On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, Pennsbury seniors Rowan Mulholland, Quinn McGonigle and Caitlyn Martell were recognized for signing letters of intent to compete in softball at the collegiate level. Senior Riley Mahony, who will continue her softball career at Catholic University, was also in attendance.
Caitlyn Martell – Shippensburg University (Softball)
Major: Education
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, Kutztown
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “Just from the moment I stepped on the campus, I knew – it felt like home. I was comfortable. They have an elementary school on campus, and that was perfect. I love the coach and just the energy the team brings on and off the field.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it in eighth grade. I play for the Pennsbury Gems outside of school, and Frank Ehrenfeld – whose daughter Cynthis was on the team last year – runs recruiting for the Gems. We had a meeting, he explained some things, and I just knew this is what I wanted to pursue in college because I love softball. My travel coach, Keith Ford, helped seal the deal.”
Coach Frank McSherry says: “Caitlyn has started at shortstop since her freshman year, and like all the kids, they were cheated that COVID year, so who knows what her statistics would be if she had played another year. She has just been so special – not only just a great player but a wonderful human being. She goes out of her way to be nice to everybody and helps the underclassmen. Her softball instincts are second to nobody, she has unbelievable baseball instincts. Some kids have talent, but they don’t necessarily have those baseball instincts. She could play baseball. She just knows the game, and her instincts are in another stratosphere. I’m happy for her. She’s going to make an impact at Shippensburg.”
About Caitlyn:
Favorite food: Chick-fil-A
Favorite TV show: Stranger Things
Favorite music: Country
Quinn McGonigle – Fairfield University (Softball)
Major: Mechanical engineering with a minor in sports management
Final list of colleges: Fairfield, Hofstra, Binghamton, Towson
Reasons for choosing Fairfield: “First of all the area – it’s in a really pretty area, and it will allow me to do softball and engineering, and it’s also at a competitive level.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “When I was in eighth grade, I decided – I’m definitely going to play in college, but I didn’t think I could play D-1 or anything, I didn’t think I could make it, but I had a coach on my travel team tell me to start looking higher because he had seen people cut themselves short, and he said, ‘You shouldn’t – go big.’ I ended up being able to do it.”
Coach Frank McSherry says: “Everything Quinn says and does is from the heart. She’s also very helpful with kids, and she’s multi-talented. She could play every position on the field. Quinn pitches, and she has the strongest arm from the outfield. She could catch, she could play anywhere. She really is a versatile kid, and she’s fun. She really, really hit well this summer. I even said to her one game, ‘Save some of that for the Falcons.’ She’ll do a good job at Fairfield.”
About Quinn:
Favorite food: Crab
Favorite movies: Star Wars series
Favorite artist: Queen
Rowan Mulholland – Colgate University (Softball)
Major: Undecided but possibly something in the mathematics field
Final list of colleges: Colgate, Lehigh, Monmouth, Tufts, Lafayette
Reasons for choosing Colgate: “Just driving through campus, it felt like home. I’ve always had a specific type of feel of a college that I really wanted – I wanted something homey and oldish looking. Going to the softball camp, just the coach and the environment with all the girls and coaches, it just felt like family. A lot of girls on other softball teams that I’ve been on will be like, ‘You’ll just know, you’ll get a feeling when you visit the school for you, and you’ll just know,’ and that’s what I got when I went to Colgate.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? “I started softball when I was seven, and I always watched college softball with my dad. When I was nine or 10, I was like, ‘I want to do this, I want to do what these girls are doing because I think it’s so cool and so fun.’”
Coach Frank McSherry says: “Rowan is such a bright kid, she’s really smart. She did a great job for us behind the plate last year. She came in as a junior – she got a little bit of time as a sophomore, but we had a senior catcher, so she had a little bit of time playing behind her. She’s a tremendous hitter. She has great hand-eye coordination. She’s a well-rounded kid. Up until this past year, she was part of the thespian group, and she’s been in all the schools plays, but she said it had gotten to be too much, so she had to gracefully bow out. She’s a super kid too and a tremendous kid to coach. She could be playing somewhere else other than catching too. She can play the infield, and we could work in to being a good outfielder. She’s very athletic, very talented.”
About Rowan:
Favorite food: Trader Joe’s Mac ‘n Cheese
Favorite TV shows: Stranger Things & Friends
Favorite movie: Christmas Story
Favorite music: Ariana Grande
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