Three years ago, Keara Mangieri was hardly on anybody’s radar as a little-known freshman at New Castle.
Now, the Red Hurricanes’ star shortstop is the talk of the town, generating enough buzz to strike up a storm with every thunderous crack of her bright-red Easton Inferno Ghost Unlimited bat.
“When you hear that crack of the bat, you know it’s gone,” said New Castle coach Laurie Lidak. “To look at her, you wouldn’t think she has the power to put it out there. But she puts it out there effortlessly.”
A sweet-swinging Pitt recruit with 25 extra-base hits in 18 games this spring, Mangieri leads all WPIAL players on the season in both home runs (15) and RBIs (43). A true five-tool talent, she is also right near the top of the leaderboard in both hits (31) and runs scored (33), posting a slash line of .492/.568/1.381 for an outstanding OPS of 1.949.
“I think individually it has come with the preparation I put in before the season,” Mangieri said. “It is great to see that the work I have been putting in in the offseason has been paying off.”
Believe it or not, though, the game didn’t always come this easily to Mangieri. Although she started as a freshman for the Red Hurricanes, Mangieri struggled just to get the bat on the ball in her debut season, hovering around the Mendoza line for most of the year before finishing with a total of 10 hits and a batting average of .217.
Fast forward to 2025, and Mangieri is mashing the ball at a nearly unprecedented clip, making her mark as the centerpiece of a high-powered New Castle offense averaging 10.5 runs per game while showcasing her rare blend of power, speed and defensive wizardry.
“I think I felt a lot of pressure going into [high school],” Mangieri said. “Then when I realized I could rely on my team, and it’s not just on me, that’s when I started to see more improvement. … It couldn’t have happened without other people around me. The support of my coaches and teammates is really what has helped me grow.
“It also seems like it was just yesterday that I was just trying to get the bat on the ball. That’s really what I’ve been thinking of. I try not to overthink it.”
Although she is now widely regarded as one of the area’s most prized prospects, Mangieri’s transformation didn’t happen overnight. Her top-notch production is the result of long hours spent honing her skills in the batting cage, on the practice field and in the weight room.
“I really do focus only on trying to make solid contact on the ball. Because when you think about trying to hit it out, it almost never happens,” Mangieri said. “It’s really fun when you’re surrounded by the best competition. … It really teaches you how to work under pressure when you’re playing the best people around.”
As a sophomore in 2023, Mangieri raised her batting average to .322 while tallying 6 home runs, 16 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and 22 runs scored. By the end of the season, several big-time colleges had already started seeking out her services — but it didn’t take long for Mangieri to make up her mind, choosing to stay close to home and play for Pitt in the ACC.
“It was great to commit before my junior year to take the pressure off,” Mangieri said. “I’m not sure exactly where they plan on playing me. I know there are a lot of great recruits who are my age. If I had to guess, I would say somewhere in the infield. But whatever gets me on the field, I’ll do whatever they need.”
Mangieri solidified her status as one of the WPIAL’s top shortstops as a junior, batting .443 with 6 doubles, 6 home runs, 23 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 31 runs scored. Now, she is well on her way to finishing her senior season as the WPIAL’s home run queen. Mangieri went yard for the 15th time this season in a 3-1 defeat Monday against Shaler, with her solo homer marking the Red Hurricanes’ only run against Titans ace Bria Bosiljevac.
Despite a string of heart-wrenching late-season losses that will prevent New Castle from making the playoffs by just one game — six of the Red Hurricanes’ seven losses in Class 5A Section 1 came by two runs or less — this has still been a memorable season for Mangieri and the rest of her teammates. And based on her rapid ascent to become one of the best all-around players in the state, her future at the next level couldn’t be brighter.
“She’s a student of the game. Some girls just play the game,” Lidak said. “I’m not saying she’s perfect. None of them are. But this girl can have a bad game and go home and hit balls off the tee at her house. She puts in her reps. She is very disciplined. And it shows. It definitely shows.”
Red-hot Knoch knocking on door of top seed in Class 4A
Following a back-and-forth 8-7 loss in its season opener at Plum back on March 19, Knoch has been knocking out the competition one by one while emerging as a leading candidate for the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A tournament during its 17-game win streak.
The Knights (17-1, 12-0) have been virtually flawless during that stretch, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 191-25 over the course of their winning streak. Other than an action-packed 15-14 win against North Catholic on April 7, the vast majority of their games have been one-sided beatdowns, including nine shutout victories.
A big reason for Knoch’s success is the depth and balance throughout its well-rounded lineup, with eight starters batting above .300, eight players with double-digit RBIs and nine players with double-digit runs scored. The Knights also have a terrific tandem of starting pitchers in Kaila Purcell (8-0, 0.49 ERA) and Marlee Fraser (5-1, 1.08 ERA).
As for the team’s main attraction, look no further than freshman sensation Emersyn Jones. A power-hitting pitcher-infielder batting .574 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs, Jones has emerged as one of the top overall players in the area and a clear front-runner to take home Rookie of the Year honors in the upcoming 2025 PUP softball awards.
Union gearing up for another deep playoff run
Few teams in the area have experienced as much success as Union over the past half-decade, with the Scotties capturing a pair of WPIAL crowns in 2022 and 2023 while riding a streak of five consecutive WPIAL Class 1A championship appearances and counting.
Many are already penciling Union in for its sixth consecutive trip to the championship game — but the Scotties (16-1, 10-0) won’t be satisfied with just getting there this season after last year’s disappointing runner-up finish.
Ever since a highly competitive 6-4 defeat against Lawrence County rival and three-time defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Neshannock on March 31, Union has rattled off 13 wins in a row with nine consecutive shutouts heading into a massive WPIAL championship rematch against surging Chartiers-Houston on Wednesday. The Buccaneers, now in Class 2A for the 2025-26 cycle, spoiled Union’s bid for a WPIAL championship three-peat with a 9-5 win in last year’s WPIAL Class 1A title game.
With 33 home runs as a team and a bona fide ace in senior pitcher Mia Preuhs, this could be the Scotties’ most talented team yet under coach Doug Fisher. Preuhs is in the midst of perhaps her finest season of her stellar career, batting .550 with 7 doubles, 6 home runs and 28 RBIs to go with a 10-1 record, 1.00 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. She recently surpassed 600 strikeouts for her career, and her 27 career homers rank as the most in school history.
Elsewhere, junior Olivia Benedict is batting .548 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, 21 RBIs and 24 runs scored, while junior Olivia Williams is hitting .487 with 4 doubles, 3 home runs and 34 runs scored and sophomore Irelyn Fisher is batting .468 with 5 doubles and a team-high 9 homers and 29 RBIs.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
