WASHINGTON, Pa. – Fresh off an appearance in the 2021 Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament, the Washington & Jefferson College softball team looks for continued success this spring.

2021 Season Review: The 2021 W&J softball team had a lot of inexperienced players step up to guide them back to the PAC Tournament for the first time since 2015.

The 2021 squad featured just one senior, starting second baseman, Brooke McCleester. W&J's roster last spring featured just four juniors as well as 13 of the Presidents' 18 players were underclassmen.

"I believe having a young roster helped us because they dealt with the loss of a season in high school as well so they could all relate," head coach Marissa Rush stated. "I also feel as though they didn't feel as much pressure being a younger team because they didn't feel they had anything to lose. We are still a fairly young roster, so I think our drive will continue to be very focused on getting back to the tournament."

After being limited to a dozen games in the spring of 2020, the Presidents were scheduled for a full 36-game, conference-only schedule in 2021.

The Presidents swept five out of the nine conference teams last season. W&J started 2021 with a sweep over Franciscan (5-2, 6-0) and a sweep against Thiel (10-3, 9-0).

The Presidents used an eight-game winning streak near the end of the regular season to catapult themselves into the PAC Tournament. W&J recorded consecutive conference sweeps over Saint Vincent (10-9, 6-5), Waynesburg (8-2, 6-3), Thiel (8-0, 8-0) and Grove City (3-2, 3-2) in an eight-day span before falling twice to eventual PAC champion Geneva in the regular season finale.

W&J's record of 17-14-1 and a 9-7 mark in Presidents' Athletic Conference play qualified them for the PAC Tournament for the first time since 2015.

"I think last season the team was just so excited to have a season. They now know how quickly things can be taken from you and they used that as a motivation to leave it all on the field every game," said Rush.



Returners: The Presidents return 14 players from the 2021 squad.

"Having 14 returners is great. We have the experience of knowing what it takes to get to the conference tournament, and the discipline that needs to be practiced," Rush said. "I have a variety of leaders on the team which I feel is very exciting. They have been able to share their experience with the first-year players of what works and what doesn't work on the field and in the classroom."

Infielders
Junior utility Peyton Eckenrode (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern) returns to the Red & Black as W&J's top threat at the plate. Eckenrode was one of the top hitters in the PAC in 2021. She ranked among the top 10 in the league in on-base percentage (.528), slugging percentage (.638), batting average (.429), runs scored (33), doubles (12) and total bases (67). Eckenrode also walked 17 times and was hit by pitch on five occasions. Eckenrode ranked second in the PAC in on-base percentage and walks. She reached base at a 64.6 clip when leading off an inning. Additionally, she recorded a team-best five stolen bases and also collected 12 runs batted in. She had 14 multi-hit games, which included a pair of four hit games. Eckenrode was twice named PAC Hitter of the Week in 2021.

"I expect her to continue to put in the work that she does to be so successful. She has a great mindset as a student-athlete and is one of the hardest workers I have worked with," said Rush. "She is quiet but does a great job by leading by example and still sets the standard of what a good student-athlete is. I think she will continue to be a threat at the plate and it will be tough to get a ball past her. We have to remember Peyton's first season was cut short, so she is really only a sophomore on the field, so she still has growing to do, which makes me excited."

Senior utility Sarah Labbe (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonksee) ranked second on the Presidents in batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.491), on-base percentage (.403), runs scored (24), hits (41), runs batted in (16), total bases (55). Her 14 doubles led the squad and tied for the second most among PAC players in 2021. Labbe recorded 13 multi-hit games, which included a two-hit performance in the PAC Tournament against Grove City on May 5.

Eckenrode and Labbe are expected to make up the left side of the infield for the Presidents.

"Sarah is a high energy player who several players respect on the team. She knows how to have fun and does her best not to allow mistakes affect the outcome of the game," said Rush. "She is a smart and aggressive player. I think she leads by example on and off the field. She is a great student-athlete who practices what she preaches as well as a hard worker on the field. The team sees the extra time she puts in to getting better."

Olivia Dewick (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) returns as W&J's starting first baseman. Dewick accumulated a team-high 94 putouts, defensively. Dewick finished her season with 28 hits and 14 RBI while amassing a .283 batting average.

Sophomore catcher Kasey Scears (Washington, Pa./Chartiers Houston) appeared in 26 games for the Red & Black and caught five runners attempting to steal. Scears compiled a .307 batting average, tallied 16 RBI and slugged a pair of home runs last spring.

