WEST CHESTER, Pa.- As February rolls on and days become progressively longer once again, the West Chester University softball team is finishing its preparations to start anew as the 2024 season commences on Saturday morning in Wilson, North Carolina, at Barton against the Bulldogs and Frostburg State. After returning to the PSAC and NCAA Tournament a year ago, West Chester will look to make continued strides as the Golden Rams look to make their return to the Division II Softball National Finals in 2024 on the 10th anniversary of the team's first appearance.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
West Chester was picked to finish second in the PSAC East preseason coaches poll. The Golden Rams received a pair of first-place votes and trailed only reigning Atlantic Regional Champion, East Stroudsburg, in the poll as the Warriors earned five-place votes and the top spot in the poll. Shippensburg was close behind West Chester, checking in third with two first-place votes of its own, followed by Kutztown and Bloomsburg to round out the top five. Lock Haven was ranked sixth, followed by Shepherd in seventh, Millersville in eighth, and Mansfield in ninth to complete the Eastern Division poll.
Out West, Mercyhurst captured the top spot, receiving four first-place votes, while Seton Hill was second with three votes of its own, followed by Gannon and Slippery Rock with one vote each. California (Pa.) rounded out the top five, followed by IUP, Clarion, Pitt-Johnstown, and Edinboro to complete the Western Division.
"The polls are nice but don't mean that much once the season starts," started head coach
Diane Lokey, who enters her 21
st season with the Golden Rams with 646 wins at WCU on her resume. "At the end of the day, you still have to play and win the games. The PSAC East in 2023 was so deep. Just think about how we won the East Regular Season title with our most league wins in team history, Shippensburg won the PSAC Tournament, and East Stroudsburg won the Regional and went to the National Finals in Tennessee. It's a very tough division year in and year out, so to be picked second is an honor, but it doesn't mean all that much, as we still have to make sure we are working hard and doing what we need to do on the field."
LOOKING BACK
Last spring, West Chester ensured its hiatus from the PSAC and NCAA Tournament would last only one year, finishing the season with a mark of 37-19 overall and a record of 24-6 in league action to capture a share of its sixth PSAC East Regular-Season Title, while setting a new program record for Conference wins in the process. Lokey's charges suffered an opening-day exit from the PSAC Tournament in Quakertown before advancing to the NCAA Tournament as a fifth seed, marking the 11th time Lokey has led her team into the NCAA Tournament. West Chester started the Tournament with a 6-3 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) before falling to East Stroudsburg and WVWC on the second day to bring the season to a close. After the season, freshman pitcher
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon), who was a First Team All-PSAC East honoree as well), was named the Atlantic Region Finalist for the Tucci Sports/NFCA DII Freshman of the Year award. Senior outfielder
Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) also took home another All-America citation, earning DII-CCA Third Team All-American honors.
"The 2023 season was very important for us," acknowledged Lokey. "We got back into the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments, which is something we've been doing consistently for the last 10-plus years, so it is great that we have such a large portion of our team back with that experience."
Lokey earned PSAC East Coach of the Year honors at the end of the regular season to headline six Golden Rams on the all-league squad as Ciliberto, Melvin,
Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca), and
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) all earned First Team honors, while
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) and
Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) earned Second Team honors.
West Chester returns all six of its all-league selections from a year ago and much of its 2023 pitching staff as well, headlined by Ciliberto,
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), and
Samantha Klug (East Norriton, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) who all logged big innings in the circle for West Chester a season ago.
On the offensive side, West Chester returns most of its starting lineup from a year ago, including the top five batting averages on the team, its runs leader, RBI leader, and home run leader.
Madison Melvin turned in another excellent season in 2023, posting a .481 batting average with a 1.115 OPS and a team-best 58 runs scored, while younger sister
Hailey Melvin was second on the team with a .383 batting average while also leading the team in RBI with 41. Aguilar and Rittenbaugh were close behind, finishing the year with .335 and .350 batting averages, driving in 68 runs and scoring 77 more between the two of them.
Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord), who ended the year fifth on the team in batting average at .276, led the team in home runs, hitting six a year ago, including a grand slam for her first collegiate HR against the College of Staten Island on March 18.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester returns many key pieces from a year ago, headlined by the return of two-time All-American Melvin along with Atlantic Region Tucci Sports/NFCA DII Freshman of the Year finalist Ciliberto.
