Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

 
A 2011 graduate of Yough, Nicole Sleith Schaffer is only the second student-athlete and first female to have their uniform jersey retired at the school. Sleith posted a 62-10 record with 989 strikeouts, 0.57 earned run average, and a .463 batting average over her high school career, and tossed 13 no-hitters. As a senior, she helped lead the Cougars to the WPIAL Class 3A title – which was the school’s first in any sport – by accumulating a 19-2 record, 0.56 earned run average, 298 strikeouts, and three no-hitters. Sleith garnered three All-State honors and was named Player of the Year as a senior by both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She continued her softball career at Robert Morris University, becoming one of the best pitchers in program history. Sleith was named Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Year three times, was a four-time NFCA All-Region pick, and the 2012 NEC Rookie of the Year. She set career school records in strikeouts with 932 and wins with 78, and posted a 1.70 earned run average over four seasons. Her 296 strikeouts as a senior are tied for the most in NEC history, and in her penultimate collegiate start, she tossed a 76-pitch perfect game against Fairleigh Dickinson in the NEC Tournament. Sleith graduated from RMU in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and Master’s degree in engineering management, and was inducted into the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. She also was named to the NEC’s Mount Rushmore for softball in 2021 as one of the conference’s four greatest players in the sport. Sleith now serves as the director of player development and assistant coach for the Duke University softball team, and a biomedical engineering manager for Medline.