Elsewhere in the infield, sophomores Taylor Carlisle (Washington, Pa./Washington) and Abby Fullem (Everson, Pa./Southmoreland) will look to compete for playing time as sophomores.
 
Outfielders
Junior Mollie Charlton (North Apollo, Pa./Apollo Ridge) appeared in all 33 games for her sophomore campaign. Charlton registered her first collegiate home run in their win against Saint Vincent. She compiled a .250 batting average with eight RBI and 10 runs scored.

When not in the circle, senior Alisha Kulka (Hanover, Pa./South Western) will start in the oufield. She appeared in 32 games (31 starts) with a .254 average with 12 runs scored and five RBI. 

Sophomore Savannah Keough (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) started in 17 games in her freshman season despite being limited by injuries. Keough finished with a pair of hits in W&J's PAC Tournament game versus Grove City. She represented W&J on the PAC Sportsmanship Team.

Kate Barone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) appeared in 25 games, which included 23 starts, in the outfield last spring.
 

Pitchers
Kulka and sophomore pitcher Jordan Hinz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) had standout seasons on the mound. Kulka recorded a career-high 96.1 innings pitched last spring as a junior. She finished the season with six wins and 45 strikeouts. Hinz finished as the team leader in wins (8) and strikeouts (48) during her freshman campaign.  

Sophomore pitcher/utility Sydney Petrowski (Lemont Furnace, Pa./Connellsville) was effective out of the W&J bullpen, finishing with a 3-0 record and three saves in her initial season with the Red and Black. Chloe Smith (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) enters the mix after missing her freshman season. 

Newcomers: The Presidents add a nine-player freshmen class in hopes to bolster the 2022 roster.

"Our freshman class is a talented class and several of them have the ability to play multiple positions. They are willing to do whatever necessary to contribute to the team's success and that's what I love to have on my team," said Rush. "Their energy is great. They are just facing typical freshman challenges and juggling everything that comes their way. I think they are doing well. I have high hopes for this class this year and in the years to come."
 
IF – Izzy DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice)
OF/P – Emily Schmucker (Latrobe, Pa./Latrobe)
IF – Haileigh Reed (Sproul, Pa./Claysburg Kimmel)
OF/IF – Alex Miller (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion Area)
C/IF – Katie Bartram (Luthersville-Timonium, Md./Towson)
OF – Aliya Schraeder (McDonald,Pa./South Fayette)
C/IF – Mackenzie Boyd (Beaver, Pa./Beaver)
IF – Ashleigh Gerber (Woodstock, Md./Marriots Ridge)
IF – Austine Kinney (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick)
 

2022 PAC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes)	Points	2021 Records (PAC)
1. Geneva (8)	89	36-5 (16-2)
2. Westminster (1)	82	33-4 (16-2)
3. Bethany (1)	73	21-17 (11-5)
4. Grove City	59	16-20 (9-9)
5. W&J	57	17-15-1 (9-7)
6. Saint Vincent	54	12-15-1 (6-8)
7. Waynesburg	43	12-24 (3-15)
8. Chatham	37	13-20 (8-10)
9. Thiel	24	1-29 (1-15)
10. Franciscan	22	10-22 (5-11)

 

PAC Players To Watch - W&J
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Olivia Dewick	Sr.	1B	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Keystone Oaks
Peyton Eckenrode	Jr.	SS	York Haven, Pa. | Northeastern
Alisha Kulka	Sr.	P/OF	Hanover, Pa. | South Western
Sarah Labbe	Sr.	3B	Belgrade, Maine | Messalonksee

Looking at the schedule: W&J is scheduled to play a 40-game schedule. After a postponement to W&J's scheduled season opener with Penn State Dubois (March 13), the Presidents will open the 2022 season at Pitt-Greensburg on March 16. W&J will then travel to Clermont, Florida for the PFX Spring Games during Spring Break (March 19-24) before opening up conference play. Conference play starts April 2 as the Presidents will travel to New Wilmington, Pa. to face Westminster. W&J will play each conference team twice in an 18-game PAC slate. 
 
Last Word: "I am excited to see where this team will go. We only lost one senior last year, and while we have three impact seniors this year, we are still a fairly young team with a lot of potential," said Rush. "This team has put in the hours in the classroom and on the field and we are ready to see that hard work play out. I am very optimistic with this team. We have the competitive drive and compete every day at practice, I look forward to how that translates into games this season."