South Fayette pitcher posts 500th career strikeout
Ashley Iagnemma seldom is blown away. Rather, the pitcher reserves that experience for her opponents.
Nevertheless, the South Fayette High School senior experienced a stupefying occurrence at her own hand. During the Lions’ 4-2 win against Chartiers Valley last week, Iagnemma registered her 500th career strikeout.
“Wow, what an amazing thing to have happened. When I was made aware of the fact, I was shocked. Blown away,” she said. “Honestly,” she continued, “it doesn’t seem like I’d faced that many batters or thrown that much, let alone struck out that many.”
The numbers add up, however. As a freshman, Iagnemma fanned 130. She topped 140 as a sophomore and added a career-high 151 as a junior. After the win against the Colts, she stood at 82 Ks for the season.
“When I think about it, it’s not like I attempted to do that, but part of me, actually is proud,” Iagnemma said of the feat. “Not many people have been able to do that. It might be a record at school because I don’t think that there have been many other pitchers here that have thrown all four years.”
Certainly none have worked harder. Groomed for greatness since she started playing softball in first grade, Iagnemma comes by her talents naturally. Her mother, Stacey, played at Churchill High School, before it merged into the Woodland Hills School District, and one season at California University of Pennsylvania. Her father served as her first coach. Vic Iagnemma schooled her in the fundamentals during her playing days in the township’s recreation leagues.
By age 12, she was ready for the big leagues. She has played travel softball for such prestigious clubs as the Pittsburgh Spirit, Metro Express, Pittsburgh Lady Roadrunners and Team PA Cylcones. Many years, she played up in the next age group, said her father, who has served as her high school coach for the past four seasons.
“Ashley has worked very hard pitching since she has been 10 years old,” explained Coach Iagnemma. “As a parent and her coach, I am very proud of her work ethic on and off the field.
“She has made many sacrifices, especially socially, to get to this level of pitching. There have been many people, coaches and teammates over the years that have helped her accomplish (500 career strikeouts).”
Iagnemma acknowledged the influences on her career. She said, “My parents inspired me. My dad was my biggest influence and I have had great coaches and teammates.”
Catchers Mikayla Fetchet and Sarah Jubas have been instrumental in Iagnemma’s recent achievement. Fetchet served as her battery mate until she tore her ACL. This spring, Jubas catches for the Lions, moving from shortstop to behind the plate.
“When Mikayla injured her knee, that threw us a big curve ball,” Iagnemma explained. “Catcher is not Sarah’s position. She sacrificed to make us better. She blocks the ball real well and keeps me in the strike zone. It’s a different situation and she’s made a great adjustment.
“I give Mikayla and Sarah a lot of credit for my success. If you don’t have a good catcher, you are not going to get a lot of strikeouts.”
Likewise, the Lions would not have experienced success were it not for Iagnemma. Last year, they won the section title, thumping Trinity, 10-0, in the regular-season finale. In the triumph, Iagnemma socked a home run to go with her pitching shutout. South Fayette reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs, falling to Elizabeth-Forward, 5-0, to end the season at 14-2. Currently, the Lions are 7-2 overall and battling for a playoff spot despite a 2-3 showing in Section 2-AAA.
“This season has been tough because of the weather and not being able to be outside a lot,” Iagnemma said. “But based on last year and the fact that we only lost one senior, I can tell you that we have a lot of potential. I can see us going farther, even though we were section champs last year, we didn’t go far. We know where we are and we are only going to get better. It can’t get any worse.”
Whatever improvements the Lions experience during the remainder of the regular season will depend upon Iagnemma. She shoulders the pressure with a modicum of maturity and confidence.
“With my experience, I think a lot of the girls look up to me. A big part of pitching is that it’s your responsibility to be a leader. If the pitcher falls apart on the mound, all the players around you will get down.
“I think, though, we can achieve the rest of our goals this season. I definitely think we can make the playoffs and we even have a good chance to win a (WPIAL) championship. We are all playing together. Not for ourselves (individually), but we are playing for each other. We respect each other.”
Iagnemma’s pitching earned the respect of many college recruiters. However, she decided to stay close to home and play at Point Park.
“I liked the school, the coach, the team and players and I love the city of Pittsburgh,” Iagnemma said enthusiastically. “It was the best fit for me.”
Iagnemma’s father envisions success at the next level. “She has played with and against many of the girls she will play next year,” he explained. “I think she will be comfortable, confident and successful on the mound.”
Maturity has factored into Iagnemma’s success. She has a great skill set, which includes a sneaky curve and change-up as well as a rise ball she has added to her repertoire this season. Additionally, she trains year-round and pitches 3-5 days a week during the season, which can span from March through August.
“Ashley has great velocity and several pitches that keep batters guessing,” Coach Iagnemma said. “She also has the strength physically and mentally and becomes more focused as the game goes on.”
Sometimes, when the game progresses and the intensity level increases, it can cause tension between player and coach; daughter and father.
“Ashley and I have been together on the softball field since she started. We are very used to each other and seem to know what each is thinking. When it comes to calling pitches we do have our differences at times but always respect each other. We are always learning together and striving to get better. I am excited for her to start a new chapter in her softball career and know she will be successful.”
Coach Iagnemma cannot help but reflect what his daughter has meant to the program and its success. While she has been a constant for four years on the mound, she has not lifted the Lions to new softball heights by herself.
“Her teammates have provided her the opportunity to be successful by providing great defensive and offensive support. As a coach I have always said you cannot win a game if you do not score runs. South Fayette won its first section championship last year in school history. This was a huge accomplishment for every South Fayette softball player,” he said.
NOTES: In the win against Chartiers Valley, Jubas led off with an inside-the-park home run while Fetchet smacked a run-scoring triple.
In addition to the threesome, the Lions have benefited from the play of Courtney Blocker, Emily Bryan, Marissa France and Bailey Kormick, all juniors.