To get a sense of why Poppe is The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania player of the year, just talk to her coach. Ron Savastio says the incredible righthander is one of the reasons he continues to coach at 79. He also says that he would pay to watch her pitch; that baseball players have asked him how anyone ever hits her; and that an opposing player once told him after a game, "That's the greatest pitcher I've ever faced." Or you could just look at the stat sheet: In 196 innings entering Friday's PIAA Class AAAA state final, she had a 24-4 record, 0.68 ERA, 71 hits allowed, 374 strikeouts, and 35 walks. She had posted 20 double-digit strikeout games, including nine in a row during one stretch and a season-high of 22 in 10 innings against West Chester East. At the plate, she hit .445 with four home runs.

The Eagles won the Ches-Mont League and reached their first district and state finals by scratching out runs and letting Poppe take care of the rest. She leaves Shanahan for Villanova with a career ERA of less than 1.00, a 71-24 career record, and 932 career strikeouts. "Nothing that girl does surprises me," Savastio said. ". . . She's just a special person."

The Titans ace is so effective, coach Dan Hayes said: "I almost expect her to come close to a no-hitter every time she throws." In a 7-0 state semifinal win over Pennsbury, Stocks did more than come close. The senior's no-hitter would have been a perfect game if not for a fourth-inning walk. On top of that, entering Friday's Class AAAA final, she had hit three home runs and driven in nine runs in the state playoffs alone. Overall, the Robert Morris-bound righthander took a 20-4 record and 0.78 ERA in 153 innings into the final, with 68 percent of the 1,905 pitches she had thrown being strikes.

The senior righthander with the "girl next door" personality, according to coach Jessica Verguldi-Scott, led Radnor to its first Central League title with another spectacular season. Von Pusch is remarkably consistent - she won 14 games for the second straight year, and her ERA went from 0.80 in 2011 to 0.81 in 2012. She struck out 205 batters in 1031/3 innings and, for good measure, batted .425 with 21 RBIs as the Red Raiders' No. 3 hitter. Though Von Pusch's season ended in the district quarterfinals, her efforts on and off the field earned her Gatorade's Pennsylvania Softball Player of the Year award. She will pitch for Penn State next year.

The senior, who will play at Rhode Island, stepped to the plate 88 times this season, entering Friday's state final, and struck out once. All told, Klepchick took a .375 batting average with a .432 on-base percentage and 25 RBIs into the state-title game. She had slugged five doubles, one triple, and three home runs, and provided sure-handed defense behind the plate. For the second straight year, no opponent stole a base against Klepchick. Earlier in the state playoffs, she kick-started two victories - with a fourth-inning, quarterfinal home run to break a scoreless tie with St. Hubert and a first-inning, two-RBI double in the semifinal win over Pennsbury.

There aren't many hitters in the region more intimidating than the lefthanded-hitting Decker. She spent the season on a hot streak, taking into Friday's state final a .487 batting average and an astounding 1.449 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). The senior third baseman, who will play at Lehigh, had scored and driven in 36 runs, hit 12 doubles and five home runs, and walked 12 times, striking out twice in her first 93 plate appearances. Defensively, "she wants to make every play - even if it's impossible," coach Dan Hayes said. Some of her best work came in preserving Haileigh Stocks' state-semifinal no-hitter, with two diving plays in the late innings.

See more here:

Poppe heads All-Southeastern Pa. softball team