In the circle, West Chester returns four pitchers from a year ago as Ciliberto, Klug, Edwards, and
Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) all return for the 2024 season. West Chester must overcome the loss of
Antonia Browning (Newark, Del./Charter School of Wilmington), as the Monmouth transfer provided excellent depth to the Golden Rams pitching staff a year ago. Ciliberto led the staff in almost every major statistical category a year ago, leading the team in wins (14), ERA (1.66), WHIP (1.03), complete games (9), shutouts (7), and strikeouts (96). Edwards led the staff in batting average against (.223) and was second on the team in most other categories, finishing the year with a record of 9-7 with two saves and a 2.18 ERA throughout 90 innings of work. Klug also turned in an impressive rookie season, pitching to a record of 10-3 with a 3.20 era and a 1.29 WHIP in 83.0 innings of work. Klug also ranked third on the team in strikeouts, fanning 64 batters while holding foes to a .261 batting average against. Picozzi, who pitched in many big spots for the Golden Rams in her first two seasons and led the team in wins as a sophomore in 2022, was a perfect 2-0 a year ago with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP with 12 strikeouts throughout 22.0 innings of work.
In addition to the strong stable of returning arms, West Chester welcomes a pair of newcomers,
Emma Maurer (Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) and Rhiannon Henry (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley), who add essential depth to the Golden Rams staff.
"We are ecstatic to return four big arms from a year ago along with our two newcomers," acknowledged Lokey. The Golden Rams returning core have all logged big innings and turned in some important efforts for West Chester already in their young careers, a fact not lost on Lokey. "Preparation is all about confidence and remembering past successes," started Lokey. "It is important to remember how you've been successful before, build off that, and work to improve daily. We have a lot of experience in the circle, and I think that really helps our returners' continued development and our newcomers' adjustment to the college game."
While the face in the circle will likely be familiar to Golden Ram fans throughout much of the season, it'll be a new face behind the plate receiving pitches from these arms as the Golden Rams must fill the void left by the graduation of
Abigail Quinn and
Haleigh Karcher. West Chester does return a pair of catchers in,
Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) and
Gia Borelli (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson), who have both caught sparingly while playing other positions around the Golden Ram infield to this point in their careers. West Chester also welcomes a pair of newcomers who are likely to see time behind the plate this season as
Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) and
Lauren Daniels (Drums, Pa./Hazleton) join the Golden Rams.
"We have a very talented group of catchers who have all done a nice job so far this year," said Lokey. "The returners (Casey and Gia) have both seen some time behind the plate already in their careers but also play other important roles for us. Paige and Lauren both have bright futures, as all of our newcomers have been great additions to our roster. I think the entire group of new players have fit in well; they showed up, have been working hard, and have done a nice job learning and integrating into our culture here at West Chester."
The Golden Ram infield will be an exciting mix of familiar faces and newcomers as West Chester returns the stellar middle-infield duo of Aguilar and Rittenbaugh with the potential for a mix of new and old faces on the corners. Aguilar is expected to continue her duties at shortstop with Rittenbaugh alongside at second.
"I'm very excited to have our entire middle of the field back with the return of Grace, Kate, and Madison. We look forward to their final year of softball and hope they can help us have an outstanding season. Lexy (
Alexa Peterson) is our other fifth-year player and missed time last year, but we are excited to see what she does this year," continued Lokey.
Over at first, West Chester has a strong mix of players who can play the position as well, with Best and two-sport standout Wolfe returning from a year ago, along with the return of another fifth-year player in
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan). Wolfe who is coming off her second season with the Golden Ram volleyball team, batted .230 a year ago with 23 RBI and 23 runs scored thanks in part to three home runs, which helped her achieve second-team All-Conference status. Peterson saw limited action a year ago due to injury but returns in 2024 looking to build off a 2023 season, which saw her bat .314 with a pair of doubles and a home run.
"Meg and Casey did a nice job wherever we put them last year, including first base, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them this year."
Third base remains a bit of an open question for West Chester as the new season begins as the Golden Rams look to replace both the defense and offensive production provided by
Olivia Mock a season ago. Lokey and the Golden Rams have a bevy of options at the hot corner as they welcome transfers from St. Francis (Pa.) and Shepherd in
Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Gianna Liciardello (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), along with returners Borelli and
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), who are all expected to compete for the starting job. Depth is again a tremendous strong suit of West Chester this season, as the Golden Rams can also turn to
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy), Henry, and Ciliberto to provide excellent depth throughout the infield.
"Our infield is another area of tremendous depth for us as we have a great group of returning players, who all saw time for us a year ago, along with the addition of several talented players who will certainly help us this year," said Lokey.
In the outfield, the Melvin sisters headline a stellar group of seven talented outfielders. Hailey and
Madison Melvin are expected to once occupy left and center, respectively, for much of the 2024 campaign. West Chester also returns Wolfe, Zoldi, and
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), who all played well in the outfield a season ago, while also welcoming
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and
Paige Butland (Wakefield, Ma./Wakefield) in 2024. Zoldi and Hopkins provided a nice offensive spark for the Purple and Gold during their rookie seasons a year ago, combining for 21 RBI and 27 runs scored with four home runs (two each) between them.
