This is the fourth and final article profiling the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.

JACKSON TWP — The 1992 Seneca Valley softball team had already made history prior to the playoffs beginning that spring.

With a 14-5 regular season record, the Raiders became the first softball team in school history to reach the postseason.

But the players wanted more, and most importantly, they had the talent to go after it.

What ensued was a memorable run to a WPIAL Class 3A championship and a spot in the state final. When the dust settled, SV had compiled a 22-6 record and gave all future Raider softball teams something to strive for.

The entire squad will be inducted into the SV Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night.

“We got to the playoffs and with every game, we just kept getting better,” said Terri Flynn, head coach of that year’s team. “The momentum would carry over to the next game.

“We were a pretty balanced team, but the thing I remember most is our hitting. The kids really started hitting the ball that year.”

Flynn had been the coach of SV softball since the varsity team was formed in 1984. The Raiders won six games in 1991, but returned a lot of talent the following spring.

They tied Shaler for the section title, which was an achievement in itself.

“North Allegheny and Shaler always seemed to finish in the top two spots in the section,” said Flynn.

The team’s playoff run began with a 5-4 win over Valley. Two days later, the Raiders upset Section 11 champion McKeesport, 13-4, with Amy Henley, Jen Markich and Lynn Leonberg each belting a home run.

In a quarterfinal against Chartiers Valley, the Raiders were down 3-1 before a two-out, two-run double from Markich sparked a 7-4 win.

SV’s bats overwhelmed Trinity in a semifinal as the Raiders plated 10 runs in the last two innings in an 11-4 triumph.

That set the stage for a fourth meeting with Shaler for district supremacy.

The teams had met three times in the regular season, with the Titans winning two, including one by a 9-0 score.

“”We knew how good Shaler was, but we were focused and knew we could beat them,“ said Leonberg-Wendereusz, a junior shortstop that season.

Henley’s two-run double in the first inning set the tone for a 4-1 win.

Undoubtedly, there were people who had looked at the Raiders as upstarts, a program in the playoffs for the first time. Surely, their momentum would fizzle.

But the reality was that Seneca Valley was a very good team with a full head of steam entering the state playoffs — a potent lineup and a strong defense playing behind a consistent pitcher in Marlesse Schlott. In five WPIAL playoff games, she had allowed a total of 21 hits.

“Catchers make pitchers look good and I had a great one in Erin Cusick,” said Schlott-Hames. “She was so knowledgeable about the game.”

The Raiders crushed their first two PIAA opponents via the mercy rule — beating Mercyhurst Prep 13-1 before a 13-2 drubbing of District 9 champion DuBois in the quarterfinals.

The Raiders encountered Shaler once again and ended their rival’s season with a 5-2 win in a game played at Highfield Park in Butler.

Leonberg-Wendereusz remembers the mood surrounding the team as it rolled to the state final.

“There was a lot of energy in our practices,” she said. “School was out at that point, but we had fans riding on buses to watch us play. It was pure excitement.”

The state final, held at Shippensburg University, matched the Raiders up with District 4 champion Williamsport. The Millionaires started a freshman, Kris Stout, in the circle and she pitched an eight-inning no-hitter.

Schlott allowed just one run on one hit and a state championship slipped from SV’s grasp.

“It was a tough loss,” said Leonberg-Wendereusz. “We weren’t used to seeing a pitcher with that kind of speed.”

But the team’s success during that season 30 years ago is what sticks out and it will be rightfully celebrated Thursday. Only a few team members will be unable to attend.

“I’m so honored to have been part of that team and to be going into the hall of fame,” said Leonberg-Wendereusz. “Every step we took was such an exciting moment for the program. It was a magical season.”

Following are members of Seneca Valley’s 1992 WPIAL champion and state runner-up softball team.

Heather Allison, Amy Henley, Marlesse Schlott, Erin Cusick, Darlene Morgan, Jennifer Markich, Lisa Malsch, Amy Rectenwald, Elizabeth Klein, Lynn Leonberg, Brenda Sheets, Melissa Piper, Julie Meshanko, Kris Mahafkey, Michelle Allen (manager), Kristin Lutz (manager), Terri Flynn (head coach), Jeff Macek (assistant coach)