West Point adds to winning tradition with trip to Little League Softball World Series

For the opening ceremony of the Little League Softball World Series, teams were asked to submit a song and a fast fact to organizers and ESPN.

Greensburg’s West Point 12U team will walk out to the beat of “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa.

As for the fast fact, coach Tina Madison said a parent, Ryan Graft, jokingly suggested: “The West Point parents haven’t been to work in three weeks and are currently looking for employment.”

A steady following has watched West Point (11-1) make waves in this long and rewarding postseason, but there is one job left to do — bring another title home.

West Point defeated defending World Series champion Massapequa, N.Y., 5-1, to win the regional before an ESPN audience last Friday night in Bristol, Conn.

West Point 12U is headed to the Little League World Series.

The softball factory continues to churn out winners.@Coach_TMadison @TribSports @TribWestmoreCo @HEMPSOFTBALL pic.twitter.com/RirHBVeax6

— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) July 27, 2024

“I told the girls, ‘You’ll remember this for the rest of your life,’ ” said Madison, who also coaches the Hempfield high school team. “I had so many people, some came out of the woodwork, saying they were having watch parties.”

And the team gave them something to watch.

West Point will leave for Greenville, N.C., on Thursday morning on a 6:42 a.m. flight. Games don’t start until Sunday.

“There is a lot going on there,” Madison said. “It’s like Super Bowl week.”

West Point will open against West Region Wilcox (Ariz.) at 10 a.m. Sunday on ESPN Plus. The modified double-elimination tournament ends with the championship at 3 p.m. Aug. 11.

A proud program known for producing winners — it has 38 state championships — West Point will look to capture its first World Series title — second overall — since 2014. A decade ago, its juniors team brought home the trophy from Seattle, led by future Hempfield stars Morgan Ryan, Jenna Osikowicz, Ali Belgiovane and others.

Those girls later played on a Hempfield team that finished 27-0. Together they won three straight WPIAL titles and back-to-back PIAA championships.

“The girls know about the tradition of past (West Point) teams,” Madison said. “They are well aware.”

This is the 10th West Point team to make the World Series. The current 12U group won state and Mid-Atlantic titles to reach the 12-team World Series.

“Our goal was to make it to regionals and be on ESPN,” Madison said. “Whatever happened from there was a bonus. Now the girls are like, ‘Let’s keep going.’ We have some really high-level players.”

Ryan, who went on to play college softball at Notre Dame and Seton Hill, said a 10-year reunion is in the works for the ’14 team. Her memories remain from an exciting title run.

“What I remember most is the experience as a whole,” Ryan said. “From arriving and getting to try on the East uniforms for the first time to get sized, to the players meet-and-greet party, to the Subway sandwich platters we were fed pregame, to driving from the hotel to the field together, to our off-time trips with the team for a ferry ride and ice cream. Getting to do it all with West Point girls who had been playing together for years was amazing.

“Our team approached the week as a business trip but also had a strong family culture that allowed us to take full advantage of being together, experiencing a long-awaited dream and being the most successful team we could be.”

Before she became one of Hempfield’s top pitchers and commanded the circle at Penn State, Madison — then Tina Skelly — was an ace for the West Point 12U team that finished third in the 1995 LLSWS.

“I am so pumped they’ll get to experience this,” Madison said.

West Point’s reputation precedes it. Former Hempfield softball coach Bob Kalp, a WPIAL Hall of Famer, said the organization is built for success.

“It starts at the top with the management of the league, and it follows through to the coaches, knowledgeable coaches,” said Kalp, who used to coach his daughters in the league in the majors and minors divisions. “The tradition itself … once you get that large stone pushed over the hill, it keeps rolling.”

Longtime West Point rules official Don Thomas said having families with staying power is a key to the league’s prolonged success.

“You might have kids come here and play, then they leave,” Thomas said. “But their parents stay and help out. We’ve had so many families come through the program.”

Thomas said West Point started softball in 1972, as the efforts of Bob Hogue, Ray Melo and others proved fruitful.

“It was a struggle to get started,” Thomas said. “But you had some people who were serious about their approach to the game. Guys like Ralph Snyder and Ray Melo come to mind. We held pitching and batting clinics on the weekends to help get the girls ready to play fast-pitch.”

Thomas said by the early 1990s, West Point had a total of 17 of its former pitchers go to Division I programs.

West Point has endured despite the daunting shadow cast by travel softball.

“There was a time when kids (who wanted to play softball) had no other options,” Thomas said.

Some things have changed since Madison played in the series. Teams, for example, receive an abundance of swag for making it this far. Easton is providing $500 Ghost Bats to each player.

“The girls are all getting new uniforms, spikes, helmets, bats — they’re like a bunch of little celebrities,” Madison said. “It’s such a cool experience for them. Seeing the girls go against and interact with teams from different countries is going to be fun. There are teams there from Mexico, Italy, Canada.”

Ryan said the feeling of winning a world title was exhilarating.

“I remember the pride we all felt for West Point,” Ryan said. “There were a lot of really great teams that played ahead of us in the World Series that we all looked up to. The messages of support that poured into our team during our run and after winning was very special because we felt like we made our hometown proud.

“It has been exciting to see how our journey and title have inspired the younger generation of West Point girls. I am very excited to watch this team compete at the World Series. They have already made Greensburg very proud.”

West Point has 12 players, including eight from Hempfield, two from Latrobe and two from Fox Chapel.

Fox Chapel plays in the Lower Valley Little League but does not have a 12U team in the same section, so girls can play elsewhere.

Madison said she plans to keep the same batting order intact and could start Lexi Stabile in the circle.

Little League uses a continuous lineup, meaning every player has to bat and play for six defensive outs.

All games are six innings.

“Our defense has been really solid,” the coach said. “The girls made some great defensive plays the other night.”

Four West Point girls also play for Madison’s travel team, Team PA Madison. Madison, her twin daughters and key players Jayelyn and Jocelyn Luft, as well as her husband and assistant Bob, and their son, Jordy, have been logging hundreds of miles.

The family recently went from winning a championship in Ocean City, Md., straight to Connecticut for regionals in the same day.

The travel team finished 79-11-3. Add the West Point record, and Madison’s teams have gone 90-12-3 this summer.

Little League Softball World Series

Aug. 4-11, Greenville, N.C.

Tournament bracket here

West Point 12U roster

1 Braylyn Graft IF

2 Mia Graft OF

3 Lily Carroll OF

9 Sofia Porreca OF/P

10 Lexi Stabile P

11 Morgan Maiers OF

14 Peyton Reamer UT

15 Piper Hoppel SS

16 Jayelyn Luft P/1B

18 Jocelyn Luft 2B

21 Alana Graft OF

33 Rian Starz C

Coaches: Tina Madison, Bob Madison, Matt Maiers