On Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, North Penn seniors Gianna Cimino, Casey Sokol, Bella Nunn & Liv Stevens were recognized for committing to play softball at the collegiate level.
Gianna Cimino – Shippensburg University (Softball)
Major: Exercise Science/Physical Therapy
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, Kutztown, Binghamton
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “The reason I chose Shippensburg is because I love the softball program and the school in general.”
Coach Rick Torresani says: “Gianna Cimino has been a starter since ninth grade and has been part of our two state championship teams. She’s one of our leaders this year – she’s an outstanding player and an outstanding leader in the field. She’s going to move from second base to shortstop, and she’s going to be our leadoff hitter. We’re counting on her to set the tone for the team and, hopefully, lead us to where we think that we can go. She’s going to have a great career at Shippensburg and do really well there.
“I’m really looking forward to this year as far as the team goes with these seniors. They’re going to lead us. Everybody thinks we’re not going to be as good as we were last year, the year before or the last five or six years, but I think these kids are going to come out and show everybody that they deserve to be there. This team has unbelievable talent.”
About Gianna:
Favorite food: Pasta/Rigatoni
Favorite TV show: Dance Moms
Favorite song: “Ghost Town” by Kanye West
Bella Nunn – University of Maryland Baltimore County (Softball)
Major: Media & Communications
Final list of colleges: UMBC, UNC-Wilmington, Bucknell
Reasons for choosing UMBC: “I chose UMBC because I love the coaching staff, and it just felt like a family from the moment I stepped on campus.”
Coach Rick Torresani says: “Bella is going to do the majority of the pitching, if not all of it. She’s a great athlete and a really, really good pitcher. She’s been biding her time to get on that mound and do the same as Mady Volpe and Julia Shearer did. As far as the pitching goes – if there’s a girl I can compare her to that I’ve had in years of pitching, it’s Mady Volpe. She’s that talented, she’s that hard of a worker. She’s close to the level of Julia Shearer but hasn’t reached it yet. She’s right there with Mady Volpe, who’s not far behind Julia. She’s going to be our fifth hitter. We’re looking for some power out of her this year. She worked really hard in the summer and has gone against some really outstanding teams in travel ball and proved to me and the coaching staff that she can pitch 28 games, and that’s what we’re looking forward to her doing.”
About Bella:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite TV show: Vampire Diaries
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Casey Sokol – Stockton University (Softball)
Major: Environmental Science with a Marine Biology concentration
Final list of colleges: Stockton, Muhlenberg, TCNJ, University of New Haven
Reasons for choosing Stockton: “I chose Stockton because it really fit my major and what I wanted to do in the future. It wasn’t too far from home, and I really loved the softball program and the coaches.”
Coach Rick Torresani says: “Casey Sokol is a really good player, and she picked a college – Stockton - where I think she’ll do well. She led our team throughout the playoffs last year, including the state playoffs in hitting. She had three hits in the state championship game at State College. She’s continued her hitting. She’s also a pitcher that I believe will do really well, and when we need somebody to pitch, she’ll be there waiting and wanting the ball. She’s going to be our third hitter to drive in runs like she did last year. She’s a consistent hitter, a consistent gap hitter. Stockton is really getting a player for a Division 3 school. I thought she might be a little higher and be a Division 1 or Division 2 kid, but she picked the university that’s going to fit her really well.”
About Casey:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite snack: Goldfish
Favorite movie: The Hunger Games Trilogy or Inside Out
Favorite artist: Mac Miiller or Sza
Liz Stevens – Thomas Jefferson University (Softball)
Major: Health Sciences
Final list of colleges: Thomas Jefferson, Gwynedd Mercy
Reasons for choosing Thomas Jefferson: “I really liked Jefferson because of the coaching staff., and I liked the environment.
Coach Rick Torresani says: “Liv Stevens is a unique girl. As a freshman she came out for softball and then as a sophomore, she decided not to play softball and concentrate on basketball. Last year, as a junior, she was going against nine other juniors at the time, and her play was not what we thought it should be as a junior, and she got cut. She told me last year she was going to come out again, and she was going to work hard and prove me wrong, and she did. She worked really hard in the summer, and in fall ball, she was one of our best players. She is going to help us tremendously because we lost five really good players, and she’s going to fit in really nice. I think she’s going to be a starter, and her hitting is what’s going to carry her. She’s a power hitter, a gap hitter, and I am so excited for her. If there’s a kid in all my career who worked hard enough and chose to work hard enough to come back as a senior and say, ‘I’m going to play for you and I’m going to start’ - she’s done it. I’m so happy for her – I’m happy for her parents and her grandparents who are very devoted to her when it comes to softball and athletics.”
About Liz:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
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