Softball Returns Familiar Faces, Opens Season on Sunday
PAXTON, Mass.—The Anna Maria College softball team returns a lot of familiar faces this season, but as a whole, the AMCAT program looks like a different team. Under the leadership of first-year head coach Danielle DelPonte, the 2015 edition of the AMCAT program has visions of qualifying for a conference tournament for the first time in five years.
Despite the unseasonably cold and snowy month of February, the AMCATS have been hard at work in the gym and in the weight room.
Said DelPonte, "Practices have been very productive. With the conditions this winter, we've had to cram a lot of material into a short amount of time."
The AMCATS return almost a complete infield and outfield from last year's team. A year older and wiser, the team will look to make improvements across the board, starting in the pitching circle.
Senior Nichole Lowe (Saugus, Mass.) is expected to serve as the team's ace. A four-year member of the team, Lowe has totaled 118 strikeouts over her career and has started in 59 games.
Said DelPonte of Lowe, "She competes every day. She makes her teammates better and brings a presence to the mound."
Also vying for time on the mound will be junior Angela Vousboukis (Swamscott, Mass.) and sophomore Alexis Romano (Lowell, Mass.). Vousboukis has pitched in 37 games over her career and has totaled 79 strikeouts, while Romano pitched 38.1 innings last season, most in relief.
Lowe will captain the team this season, alongside teammates Elizabeth Haggerty (Charlton, Mass.), Justine Lalonde (Shirley, N.Y.), and Kaitlyn Moran (Leicester, Mass.).
"Each one of these individuals is a tremendous leader and works at 110 percent every day. Their dedication to the team and the program is second-to-none," said DelPonte.
Haggerty, a junior second baseman, has impressed DelPonte with her talent in the infield. A vocal leader with a career batting average of .240, DelPonte expects Haggerty to bring speed and versatility to the top of the lineup.
Lalonde, a senior, has totaled 244 at-bats over her career. She holds a .255 on-base percentage and slugs at .234. DelPonte describes her as the best all-around player the AMCAT program has, and notes the power of her throw from the outfield as one of her best strengths.
Moran, the youngest team captain as a sophomore, batted at .330 in her rookie season. She totaled 30 hits, 13 runs and eight RBI in 91 at-bats while also making 33 starts at shortstop. DelPonte is hopeful that Moran will excel in the third or fourth spot of the lineup this season.
Other returning infielders include sophomore Ashley George (Leicester, Mass.) at first base and junior Samantha Miller (Dudley, Mass.) at third. George saw action in 32 games at first as a freshman, while Miller has played in 71 games over her first two seasons, compiling a .853 fielding percentage and a .280 batting average.
Freshmen Hannah Trudo (Pomfret Center, Conn.) and Kathryn Rendock (Windsor, Conn.) will both also compete for time at first base, while sophomore Amy Clement (Townsend, Mass.) will look for time at third base. Trudo also has a strong bat and may see additional time in the batting order as a designated hitter.
Spearheading the AMCAT infield will be a catching rotation of junior Lindsay Bond (Webster, Mass.) and sophomores Marissa Pingeton (Worcester, Mass.) and Laura Cabral (Fall River, Mass.).
Bond played in 35 games behind the plate during her freshman season, totaling a .900 fielding percentage and throwing out one runner. Pingeton and Cabral both saw action in 15 games last season.
The AMCAT outfield, led by veteran Lalonde, also returns senior Cristina Turley (Waterford, Conn.). Turley has played in 104 games over her career and holds a .843 fielding percentage. At the plate, she has tallied 41 hits over her career, including two doubles, two triples, and a homerun.
Joining Lalonde and Turley in the outfield will be a rotation of freshmen, including Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.), Amanda Lemire (Methuen, Mass.), Ashley Bricault (Cumberland, R.I.), and Shannon Latour (Millbury, Mass.). DelPonte praises Laiperre's ability to hit from both sides of the plate.
The AMCATS hit the field on Sunday for the first of eight games in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When the team returns, they will resume practicing until March 21, when they are scheduled to play their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at the University of St. Joseph (Conn.). The AMCATS are slated to play their first home doubleheader on Wednesday, March 25th against Norwich.
