Latrobe's softball team won the WPIAL Class AAA championship a year ago and also made it to the PIAA final before losing.

The Wildcats aren't looking for a repeat performance this season. They're looking for more.

"We have so many seniors and so many players back that the expectations for these girls is to go one step beyond what they did last year," said Latrobe coach Bob Kovalcin.

In other words, a PIAA title is the ultimate goal. Latrobe is No. 1 in WPIAL Class AAA in the Post-Gazette's first rankings of the season.

"This year is different," Kovalcin said. "Last year, we kind of started in the middle of the pack and crept our way up. This year, we're going to be more of the hunted."

One of the primary reasons for the optimism is senior pitcher Alexa Bryson, who was 20-2 last season with 277 strikeouts.

Meghan Kozusko played shortstop last year but moved to first base. Emily Fenton, who missed all of last season with wrist and thumb injuries, is back at shortstop.

Other top returning players are Molly Kovalcin, the coach's daughter, at second base, Lauren Taylor at catcher, Rachel Eaglehouse at third and Amanda Malnofsky in the outfield. Sam Ferry and Amber Biddle were role players last year and are now starting outfielders.

"What we've really emphasized this year so far is batting and producing more runs, so we can take a little pressure off Alexa," Bob Kovalcin said.

Here is a look at some other top teams around the WPIAL and City League.

Seneca Valley lost to Latrobe in last year's WPIAL championship and is ranked No. 2. Courtney Grootegoed split time at pitcher last year but will be No. 1 this season.

Seneca Valley plays in highly competitive Section 3 along with third-ranked Shaler and No. 4 North Allegheny.

Shaler is led by pitcher Megan Daley, who was 15-2 last year. North Allegheny doesn't have an overpowering pitcher, but it has plenty of solid hitting.

No. 1 Ellwood City lost only one game last season -- in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. With the return of pitcher Katelyn Yoho, Ellwood City is the team to beat this season. Yoho was 16-1 last year with 179 strikeouts.

WPIAL champion Belle Vernon is strong up the middle with pitcher Ashley Nichols (18-5 last season) and catcher Heather Sellew.

South Park is ranked No. 1 and has a chance for a triple crown. South Park already has won WPIAL soccer and basketball titles this school year.

South Park has a number of returning starters, including outfielder Nicole Balcar, who hit better than .400 last season.

Chartiers-Houston has an excellent chance at defending its WPIAL championship. Senior Jaci Timko has been an outstanding shortstop the past few seasons but will spend more time as a pitcher this season.

Perry lost in the championship game to Brashear a year ago but is good enough to finish on top this season. Perry's Danielle Ufolla (pitcher-outfielder) and Korey Freyermuth (pitcher) were all-City League last year as sophomores.