With spring competition given the green light by the University on Wednesday, the Emory softball team opens the program's 23rd season of intercollegiate competition on Thursday (Mar. 11) when it travels to Lookout Mountain, Ga., to battle Covenant College in a doubleheader. Action at the Covenant Softball Field begins at 1:30 p.m.
Head Coach Adrianna Baggetta welcomes back 10 returnees from last year's squad that compiled a 7-5 record before seeing its season shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the vets back in the fold are Greta Wilker (Belding, MI) and Sami Feller (Coral Springs, FL), both of whom are now graduate students. Wilker was in the midst of an outstanding 2020 campaign, hitting .390 while topping the club with 16 hits and 16 RBIs, while Feller was hitting at .351 clip with a pair of round trippers to her credit. Both Wilker and Feller were recognized as All-University Athletic Association last season and were mainstays on the 2019 unit that advanced to the finals of the NCAA D-III Championships. Senior Natalie Arreguin (Lee's Summit, MO) and junior Mattie Ryan (Atlanta, GA) will serve as anchors in the infield at shortstop and first base, respectively. Arreguin has plenty of experience under her belt, having drawn 78 starting assignments in 87 appearances during her career while Ryan, who has started all 65 games during her Emory tenure, claims a total of 17 multi-hit outings. Senior Allie Moberg (South Elgin, IL) and sophomore Tyler Miller (Oviedo, FL) are versatile performers who will contribute at various positions. Junior Krista Colussi (Nazareth, PA) returns as the incumbent behind the plate after earning All-UAA honors a year ago after registering a hitting mark of .423. Junior Megan Weisenberg (Seminole, FL), another All-UAA member from last year, is a key component of the outfield contingent. Weisenberg hit a solid .364 with her 10 RBIs ranking third on the squad and her three triples the squad's top mark.
In the circle, Baggetta welcomes back senior Madison Schaefer (Newton, MA) and sophomore Trinity Pizzuti (Marietta, GA). Schaeffer, who ranks 10th all-time in program history with 25 wins, finished last year with a 3-4 record, totaling 41 innings and striking out a team-leading 30 opponents. Pizzuti logged 21 innings of work, winning three of four decisions.
Five freshmen, Paige Nellis (Suwanee, GA), Leslie Berg (Juno Beach, FL), Natalie Swift (Arlington, MA), Rachel Cocolis (Springfield, VA), and Mackenzie Goldstein (Boulder, C)) are newcomers to the program who look to make their mark.
Led by first-year Head Coach Jenny Rohn, Covenant will host Emory with a 6-10 won-lost slate. The Scots have won three of their past four outings and are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Wesleyan College (6-5 & 10-2) this past Saturday.