Postseason is where Canon-McMillan needs a turnaround
When Michele Moeller arrives for the first round of the WPIAL Class 6A softball playoffs Tuesday, she might have a pot of hot tea and a few nicely wrapped throat lozenges close at hand.
It’s been a rough month.
Maybe the most mysterious team in the tournament is Canon-McMillan, which enters its first-round game against Fox Chapel at Peters Township on a four-game losing streak, the program’s longest since 2010. Moeller, the Big Macs head coach, is trying to stem this disturbing trend and, well, sometimes it means raising her voice, something she rarely does.
“We are focusing on some of the issues for the month of May, basically,” Moeller said. “We’re working on things we need to work on. We’re honing in on some things as we prepare for the playoffs.”
The Big Macs, who won a Class 4A state title in 2013, have been outscored 40-15 during this losing streak that followed a 5-game winning streak in which C-M outscored opponents, 56-11.
“For me to be yelling at someone, it doesn’t have something to do with on the field,” said Moeller. “Not hustling or (playing with) enthusiasm is what frustrates me, not diving all over the field and making mistakes. Those things are going to happen. … My anger comes from when I know what they have and they are not playing to their fullest potential.”
The penance the No. 8-seeded Big Macs will pay for their season-ending skid is a possible second-round game against Hempfield, which has won the last two state titles in the state’s highest classification. The 16-3 Spartans, the top seed who received a first-round bye, seem primed for another deep run after winning the Section 2 title in Class 6A.
“I think we’re just used to it,” said Moeller, referring to the seed. “I know we didn’t finish strong in May, but neither did (section champion) Baldwin. They lost to Bethel Park. I don’t understand how they get a No. 2 seed and we get a No. 8. I don’t know how that happens. I expected a No. 6. I must have made someone mad. I’m not saying we deserved a high seed, I just don’t understand.”
Meanwhile, West Greene, which won the PIAA Class A title with a dramatic rally over Williams Valley, got the top seed and a first-round bye. The Pioneers, carrying a 16-4 record, have won seven of their last eight games and are averaging 10 runs per game in that span.
Monessen, one of the teams that handed West Greene a loss this season, is second seed and joins No. 3 seed Leechburg and No. 4 Union as teams that received first-round byes. West Greene plays either St. Joseph’s or Western Beaver in Wednesday’s second round. Monessen will face either Riverview or Quigley.
Another red-hot team is Chartiers-Houston, which is riding a five-game winning streak and has allowed only one run over the last three games. The Section 3-AA runner-up has a 14-2 record with the only losses coming against section rival Frazier. The Bucs are the second seed to Frazier in Class AA and open the postseason against Northgate, the fourth-place finisher in Section 2 with a 5-6 record.
Pairings can be found in the Scoreboard section on Page C-2.