Emmanuel College Softball

By Kate McKenna

GNAC Correspondent, Emmanuel College

The Emmanuel College softball team is well on its way to establishing itself as a program to contend with in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, despite the many obstacles they faced the past two seasons.

Early in the 2006/2007 academic year, the girls softball team was suddenly left without a coach. As a result of their coach’s sudden resignation, they had no recruiting for the next season.

Finishing the season with 3 wins, 1 tie and 31 losses, the Saints did not “wow” spectators with their outstanding record. Instead, they impressed everyone with their determination and positive attitudes despite their less-than-favorable circumstances.

Stephanie Rege, class of 2008, pitched for the Saints for the duration of the season, never having pitched competitively in her softball career. Danielle Andruskiwec and Sarah Palmer-Thompson, both class of 2010, caught for the Saints, although neither had catching experience or catching mitts.

Danielle Andruskiwec, who caught many games with her shortstop glove, says, “We all had to step up and play positions that we were not comfortable playing. We didn’t win many games, but we learned a lot about each other and our trust in each other as teammates. Facing those challenges only helped us to get to where we are today.”

Michelle Morales, the Emmanuel Saints head coach, brings experience and a positive attitude to the table, helping the Saints develop into the reputable program they know they can be. Because of the small freshmen class this past season, Coach Morales recruited extremely hard this past year so that the Saints could have a deep, talented team.

“Coach Morales didn’t have a lot to work with when she came here, but she coached hard all the time. She [Morales] knows the game inside and out and we can always look to her for constructive criticism. She still plays the game herself, so she can relate to us on multiple levels,” Andruskiwec says.

The Saints will surely shock many opposing teams and fans this season as they look to take the GNAC title.

“I’m very excited for this season. We have so much talent that it is really going to be a dog fight for starting positions. I am thrilled that I will be vying for a starting position because it will keep me on my toes. The competition will just encourage us all to work that much harder,” says Andruskiwec.

GNAC correspondents are selected by their institution to write feature stories for the GNAC website.