Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Hempfield’s Maggie Howard commits to Georgetown for softball

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 5:31 PM

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Like a hitter looking at the count and situation, Maggie Howard looked at colleges with a similar approach.

The Hempfield junior softball player wanted to match up as well academically as she did athletically.

That made Georgetown an easy choice.

Howard, an outfielder, announced her commitment to play for the Hoyas.

“The biggest factor in my decision was academics,” she said. “Georgetown offered a great combination of academics and athletics, which was very important to me. I loved the campus in Washington, D.C., and when I visited, I definitely felt like I could see myself living there.”

Howard also considered an offer from Holy Cross.

She led Spartans last season with a .448 batting average, 26 hits, 15 runs, and 10 RBIs.

PIHL playoffs

The PIHL announced playoff dates for upcoming tournaments.

Play begins in Class A, with play-in games from Monday to Thursday.

Quarterfinals in Class 3A, 2A, A, and Division 2 will be March 6-9.

Semifinals are set for March 13 (3A), March 14 (2A), March 15 (A), and March 16 (D2) at Robert Morris Island Sports Center on Neville Island.

The finals will be March 20 (3A, A) and March 21 (2A, D2) at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Local qualifiers are: Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Hempfield in 2A; Greensburg Salem, Norwin and Kiski Area in A; and Burrell in D2.

Rubrecht commits

Greensburg Salem standout Cody Rubrecht is staying close to home as he continues his football career.

Rubrecht, a wide receiver and safety who also played quarterback for the Golden Lions, committed to play at Division II Seton Hill.

A Tribune-Review All-Star, he rushed for 1,017 yards and threw for 1,001 last season. He accounted for 22 touchdowns.

As a junior, he led the WPIAL in the regular season with 48 receptions for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Rubrecht (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) also considered Washington & Jefferson and had interest from Davidson.

He was recruited by Seton Hill to play slot receiver.

It’s clear he likes to play at Offutt Field, is the home field for Greensburg Salem and Seton Hill.

“Offutt is my home,” he said.

Coleman to SVC

Former Greensburg Central Catholic and Hempfield assistant football coach Khaliq Coleman will have a new team next season, at the college level.

Coleman was hired as a wide receivers coach at Saint Vincent.

He also coached at Serra Catholic.

A Milton Hershey graduate, Coleman was a standout tight end who played at Santa Barbara City College, IUP and Shippensburg.

Recruiting

Senior Sean Cain of Mt. Pleasant will continue his wrestling career at Saint Vincent.

Cain recently finished second at 121 pounds at the WPIAL Class 2A Southern Sectional to advance to the WPIAL tournament.

• Penn-Trafford junior football lineman Zach Tomosovich (6-5, 320) picked up an offer to play at Fordham.

• Jackson Pons, a junior wide receiver and defensive back at Norwin, has an opportunity to play at Princeton, the fourth Ivy League school to show interest.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford