Five Times News area softball players were recently selected to the 2017 Pennsylvania High School Association All-State Softball Teams.

Three — Tamaqua’s Cailyn Joseph, Northern Lehigh’s Kaitlin Hoffman, and Northwestern’s Brooke Wehr — made the First Team in their respective classes, while two others — Tamaqua’s Jada Schellhammer and Courtney Hoffman — were Second Team selections.“When I saw they made all-state, I was excited for them,” said Tamaqua head coach Jillian Barron of her Class 4A players. “We had a couple second-teamers last year, so to see Cailyn Joseph make first team is quite an accomplishment. She’s hard-working and she was a big part of our success this year.”While Joseph (outfield) was a senior, Schellhammer (pitcher) and Courtney Hoffman (infield) secured spots on the second team as underclassmen.“Jada had an outstanding season coming in as just a sophomore,” Barron said. “She pitched in only two games as a freshman because we had Bailey Pedersen last year. Jada pitched in every game this year and really made a name for herself.“Courtney is just a solid all-around player. She’s a good athlete and she’s a threat both defensively and offensively. She’s my spark plug. When she does her thing, it gets the whole team and lineup going.”The Bulldogs’ Hoffman, a two-time Times News Player of the Year, made the 3A First Team as the flex player. Hoffman, a junior, played mainly shortstop and pitcher.“Kaitlin is a total player,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Robert Hicks. “She can run the bases and she’s a great pitcher. She can play other positions, she’s on top of things and you can’t rattle her.”Northwestern’s Wehr, a senior who will be playing at Moravian College, made the Class 4A First Team as the designated player.“She’s an ultimate competitor,” said Northwestern coach Josh Zimmerman. “I had the pleasure of coaching her for three years. There’s nobody that’s more deserving to have an honor like this. It’s pretty cool for a player to achieve an honor like this from a small school. She can play for any team and her stats and the way she played exemplified.”