H.S. SOFTBALL: Pine Grove looks to put on one more show

PINE GROVE — The sun was gleaming, and the wind was silent as Pine Grove softball players filed into the parking lot at Pine Grove Area High School on Tuesday afternoon. It was business as usual for the Cardinals. It’s what they’ve done numerous times every week since February, all with one goal in mind: Defend the PIAA Class 3A state championship.

On Thursday, they’ll have the opportunity to do just that.

At 1:30 p.m. at Penn State Softball Park in University Park, the Cardinals will look to win their second straight state title when they take on the Sharon Tigers out of District 10. If successful, the Cardinals will be just the 10th softball program in Pennsylvania since 1975 to win back-to-back state championships.

A close-knit family

“These kids love the game,” Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler said, leaning up against the outfield fence. “It’s just the passion. The passion for the game of softball and for each other.”

The Cardinals are not just a team, they’re a close-knit family.

It’s a feeling surrounding the team that starts from the top with Coach Leffler and works its way throughout the roster. If you talk to him about them long enough, you’ll hear the emotion he has for his team in his voice.

Leffler has coached many of the girls for more than just their high school career. To him, they’re not just his players, but an extension his family.

“They know that,” he said. “All kids I treat the same, like they’re my own.”

As he does with his own children, including senior outfielder Callee Leffler, Coach Leffler challenges every one of his players to be the best they can be.

“Sometimes it’s not easy,” he said. “Sometimes I challenge them, and they accept the challenge. But at the end of the day, we’re one unit.”

“Playing for this team is nothing like any other team I’ve ever been on,” junior outfielder Lily Flynn said. “This team is just like a family. You come in here, you’re always supported, and everybody has your back. It makes it really easy to go on the field and just trust each other. You know nobody is going to be mad, and you’re just going to get picked up if you make a mistake.”

Belief and experience

The 2026 Cardinal softball journey has been a memorable one.

After hunting for a state championship a year ago, the Cardinals spent the entire season as the hunted.

The result? A 26-2 record, a Schuylkill League championship, a District 11 championship, and now a state championship berth.

When the pressure is on, the Cardinals, as all great championship-caliber teams do, don’t blink. It’s a testament to their hard work and the sustained culture built around the program.

“They have to believe in themselves, and then believe in their teammates, believe in the coaches,” Leffler said. “Go out there and just stick to the game plan and execute.”

While the Cardinals always have major end-of-year goals, they know you can’t just fast-forward to the playoffs like you can in video games. You have to build on each day, each week, and each month. If you’re fortunate enough, you’ll find yourself still standing in May and June.

“We talk about each week, and try to stick to the weekly goals to get to the end goal,” Leffler said. “It’s been like that from day one of this program, and the kids, they buy in.”

The Cardinals also built upon last year’s state championship and the lessons learned throughout a grueling 2025 season.

“I believe last year’s team is obviously different than this year’s team, but they grew from the experience,” Leffler said. “Just keeping it simple, going out there playing seven-inning softball, and doing whatever it takes, and playing for each other.

Star power and depth

While the Cardinals have plenty of star power, including the likes of Florida State commit Callee Leffler, and pitchers Jamie Dinger and Chelcy Clark, the Cardinals’ depth has been critical to their success.

“There are a lot of kids who stepped up throughout the whole year,” Leffler said. “It’s not just one player.”

Two of those players making their impact felt all season are freshman Khloe Jessman and junior Lily Flynn.

Jessman, despite being inexperienced at the high school level, has been tremendous this season with a .469 batting average, eight extra base hits, and 24 RBI. Making the jump to high school ball even more difficult was moving from the infield to the outfield.

“She’s going to be a special player for the next three years,” Leffler said. “I’m excited to see her grow in this program. She bought in and fit right in with everyone in this team.”

“Every coach dreams to have a player like her,” he continued. “She does whatever she’s asked to.”

“I was definitely nervous,” Jessman said of when she first joined the varsity softball team this spring. “But once I just walked in, it became just another game. Everybody made it easy.”

The freshman has shown a maturity at the plate that even freshmen in college can sometimes struggle with. In 98 plate appearances this season, Jessman has struck out just five times while earning nine walks and two hit-by-pitches; altogether, she’s posted a .527 on-base percentage.

“At the plate, I just try to stay calm,” she said. “Even if I get into an 0-2 count, I just tell myself to be smart and keep a good headset.”

She’s also been leaning on the veteran leadership of the team, including Callee Leffler.

“They’ve definitely been helpful,” she said. “I play in the outfield with Callee, so she always has my back out there. I’ve learned a lot just watching her leadership.”

Flynn has been one of the most improved Cardinals from last year’s championship squad. After batting .236 as a sophomore, Flynn has hit .425 for Pine Grove this season, with three home runs, 11 additional extra base hits, and 29 RBI.

“She’s taken last year’s experience to this year, and understands a little more of the hitting part,” Leffler said. “How to become a better hitter, working at that, just a work ethic.”

“What she puts into it, and she definitely has her own goals, right? And she accepted that to do better, and worked her butt off in the offseason, to be one of those lead hitters for us.”

One final show

While the Cardinals have business on their mind and want to walk away on Thursday with a second-straight state championship, they’re going to make sure they enjoy the experience.

The Cardinals made their way to Happy Valley on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re going to have a practice, have a team dinner. Calm the nerves down, get up there, and go get some ice cream. Enjoy the evening,” Leffler said of his team’s plans. “Wake up, have team breakfast, and then go over there and hopefully put on another show.”

While the game will be the final show of the Cardinals’ 2026 season, it will also put a bookend on the high school careers of three Cardinals.

Looking to end their careers in celebration will be Callee Leffler, Hannah Aungst, and Tailyn Bohr.

“The three seniors are going to be missed very, very much,” Leffler said. “They put their heart and soul into this program.”

“Callee, Hannah, and T, I started coaching those kids at 10 and under,” he continued with a bit of a tremble in his voice. “Seeing them grow, not just as softball players, but young ladies, young adults. They’re going to go into the next chapter of life, and I’m very fortunate to have them for one more game.”

Thursday’s game, win or lose, will be especially bittersweet for both Leffler and his daughter Callee.

Not only will it likely be the last time that Ryan Leffler coaches his daughter, whom he has seen blossom into a star and one of the true greats in Schuylkill County athletic history, but it also marks some of the final days that Callee will be at home with her dad.

The future Seminole will start the 1,000-mile journey south on Monday when she makes the move to Tallahassee to join Florida State.

While Pine Grove is fortunate enough to experience a second-straight trip to State College, the girls on the team are cherishing the moments as they come just as much as the coaching staff.

“We wanted to spend as many weeks together as possible, and that’s exactly what we did,” Flynn said. “It’s such a fun, enjoyable ride.”

But all rides must come to an end.

“Everybody knows that this is our last game, no matter what,” she continued. “With the type of season we’ve had, and the ups and downs, we just want to go out with a bang, make it a special moment, and repeat what we did last year.”

“We have a really good opportunity, a lot of us have been in this situation before. As much as it hurts that this is our last game with our seniors, we have a job to do. We want to do that for them and make it a great game for our seniors.”

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