2010 Softball Season In Review

In the 2010 season, the Elmira College Women’s Softball team finished 16-10 with improved play in the Empire 8 Conference. The Soaring Eagles finished 6-8 in the Empire 8 Conference, greatly improving their 2-10 conference record from the 2009 season. Elmira started the season 5-0 and continued their hot streak to a 13-4 record in late April, but lost close games down the stretch of the season to tough Empire 8 opponents Alfred University and Ithaca College.

For the second straight season Elmira was led by Lauryn DePaul ’10 (Liverpool, NY -- Liverpool). DePaul started all 22 games she appeared in and finished the season with an impressive .449 batting average. She recorded a team high 31 hits in her 69 at bats, hit 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs. DePaul also tallied team highs with 15 RBI’s, 22 runs scored, a .710 slugging percentage and an on base percentage of .486. DePaul received several awards this season including: Empire 8 Conference 1st Team Honors, ECAC Division III Upstate 1st Team Honors, and was named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger – National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Division III All Region Northeast 2nd Team.

In addition to DePaul, providing impressive offensive numbers for the Soaring Eagles this season was fellow 4th year player Britnee McGuire ’10 (Herkimer, NY -- Herkimer), as well as Jacqueline Gibson ’11 (Jersey Shore, PA -- Jersey Shore Area) and Erin Pruess ’12 (Glen Falls, NY -- Glen Falls Indians). McGuire posted a .338 batting average in her 26 starts, hitting a team high 7 doubles while notching 14 RBI’s and 16 runs scored while being named to the Empire 8 All-Conference 2nd team. McGuire hit 2 home runs, was on base 40.2% of the time, and stole 9 bases on the season. Gibson hit .312 this season in her 26 starts. She finished with 11 RBI’s, 4 doubles, and 11 runs scored, and was named to the Empire 8 Honorable Mention team. Pruess followed up her record setting 9 home runs in a single season in 2009 with 4 home runs this season, making her the leading home run hitter in Elmira College history with 13 long balls in just her 2nd season. Starting in all 26 of her appearances, Pruess had 4 doubles, 12 RBI’s, and scored 17 runs in addition to her team high 4 home runs. She slugged .544 and stole a team high 12 bases, and received Empire 8 Honorable Mention honors.

On the mound for Elmira this season was the trio of Katie Hobson ’13 (Guilford, CT -- Guilford), Casandra Fontinell’11 (Shoreham, NY -- Islip), and Stephany Fontinell ’11 (Shoreham, NY -- Islip). 1st year player Hobson led Elmira with an earned run average of 2.05 in her 12 appearances. Starting 6 games, Hobson notched 4 complete games and finished with an impressive 6-1 record on the season. In her 48.1 innings pitched she only surrendered an opponent batting average of .194 and finished with 26 strikeouts. At the dish Hobson hit .250 with 2 RBI’s. C. Fontinell was a workhorse for the Soaring Eagles leading the team with 76.1 innings pitched. She went 5-6 on the season with a 3.54 ERA. She started 13 of the 16 games she appeared and tallied 7 complete games and 34 strikeouts, while surrendering a .259 opponent batting average. At the plate she hit .171 and scored 2 runs on the season. S. Fontinell recorded a 5-3 record with a 5.56 earned run average in her 7 starts and 11 appearances. She struck out 33 in 45.1 innings, and opponents hit .260 off her this season. With a bat she hit .264 with 19 hits, 6 doubles, 7 RBI’s, and 8 runs.

Also making contributions this season for the Soaring Eagles were Megan Werner ’11 (Vestal, NY -- Vestal Central), Teszalyn Culp ’12 (Drayton, ON -- Norwell District Secondary), Caitlin Roman ’11 (Verbank, NY -- Millbrook), Darcy James ’12 (Castile, NY -- Letchworth Central), and Erin Rupell ’11 (Lehighton, PA -- Lehighton). Werner hit .203 starting in all 26 of her appearances. She notched 13 hits, 8 RBI’s, and scored 4 runs. Culp hit .176 in 17 plate appearances. She finished with 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored, and was Elmira’s representative for Empire 8 Conference Sportswoman of the Year. Roman hit .159 starting in 17 of her 19 appearances while scoring 3 times and knocking in 2. James started 17 games and hit .157 with 7 RBI’s and 3 runs, while Rupell hit .120 in her 10 appearances with 1 home run, 2 RBI’s, and 3 runs.

1st year players making contributions included Carlye Bianco ’13 (Eatontown, NJ -- Monmouth Regional), Suzanne Leslie ’13 (Ossining, NY -- Ossining), Alex Andrade ’13 (Fairhaven, MA -- Bishop Strong), Sarah Tarquino ’13 (Schwenksville, PA -- Perkiomen Valley), Jennifer Durso ’13 (Geneva, NY -- Waterloo), and Meagan Davenport ’13 (Elmira, NY -- Elmira Free). Bianco started 16 of 20 games played and hit .250 from the plate, scored 7 runs, and was 4-4 stealing on the base paths. Leslie was .125 from the plate in her 15 starts, recording 1 RBI and 3 runs, while Andrade was 3 for 10 from the plate with 1 double, 1 triple, and 3 RBI’s. Tarquino started 1 game, Durso appeared in 4, and Davenport had 1 appearance on the season.