Softball Team Ready for 1st Pitch
The Alfred State softball team heads to Myrtle Beach, SC to open up their 2018 season this weekend. A young Pioneer squad will look to play a hard nose brand of softball and improve day by day.
The Pioneers roster features three returning contributors , Zoe Derr (Elmira Height/Thomas Edison), Jordan Leonard (Lancaster), and Betsy Butlak (Lake Shore) from the 2017 squad.
- Derr made 28 starts and hit .256 (23 for 90) last season. She drove in five and scored 16 runs.
- Leonard made 18 appearances on the mound and tossed 77.2 innings. She earned two victories and struck out 12 batters. For her career she has apeared in 42 games on the mound and tossed 163.2 innings.
- Butlak saw action in 19 games last year and collected six hits. She will also see some time on the mound in 2018.
Junior transfer Jamie Parente (Mount Sinai) and freshmen first basemen Ashley Peterson (Valley Central) will be counted on to be key contributors from day one.
Head Coach Suzie DeNillo, starting her 2nd season at the helm of the program, has been impressed with the effort of her team during the preseason. "The girls have worked hard on improving their skills and I look forward to seeing how it translates on the field. We play a competitive schedule that will force us to continue to improve each day."
The blue & gold are scheduled to play 12 games during their week long trip to the Fastpitch Dreams Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC. The team will then play a combination of doubleheaders during the northern portion of their season vs. teams in the AMCC, the NEAC, the Empire 8, and the ACAA. Ultimately, the team hopes to earn a bid to the ACAA Tournament at SUNY Canton at the end of the season.
