On Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, Pennsbury seniors Alyssa Hileman and Arden Rabiger were recognized for committing to continue their softball careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“Alyssa and Arden have been with us for four years,” coach Frank McSherry said. “They’re good kids, they’re leaders. They’ve just done a great job, and I’m really happy for them.”
Alyssa Hileman – University of Pittsburgh Johnstown (Softball)
Major: Nursing
Final list of colleges: Pitt Johnstown, West Chester, Bryant
Reasons for choosing Pitt Johnstown: “It’s the best nursing program – it’s ranked fifth in the country. I also like the small campus – I think it better suits me, and I like the coach there.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “It started becoming a possibility in eighth grade. In the beginning, softball was something I just did for fun, but in eighth grade, ninth grade, I knew I wanted to play in college.”
Coach Frank McSherry says: “The interesting thing about Alyssa is she signed with the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and that’s where (former Pennsbury standout) Niki Cognigni is the coach, so it’s one Pennsbury kid going to another Pennsbury kid.
“One of the coolest things about Alyssa – we always tell our pitchers we have zero walk tolerance because bad things happen when you have walks. She walked one kid the entire year in 17 or 18 games. Her control has gotten so much better since ninth grade. Location is key for her. She’s worked on location, and it’s certainly helped. She stayed away from a lot of big innings last year because she wasn’t walking anybody. That really helped her and helped us. It just keeps our defense on their toes, which is nice. They’re always ready for something to be put in play.”
About Alyssa:
Favorite food: Anything with Buffalo Chicken in it
Favorite television show: Shameless
Favorite music: Rap
Arden Rabiger – Penn State Brandywine (Softball)
Major: Biology
Final list of colleges: Penn State Brandywine, Monmouth, La Salle, Cabrini
Reasons for choosing Penn State Brandywine: “I love Penn State to begin with. They have a really big alumni, knowing that going into Penn State I would have a job that would secure me for a while. Playing at Penn State main was a little bit harder since it’s Division One. By playing at Penn State Brandywine, I have Division III, so I can balance more with my social life and my academics, so I get the best of both worlds.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “It went all the way back to when I was in middle school, and then I really started getting into the process the end of my freshman year, e-mailing colleges and narrowing down which ones I wanted to go to and which ones were the best fit for me.”
Coach Frank McSherry says: “Arden offensively just has a ton of power. She’s freakishly strong, she’s so strong, and she hits the ball so hard. She hit a home run last year in our last game at home, and it was the farthest home run I’ve ever seen at Pennsbury. It was over the trees that are behind the fence. That’s a monster shot, and she’s not big at all, but she’s really, really strong.
“Last year she had a concussion, so her at-bats were cut down. I think she only had 32 at-bats last year, and she had 11 hits, and six or seven of them were extra-base hits. She packs a lot of power. She can do a lot for us. She can catch, she can play the corners, and she’s played the outfield for us, so she’s a versatile player.”
About Arden:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Endless Love
Favorite music: Rihanna
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