UMBC, had a .484 average with 33 RBIs, four home runs, five triples and four doubles. West Chester commit Kearney finished with a .469 average with 25 RBIs, eight doubles, three homers and a pair of triples.

Joining Kearney in the All-Area First Team outfield are Central Bucks East senior Elizabeth Gray and Pennridge senior Reagan Bauman.

Gray, a Villanova commit who was a Class 6A all-state first team selection, batted .500 with 25 runs, nine RBI with three triples and a home run. Shippensburg commit Bauman had a .459 average for the Rams, which reached the PIAA-6A tournament, with 27 RBIs, 10 doubles, five home runs and a triple.

Quakertown sophomore Leah Schwalm earned All-Area First Team at designated player after hitting for a .569 average to help the Suburban One League Liberty Division champions win their first 20 games.

The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media 2023 Softball All-Area Teams

FIRST TEAM

Pitcher: Julia Shearer, Sr., North Penn
Pitcher: Dakota Fanelli, Sr., Archbishop Wood
Catcher: Sarah Sabocsik, Sr., North Penn
First Base: Brie Wilmot, Sr., North Penn
Second Base: Maura Yoos, Jr., Archbishop Wood
Shortstop: Annabelle Smink, Sr., North Penn
Third Base: Amya Lundy, Sr., Hatboro-Horsham
Outfield: Elizabeth Gray, Sr., Central Bucks East
Outfield: Tess Kearney, Sr., Hatboro-Horsham
Outfield: Reagan Bauman, Sr., Pennridge
Designated Player: Leah Schwalm, So., Quakertown

SECOND TEAM

Pitcher: Molly Moore, Sr., Plymouth Whitemarsh
Pitcher: Abbey Wagner, Jr., Quakertown
Catcher: Maya Hellyer, Sr., Quakertown
First Base: Mary Wilkinson, Jr., Quakertown
Second Base: Gianna Cimino, Jr., North Penn
Shortstop: Averi Dockery, So., Pennridge
Third Base: Sage Borro, Sr., Lansdale Catholic
Outfield: Katie Muller, Sr., Quakertown
Outfield: Morgan Kocher, So., William Tennent
Outfield: Sam Skivo, Jr., Plymouth Whitemarsh
Designated Player: Casey Sokol., Jr., North Penn

HONORABLE MENTION

Abington: Leanna Schenk (Sr., OF); Hailey Hernandez (So., C); Lauren Everitt (Sr., 1B),

Academy New Church: Jamie Madara (So.) Olivia Schriver (So.).

Archbishop Carroll: Lauren Martin, Madison Martin, Dakota Johnson, Madison Long.

Archbishop Wood: Parker Kraus (Jr.), Paige Ross (Sr.).

Central Bucks East: Elise Waddington (Sr., 2B), Kaylee Masterson (So., OF), Kayla Mitchell (Sr., DP).

Central Bucks South: Ella Wheeler (So. OF), Riley Theis (So., DP); Maddy Borowski (Sr., P).

Central Bucks West: Sienna Lawson (Jr., P), Julia Thomas (Jr., 3B); Molly Gibson (Jr., OF)

Cheltenham: Kendall Nelson (So., OF)

Dock Mennonite: Aubrey Gehman (P), Addison Landis (SS), Adelyn Clemmer (OF), Trinity Landis.

Faith Christian: Kamryn Pepkowski (P), Elena Ault (Catcher), Lexi Reed (1B), Jocey Heverly (3B), Autumn Landis (OF), Aubrey Pringle (OF).

Germantown Academy: Clarissa Smith (Sr.), Emily Spillane (Sr.), Zoey Clark (Fr.), Ava Fiumara (Fr.), Alex Johnson (So.), Malia Walton (Sr.)

Gwynedd Mercy: Alexa Weiss (Jr., SS), Jenna Morrison (Jr., Catcher), Bria Mahoney (Sr., 3B), Natalie Kelley (Fr., 1B).

Hatboro-Horsham: Alyssa Tooley (Jr., P)

Lansdale Catholic: Lauren Leshak (So., P), Sam McHugh (Sr., C)

Lower Moreland: Liz Neeld (Sr., P/SS),

Methacton: Jillian McTamney (So., SS), Riley Kairer (Sr., OF), Madison Krupiewski (Jr., OF) /// Avery Schwartz (Sr., 2B), Caroline Cherekos (Sr., C), Sydney Hockenbrock (Fr., DP).

Mount St. Joseph: Emily Vinal (Sr., OF/P), Julia Schaefer (So., 1B); Daria Yohe (Fr., P/SS/3B); Emily Markowski (Fr., SS/OF).

Norristown: Riley Logan (Jr.); Ryan Morse (Sr., OF)

North Penn: Sophia Orth (Jr., 3B)

Pennridge: Grace Helbling (Sr., P); Olivia Crognale (Sr., C); Ashleigh Kenworthy (Sr., 1B).

Plymouth Whitemarsh: Joslyn Perez (Fr., 2B), Marissa Perez (Jr., SS), Jenna Yablon (So., OF), Rian Reed (So., DP).

Pope John Paul II: Abby Simmers (So., OF), Rylee Derecola (Fr., OF), Molly Houchins (So., SS)

Quakertown: Skyler Williams (Jr., 2B), Ava Beal (Jr., SS); Emma Hilton (Sr., OF)

Souderton: Kayley York (Sr., SS), MaKenna Schroding (Jr., P), Cameron Nadolski (Jr., OF).

Springfield-Montco: Ashley Schulz (So., P); Taylor Schulz (Sr., C), Joce Davis (So., 2B)

Upper Dublin: Kyle Garrison (Fr., P), Bella Fiore (So., 3B).

Upper Merion: Rebecca Shuler (Jr., OF), Maren DeStefano (Sr., 1B), Molly Gilliland (So., 2B), Michele Maas (Sr., OF).

Upper Moreland: Natalie Walton (Sr., 1B), Devyn Kniese (Sr., 3B); Alyssa Wiley (Sr., OF); Joslyn McCellan (So., DP)

William Tennent: Victoria Colagreco (So., SS).