Wissahickon Softball Preview

WISSAHICKON SOFTBALL PREVIEW

Coach:  John Bilella (2^nd year)

Assistant coach:  Ronnie D’Annunzio

Last year’s record:  11-1 SOL American Conference champions, 17-3 overall

Notable losses:  Katie Ziegler (Player of the Year, four-year starter, .500 batting average over four-year career); Rebecca Marinucci

Key returners:
Ashley Anderson – Sr., Catcher
Alex Comonitski – Sr., Shortstop
Meredith Byrne – Sr., First Base
Kelli Gillman – Sr., Center Feld
Emily Kaissi – Jr., Right Field
Donna Intinolo – Soph., Third Base
Brittany Gelman – Soph., Left Field

Others to watch:
Emma Goodrich – Sr., Pitcher
Christine Cesarini – Soph., Outfield
Caitlyn Gailey – Soph., Outfield
Andrea Mazurek – Fr., Second Base

Strengths:  Defense. The kids know they have to play defense this year.

Question marks:  The biggest question is how do you replace someone like Katie Ziegler? Players like that come along every 10 years. With just 29 players out for softball, depth could be an issue.

Outlook:  “We’re hoping to win the American Conference again after winning it three years in a row. We just want to be consistent. The kids have been great at practice, but I don’t know how they’re going to react without Katie Ziegler. They looked up to Katie. She was a captain for four years and was a total leader, and now they’re looking for somebody to look up to.”