Lokey was excited by the efforts of her outfielders so far this year, saying, "We have a very deep, talented group in the outfield again this year, and they've all been working really hard, which has been great to see."
As a team, West Chester was among the league leaders in several categories a year ago, ranking third in batting average and runs scored, batting .316 while scoring 311 runs on 485 hits a year ago. West Chester registered 126 hits last season, including a league-best 26 triples, as the speedy Golden Rams used their speed to their advantage throughout the year, also ranking third in the PSAC in stolen bases, stealing 88 bases on 98 attempts.
"We return a lot of offense from last year," acknowledged Lokey. "With our pitching staff and defense, we can hopefully continue to do a good job of limiting the other team, but we should be hard to stop offensively, too. We had good numbers overall last year but weren't always great situationally/pushing across a big run when we needed to most, so that's something we've been working on a lot heading into this season. I think another year of experience and the few hundred at-bats that come along with it will help us not only situationally but will also help us be a little bit more disciplined at the plate, and we'll be even harder to stop."
West Chester also posted the second-fewest runs allowed a year ago, holding teams to just 177 runs a season ago, thanks to a variety of factors. West Chester allowed the fifth-fewest free passes in the league a year ago, yielding just 93 walks against 263 strikeouts and posting a .962 fielding percentage, committing almost 30 fewer errors than in 2022.
"Defense was certainly an emphasis last year, and it continues to be one this year," said Lokey. "We improved greatly in this area in 2023, and I'm hopeful we can be even better in 2024 with another year of experience around the field," continued Lokey.
The Golden Rams coaching staff, which has been consistently recognized as among the best in Division II in the Atlantic Region, has expanded in recent years as well, as the Golden Rams added Coach Bryan Garrett and
Todd Garber to the staff alongside longtime coaches Lokey,
Laura Altenburger, and
John Lawson. Lawson, who has been the engineer behind the Golden Ram offense that has ranked among the best in the PSAC for many years, including five of the last nine years, enters his 15th season with the Golden Rams, while Altenburger is in her eighth season alongside Coach Lokey.
When asked about her newest coaching staff members in Garber and Garrett, Lokey said, "Coach Garrett is a tremendous catchers coach and has done a great job helping to develop our catchers, and we've also gotten more involved in our hitting lately. Coach Garber works a lot with our hitters and takes an hour a week to help work with our players on the mental game and their mental approach. We have worked hard as a staff this offseason on trying to be more disciplined in the strike zone, and I think our efforts combined with another year's experience will pay dividends this year."
THE SLATE
West Chester opens its slate this weekend in North Carolina against Barton and Frostburg State with just over a month of non-league games before opening up PSAC East play against Millersville on March 19.
When asked about her mindset heading into the opening weekend, coach Lokey said, "We had the benefit of getting on our field early this year, which seldom happens, so we were able to work on fence balls, ground balls on dirt, throwing to bases, etc… before heading into our opening weekend. I'm hopeful this, along with our experience and a strong fall season, will help us go down and have a good first weekend."
West Chester returns home from North Carolina and will visit Holy Family next weekend before visiting Jefferson on March 7 and heading to the Sunshine State over Spring Break for a slate of games. After Spring Break in Florida, West Chester will return north and open its home slate with a non-league doubleheader against Pace on March 17. The Saint Patrick's Day twinbill against the Setters is not only slated to be the Golden Rams home opener but will also allow West Chester to celebrate its 2014 Atlantic Regional Championship team as the first Golden Ram team to hoist the Regional Trophy.
"2014 was such a pivotal year for us," said Lokey. "I think it really started in 2013 when we made our first Super Regional appearance because that helped us recognize that we can do this. We didn't graduate much from that 2013 team, so pretty much the entire group was back for that great 2014 season. That was a really special team, and it was a group of players who truly cared about each other and fought for one another. It was and still is a great group of women who are all tremendous people and are still very close. It's a really cool group that I'm incredibly excited to have the chance to recognize this year."
After the Golden Rams doubleheader against Pace, West Chester jumps into East play as Millersville visits South Campus on the 19
th before heading to Lock Haven on the 22
nd for its first Eastern Division road trip. West Chester will wrap its regular season with a home doubleheader against Kutztown on Friday, April 26, as the second of two straight on South Campus before heading to Shepherd on Saturday, April 27, for the regular-season finale. Fans can view the Golden Rams full schedule here.
OPENING UP
West Chester will open its season bright and early on Saturday as the Golden Rams square off against Barton beginning at 9:30 a.m. before facing Frostburg State in their second game of the day starting at 2:30 p.m.
