From being a role player as a freshman for a WPIAL and PIAA champion to serving as a senior leader on a team hoping to do the same, one thing has remained constant for Canon-McMillan’s Linda Rush.

She has absolutely raked the ball.

Rush, a four-year starter at shortstop, is one of the elite hitters in the WPIAL. She sports a career batting average of well over .500 and her combination of power and speed have helped earn her a scholarship to Division I Drexel.

“Just on pure, natural talent, she’s one of the best hitters that I’ve ever seen,” Canon-McMillan coach Michelle Moeller said.

That’s high praise coming from Moeller, who in recent seasons has coached the likes of Giorgiana Zeremenko, Olivia Lorusso and Abby McCartney. Zeremenko, a sophomore at Pitt, leads the ACC in hitting.

Rush batted .473 as a freshman, .571 as a sophomore, and then hit .577 with 11 home runs last season. And, as her name suggests, she has been in a hurry to once again put up big numbers this season. Coming into the week, Rush was hitting .729 with a grand slam and seven RBIs. She now has 97 RBIs in her career for the Big Macs (5-1), who won their first three Class AAAA Section 4 games.

Yough

Yough coach Dutch Harvey tends to be a little bit tougher on his top hitter than he is with the rest of the team. It makes perfect sense considering that player is his daughter, Allie.

That tough love has helped fuel what has been an excellent career for Allie Harvey, a senior catcher who entered the week leading Yough in hitting (.638), RBIs (7) and runs scored (7). The Cougars were 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class AAA prior to Thursday’s home game against Greensburg Salem.

“Determination [helps make her a special player],” Dutch Harvey said of Allie. “I’m probably harder on her than I am on anybody. If she can handle me, she can handle anybody.”

Harvey, a Seton Hill recruit, is one of three Yough seniors who were named all-section last season – pitcher Macy Mularski and left fielder Cassidy Pearce were the others.

Beaver Area

A similar scenario is playing out at Beaver, but instead of the star hitter being coached by her dad, it’s her grandfather.

Like Yough’s Allie Harvey, Beaver’s Tayven Rousseau is a standout catcher and future college player who is swinging the bat very well for one of the top teams in Class AAA. Beaver was 4-3 and ranked No. 2 heading into today’s game at New Castle.

Rousseau, the team’s leadoff hitter, is batting .571 with 5 extra-base hits, 8 runs scored and 5 RBIs. An all-section pick last season as a sophomore, Rousseau has struck out just twice in her career. She has already committed to Saint Francis.

“We have a good rapport with each other,” coach Butch Rousseau said. “It’s gotten to the point where we know each other’s moves. She can kind of guess what I will tell her.”

Tayven Rousseau also catches an outstanding pitcher, as senior Casey Farkasovsky is a three-time all-section honoree.

Pine-Richland

The previous two years didn’t go very well for Pine-Richland, which suffered back-to-back three-win seasons. Exceeding that win total the first week of this season has to have the Rams feeling a lot better about themselves.

A year after losing its first nine games, Pine-Richland raced to a 4-0 start by winning three times in a Disney Tournament in Orlando before returning home and defeating Seneca Valley in its Class AAAA Section 3 opener. The Rams were 4-3 heading into today’s game at Brashear.

Second-year coach Tony Paganico fields a lineup led by junior catcher and Pitt recruit Brie Horrell.

First Published: April 8, 2016, 4:00 a.m.