Plenty of talent returns for West Mifflin softball

Rylie Dobnak was the Titans’ top hitter and pitcher last season.

Coming off an 11-9 season and a third-place finish in section play, the West Mifflin softball team enters 2025 with high hopes and plenty of returning talent.

Head coach Erik Hilligsberg acknowledges that while the Titans are still young, they bring back a wealth of experience that could prove invaluable as they navigate a competitive WPIAL 4A Section 2 schedule.

“We’re still a very young team this year,” said Hilligsberg. “We’ll probably have five or six of our starters be sophomores or freshmen. We’re dealing with a lot of injuries right now, with three of them being in walking boots. The lineup is up in the air with those injuries, but once everyone is healthy, we’ll have eight returning starters.”

Among those returning players is junior Rylie Dobnak, who was not only the Titans’ ace in the circle but also their best hitter. Last season, she led the team in batting average (.397), hits (23), doubles (7), and RBIs (19), while handling nearly all the pitching duties. Dobnak posted a 10-8 record with a 2.37 ERA, striking out 128 batters in 117 innings.

“Rylie Dobnak will be back as our pitcher,” said Hilligsberg. “She was kind of the foundation of our team last year. She had a good year pitching and led our team in hitting.”

West Mifflin is hoping freshman Annabella Graham can help alleviate some of that burden after showing signs of excellence in fall tournaments.

“Last year, she was my only pitcher, so she did have a large workload,” Hilligsberg said of Dobnak. “This year, we have a freshman who might be able to take a couple of her starts off her, or even just come in on relief duty if we’re too far behind in a game, just so Rylie’s not carrying such a load.”

The Titans bring back a core group of hitters who will be relied upon to spark the offense. Junior Aubrey Jaskulski (.333, 12 RBIs), sophomore Mia Bey (.302, 3 HR, 13 RBIs), junior Kaleigh Tatters (.333, 16 runs), and junior Samantha Tomko (.250, 9 RBIs) all return with another year of experience.

“Tatters does a great job getting on base, she has a great eye on her and she can get the bat on the ball,” Hilligsberg said. “I’m looking for Mia to take that next step as a sophomore. She hit three home runs as a freshman last year, and she’s been working hard in the offseason to get better. I look for her to be a major contributor on this team.”

West Mifflin will need to maximize its offensive efficiency, as it isn’t a team built to slug its way to high-scoring games like in previous years.

“We don’t have a lot of power in our lineup, so there’s a lot of small ball that’ll get incorporated,” Hilligsberg said. “We’re not going to score nine or 10 runs a game, so we’re going to have to rely on our pitching and defense. Then having the ability to sacrifice runners over, steal bases and come up with clutch hits is going to be crucial for us down the stretch of games.”

Defensively, the Titans expect to be sound, as that has traditionally been a strength under Hilligsberg’s leadership. With seven or eight returning starters, the team should have solid defensive chemistry, which could prove crucial in close games.

“If we can get our bats going and hit our game goals for offense, we can manufacture enough runs to be in any game or have a chance in every game, at the least,” he said.

The Titans return to a familiar section, though some adjustments will be needed.

“It’s a new-old section since we were in that section a few seasons ago,” said Hilligsberg. “Obviously, two years removed, a lot of change happens, so it will be somewhat of a learning curve. We expect to be able to compete.”

They will be without last year’s only senior, Jasalin Guenther, who contributed primarily as a hitter. This year, their only senior starter is Caleigh Ignat, who will be out for at least another month with a broken foot. Despite the injury setback, Ignat has already committed to continue her career at Point Park University.

Several younger players are fighting for varsity time, including freshmen Breezy Dobnak, Bella Simak and Amelia Novotny. Their ability to adjust to varsity speed will be a key factor in how deep the team can go.

“The main key to the season will be our pitching and defense,” said Hilligsberg. “It’s been the backbone of our program for the past several years. If we can hit our offensive goals and get timely hits this season, then we should put ourselves in a position to be in or win several games.

“The final key will be how quickly the younger players acclimate themselves to the varsity game. We may start this season with five or six freshmen and sophomore starters.”