It’s not spring until you hear the familiar echo of a ball coming into contact with a bat traveling across campus on a sunny day. For the members of Carmichaels’ varsity baseball and softball teams, this sound– and the many other memories and accomplishments made on the field– has defined high school and carried this year’s seniors through thick and thin together.
The Lady Mikes Softball team will be saying goodbye to some key members at the conclusion of this season. Seniors Bailey Barnyak, Carys McConnell, and Payton Plavi have served as indelible players, not only as their own individual entities, but through their trademark unity and rapport with one another and their team.
What’s been most special for these three over the years hasn’t just been playing softball, but playing it together. “I believe trust is built by having faith in your team, believing they can make the close plays, and building trust as it goes…I always trust Carys [because] we honestly click well together on the left side together for those close plays,” shares left fielder Plavi. Shortstop McConnell and Barnyak, pitcher for the Lady Mikes, share in their team’s excitement as they prepare to take on their first round in the WPIAL playoffs.
Just down the hill, you’ll find the varsity baseball team playing hard eight days a week. The 2026 season also finds the boys with three seniors and long-time friends having to say goodbye at the conclusion of the year.
Cooper Richards speaks for the team when he explains just how fast the game can feel when they are out on the field. “Some people will say that a certain play was really smart, but honestly I’m just thinking about how to get the ball back out there,” he says. When asked his thoughts of the last playoff game experience, Cannon Bupka, who joined the team for his senior year, jokingly says that he hopes that game won’t really be the Mikes’ last for the season. It is this banter, both on and off the field, that creates the atmosphere that senior catcher Brayden Andrews, along with Richards, Bupka, and the rest of the team have cultivated this year.
And it’s been quite a year, with the baseball team advancing to the second round of the WPIAL playoffs after their 7-4 victory against Sewickley Academy. But it isn’t just these wins that score points for the Mikes– it’s the lessons learned and the memories shared along the way. Hopefully, these are the moments that shine the brightest.
