Last spring, the Pennsylvania College of Technology women's softball team got its first taste of playoff action under coach Roger Harris. This year, it is looking for continued success.
"We should have a good year. I think we're going to have a great nucleus of girls (for the future). A lot of them are first-year players and, now that we've got four-year eligibility, I think it's going to make a big difference," Harris said.
"Hopefully we can make the playoffs and, now that we're a four-year school, we can keep building," he added.
The Wildcats are scheduled to open their season at 3 p.m. Wednesday, hosting Penn State Hazleton at Elm Park. All games are doubleheaders.
Returnees from last year's team that went 8-8 are sophomores Theresa D'Andrea (pitcher-first baseman/Weatherly), Danielle Hubler (second baseman/West Branch) and Jenny Berry (outfielder/Souderton).
Erica Kaiser (third baseman-first baseman/Lancaster Catholic) is the only other sophomore on the squad, while freshmen are Brittany Boyles (pitcher-first baseman/Montoursville), Ann Allton (catcher/York Catholic), Oriana Barish (outfield/Nyack, N.Y.), Gena Bixler (second baseman-outfielder/Southern Columbia), Sara Gamble (first baseman-shortstop/Northern Potter), Bethany Hoffman (pitcher-shortstop/East Juniata), Jennifer Miller (outfielder/Bellefonte), Ann Marie Prosser (outfielder/Elizabethtown), Krystal Sheredos (third baseman/Bangor) and Theresa Witherson (outfielder/DuBois).
"The pitching works well. Theresa and Bethany both have changeups and dropballs. They're not overpowering pitchers, but they do have good fastballs and good location," Harris, who is in his fourth year as coach, said.
"We have a strong defense and we have a very fast outfield," the coach assessed. "Offensively, as far as hitting, we've been working on that and haven't had a lot of time, other than in the (batting) cage."
Penn College competes in both the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference and Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference.