Burrell’s lone senior, Caroline Dynka helps lead Bucs to playoff win

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | 12:05 PM

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Caroline Dynka didn’t want her varsity career to end Monday on the turf at Norwin High School.

The lone senior on the Burrell softball team, a mainstay and leader for four years and three seasons, Dynka did whatever she could to help her team get a run or two on the scoreboard against Belle Vernon in what turned out to be a WPIAL quarterfinal classic.

She reached base three times in four plate appearances. She drew a walk, singled and was hit by a pitch.

Dynka was left stranded three times as Leopards starter Talia Ross was nearly lights out with two hits allowed and 17 strikeouts.

But Dynka’s junior teammate, Katie Armstrong, was just as strong as she struck out a career-best 21 and scattered four hits in the Bucs’ 1-0 win in 11 innings which propelled them to Wednesday semifinals against No. 2 Elizabeth Forward at 3 p.m. back at Norwin.

“I’ve been a part of games like that having played travel ball for so long, but I definitely didn’t expect this game to go so long,” Dynka said.

“I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. But there was so much emotion that went into it. It was back and forth, and it kept going. When we scored and the game was over, there was such a rush of excitement. We knew we were still alive and would play again. I am pumped to see how far we can go.”

Dynka has been in a class by herself from the start her freshman year where she was the starting pitcher for a Burrell team which went 13-3 overall and captured the outright Section 1-3A title with a 9-1 record.

“That year, it was crazy because I didn’t know we would do so well as a team,” Dynka said. “The year before, we didn’t have a middle school season because we didn’t have enough girls for a team. It was my first time playing school ball in a while. I was shocked that I did as well as I did. It was such a great feeling to win sections. I was so excited for my sophomore year.”

But that excitement turned to frustration in March 2020 as Dynka, her teammates and teams throughout the state overall had to face the reality of the burgeoning covid pandemic and the cancellation of the spring sports season.

“It was really tough on all of us,” Dynka said. “But everyone had to go through the same thing. We just relied on each other to get us through it. I still got a travel season in the summer, so it wasn’t like softball was taken from me completely. But I do wish we did have that season. We’ll never get it back.”

Dynka and the Bucs came back last spring and made a push for another section title. While the crown was split in two and shared by Highlands and Knoch, Burrell finished tied for third with Freeport at 6-4 and defeated Belle Vernon in the WPIAL first round before a tough loss to West Mifflin in the semifinals.

The Bucs now are 12-1 with Monday’s victory. Their lone loss came against Highlands on May 2. It was senior night at Bon Air field, and while Dynka said she hoped the team would’ve been able to get win that evening, she still looks back fondly on the ceremony and was humbled by the support and celebration.

“I had my senior night on the same field I grew up playing on,” said Dynka, who went 1 for 3 and scored the lone run in the 4-1 setback to the Golden Rams.

“I played a lot of rec ball games on that field. My teammates made me feel so special with posters. On one hand, I liked having my own senior night, but I also wished I did have someone else to share it with me. With the juniors, I sometimes forget we’re not in the same grade. They’ve been with me through a lot the past couple of years.”

Dynka, an IUP softball commit, has been key at the top of the lineup this season, setting the tempo on the field and in the dugout as a captain.

“At the start of the season, I did think we had a good chance to go pretty far. You go into every year with optimism and high hopes,” said Dynka, who is guaranteed at least one more game with her Bucs teammates after Wednesday — either the title game June 2 at Cal (Pa.) or Tuesday’s third-place game with a trip to states on the line.

“With a number of younger girls, we’ve all built up our confidence together. Teamwork has been the main key for us and what has helped us get to where we are.”

When this season is all said and done, Dynka said she’s is pumped to begin preparation for her venture into the college game with the Crimson Hawks.

Her freshman class will include rivals turned teammates in Highlands standouts Jayce Haidze and Jess Cekada, as well as South Allegheny’s Madison Pikula and Armstrong’s Nichole Benvenuti.

“I’ve always known I wanted to play softball in college,” Dynka said. “My parents went there. I’ve always known it’s such a nice school. They have such a good team. I went to a camp and then a visit. I just felt so comfortable there.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell