Interview with Alicia Hughes

Interview with Ally Homa

Millersville, Pa. – As softball head coach Kathy Cummings enters her 19th season at the helm of the Marauders, she brings a load of young and promising talent to a loaded Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division.

With 11 new players on a roster of 17, including 10 freshmen, Cummings knows this season's edition of Marauder softball depends on leadership more than any team in program history. Out of the six returners, only three are upperclassmen. Cummings will have to rely on lone senior Ally Homa and juniors Allison Chew--an All-PSAC East First Teamer a year ago--and Alicia Hughes to lead by example. The veteran head coach thinks their leadership will be vital to where and how far this team goes.

The team opens its season at home on Friday at 2 p.m. against Chowan.

“Our upperclassmen have got to be the examples,” said Cummings. “So far, they absolutely are. This group is outstanding with their leadership and work ethic. I definitely see the younger group following in their footsteps and pushing themselves too.”

With a tight crop of teams at the top of the PSAC East, the Marauders have their work cut out for them in their climb to the top of the standings. Millersville has to leapfrog Shippensburg, Kutztown and West Chester to take the division crown; a feat that Cummings knows can be accomplished because of the team-first philosophy the Marauders hold. The team needs everyone to contribute, including those on the bench to be ready to step in defensively or to run the bases, according to Cummings.

The strength of this team lies in its pitching and athleticism. Hughes looks to have a large impact on a young pitching staff coming off a strong year. A PSAC Scholar-Athlete last season, she gives the Marauders an ace and experience at the top of the rotation. Although she was only 9-8, Hughes led the team in multiple categories: earned run average (2.57), games (21), games started (16), complete games (10), shutouts (3), innings pitched (111.2) and batting average against (.277).

Hughes will need to be an important mentor to three new freshmen pitchers: Sarah Bertoni, Stephanie Kulp and Ashley Cantiello. Bertoni brings big game experience as she led Greater Nanticoke High School to a PIAA State Championship in 2010 on her way to being named the Wyoming Valley Conference Player of the Year and a member of the All-PIAA First Team.

Kulp, a Lansdale native, will be called upon to add pitching depth but was a First Team All-League outfielder at North Penn, showing that she has the versatility to be a dual threat. Cantiello will also split time between the rotation and first base and give the team another arm on days where Hughes or Bertoni does not start.

Athletically, Cummings has reason to believe this team can match up against any in the conference. Last season's team had a stellar .952 fielding percentage as a unit and that only figures to get better. While the infield is going to have turnover, the outfield returns all three starters from last year's team. Homa, Chew and sophomore Taylor Odell-Smith all return to patrol the outfield in center, left and right field, respectively.

Offensively, the outfield trio is expected to give the Marauders punch in their lineup as well. Chew had a team-leading five home runs and 22 runs batted in, good for second on the team, as well as a sparkling .358 batting average. Odell-Smith added two home runs and 18 RBIs, batting .250 and walking nine times. Homa added five doubles and nine RBIs.

When the team opens its season March 2 with a doubleheader at Chowan, the infield will look different. Gone are Kelly Fitzgerald (the team's leading hitter and catcher), Davina Kachnovitz (last year's shortstop, she batted .363 and had a team-high seven steals), Deanna Schneiderreit (starter at second base) and Casey Coker (a senior last year and anchor at first base).

Departed from that infield are three players that were All-PSAC East First Team selections. Fitzgerald, Kachnovitz and Coker all garnered first team nods last season. Super-sub Sarah Signore also graduated after her All-PSAC East Second Team selection as a utility player.

Those four players, along with the returner in Chew, made up a record high five Marauders chosen for All-PSAC East honors. Also last season, Cummings notched her 300th win as coach of the Marauders. Which one did she choose as her biggest accomplishment?

“Me getting 300 wins is actually the program getting 300 wins,” Cummings said. “That's huge for the program in my time here. But I think I'm most proud when we have the level of talent that stands out to other coaches, players and teams that these girls get recognized for their hard work and contributions to this program.

“I'm very proud of what this team did last year and it shows that Millersville has the talent to compete,” said Cummings. Cummings has certainly brought in more talent to offset the loss of award-winning players that were important parts of the team.

Cummings has rebuilt this team on the fly and recruited talent to replace the old guard. Several freshmen are going to be expected to compete for a wide-open infield. Wendy Wolff, a Greencastle native, led her team to a PIAA Championship in 2009 and looks to win a middle infield job. Danielle DiFilippo also led her Hatboro-Horsham team to a PIAA Championship in 2008 and is a candidate to play on the right side of the infield at either first or second base.

At the other corner infield spot, Emily Sneeringer returns after a freshman season that gave her valuable experience starting all 38 games at the “hot corner.” One other key player to watch will be Jamie Motsko. After redshirting during what would have been her sophomore year last season, she looks to regain her 2010 form, which saw her play in all 47 games during that season.

During 2010, Motsko started 45 of the 47 games in which she played. Capable of playing the corner infield spots and at designated player, she demonstrated that she could bring thump to the middle of the Marauder lineup by leading the team in home runs with five and knocking in 19 RBIs while hitting .270 for her freshman season. A return to 2010 form for Motsko would be a big boost for Millersville, giving the Marauders another veteran presence and leadership on the young roster.

With all new players that are looking to contribute, Cummings has one goal in mind for her inexperienced squad: win. “It's going to take them stepping up and getting that mentality that they want to win at the highest level possible,” said Cummings. While this club may lack the familiarity with the college level of play, the group, with Homa, Chew and Hughes leading the way, has the youth, depth and versatility to make a run in the top-heavy PSAC East.