1983 team set the bar at West Greene
The 1983 West Greene softball team celebrates qualifying for the PIAA Class AA playoffs after a victory against New Brighton in a play-in game.
Helen Wise, West Greene’s starting pitcher in 1983, delivers during a playoff game.
They come early and linger a little longer after each game, not wanting to miss a moment.
They are decked out in school colors, mostly in gold but some in blue, and they carry their lawn chairs and coolers as they scurry to get spots with the best view of the softball field.
No one wants to miss this, the greatest softball team in the program’s history. West Greene High School is two wins from capturing the first PIAA championship of any sort in school history. It’s an amazing accomplishment for one of the smallest enrollments in the state that has a sometime comical history with their sports program.
No one is laughing at them now.
On the softball field at North Allegheny High School, West Greene will play in the Class A semifinals – some call it the West Final – this evening against undefeated DuBois Central Catholic. First pitch is 6 p.m. and the winner goes to State College to play for the state title. DuBois Central Catholic, 24-0 and the District 9 champion, is led by strong-armed pitcher Riley Assalone and a productive offense that bunts a lot and is not afraid to steal bases. DuBois CC defeated Conemaugh Valley, 3-0, in the quarterfinals to reach this point.
Sprinkled among the West Greene fan base will be players from the last great softball team in program history. The 1983 team, coached by Bill Devore, stood as the standard for greatness for 33 years until the current group came along. The 1983 team finished third in the WPIAL in Class AA, winning a state play-in game over New Brighton, then defeated Southern Fulton in the first round of the state tournament before falling to Iroquois in the quarterfinals.
And just like the 2016 version, the 1983 Pioneers were a talented group, led by the strong pitching of Helen Wise, clutch hitting and a sparkling defense.
“When schools would call to make up games, I would ask whether Helen Wise and Debbie Tedrow were in school,” Devore said. “If they were, then I would say, ‘Yeah, we can play.’ If my pitcher and catcher were there, we would play. Helen was tremendous and her (catcher) was just as good at her position. Nothing got past Debbie and she he had a decent arm.”
More than three decades ago, the Pioneers finally broke the grip of dominance the John Krajnak-coached Carmichaels teams had in Greene County. Devore saw this West Greene team develop and the program take the baby steps to what would be the best season until the 2016 squad arrived.
“I began coaching in 1979 and the girls who came out were (raw),” said Devore, who retired nine years ago from West Greene after teaching physical education, health and reading. “Some of them were hitting cross-handed and separated their hands on the bat – things you didn’t do in softball.”
In four seasons, Devore would be in the dugout with volunteer coach Lorie Hildreth, watching a magical season blossom.
“I saw the team coming in 1981,” Devore said. “I thought we might have something going for us. I know all the parents of the kids who are playing now because I had them in school.”
The two main cogs in the Pioneers’ 1983 team were Wise, a senior and Hildreth’s sister, and Tedrow. Wise had an outstanding fastball and great control and knew the art of pitching, in part from her time catching Hildreth when Wise was a sophomore on the 1981 team that won a section title.
“We played together for four years,” Hildreth said of the Pioneers’ 1981 team. “When Helen took over pitching, they had a lot of their starters play for four years, too. It was very emotional time (in 1983) because no team had ever done that before.”
In one of the most impressive performances of any softball player that season, Wise pitched three complete games in one day, striking out 24 in 21 innings, as West Greene beat Jefferson-Morgan, Frazier and Beth-Center in a tripleheader, played at Greene County Fairgrounds and caused by rescheduling for inclement weather.
Hildreth, who spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach to current head coach Bill Simms, said the community support for the 1983 team was similar to this one.
“We had a large group following us around,” Hildreth said. “(Watching this team) brought back so many memories of the joy of the game, the determination, the drive. We had that unity, too. Back then, we had to try out for the team because there were so many. There were something like 30 players on the bench. Even the ones who didn’t play cheered for us. We were a team and that’s what these girls are now: a team. It’s good to see that.”
A solid defense was behind Wise in 1983: April Slifko at first base, Darenda Riffle at second base, Pam Yanak at shortstop and Valerie Medlen at third base. Cathy Cooper and Amy Smith sandwiched center fielder Sheila Main, whose daughter Linzee is a left fielder on the 2016 team.
“It was my sophomore year,” said Main. “We were decent the year before. We all came together (in 1983) and had real good hitting. Watching my daughter play brings back a lot of memories. I see some of the players on the team at the games now but I haven’t seen many of them for a good while.”
As with any team, moments stand out that might not with others. Devore bemoans the fact he chipped one of Main’s teeth in practice.
“I hit a fly ball and it came down and tipped her glove and chipped her tooth,” he said. “I never felt so bad in my life. She is such a nice girl.”
When the team arrived in New Castle for the quarterfinal game against Iroquois, Devore discovered something that made his heart skip a beat.
“The funniest thing about that game was when we got up there, I asked my managers, ‘Where are the batting helmets?'” Devore said. “They looked at each other and uh, oh. So I said go look in the back of the bus. No batting helmets. When we got back to school that day, the batting helmets were sitting outside the side door where we came out to board the bus.”
Iroquois was gracious enough to allow the Pioneers to use their helmets, then went out and defeated them, 8-2. The game had some controversy as the Iroquois coach Bernie Fitch protested the way Wise was pitching, imploring umpires to call illegal pitches. The discussion brought WPIAL executive secretary Chuck Heberling into the discussion.
“He said, ‘We’re not going to let this game be decided on a technicality, so let’s figure this thing out.'” Devore said.
Devore has not seen the 2016 team play, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he believes he can’t. Devore is a superstitious person. He didn’t see the Pioneers play early in the season and they won. So he believes showing up now would break the routine and somehow bring bad luck.
“I don’t want to jinx them,” he said. “Billy (Simms) invited me out to watch them but I said. ‘I don’t know.’ As soon as I show up after not being there, I didn’t want to curse them. I believe in that.”
Just ask Curt Hughes, who coached the West Greene junior high football team with Devore.
“Curt’s a great guy and we had a lot of superstitions,” Devore said. “We had to sit in the same seats in the bus. He would have to get on first and I would get on second. I would get off first and he would get off second. I couldn’t change that. We couldn’t jinx them.”
So Devore will do what many in Greene County who can’t make the trip to North Allegheny: he’ll tune it in and listen from home.
“I’ve followed them all year through the newspaper and radio,” he said. “I just can’t tear myself away.”