Softball: Panthers build on positives this season

As the Panthers entered this softball season, one of the biggest holes for the Pitt softball… As the Panthers entered this softball season, one of the biggest holes for the Pitt softball team was at catcher.

Graduate Sam Card was absent from behind the plate after batting .277 the previous season and leading the team with 28 RBIs. She hit three home runs during her senior season to finish second on Pitt’s all-time home run list with 29 long balls.

Before the season began, head coach Holly Aprile said she believed freshman Holly Stevens had the capability to step into that role both offensively and defensively. Stevens, a catcher from San Pedro, Calif., did just that.

Stevens finished the season third on the team in batting average, hitting .280. She tied with Yvette Bravo to lead the Panthers with 30 RBIs and set Pitt’s rookie home run record with ten. Stevens also took over third place on the single-season home run list.

She was sixth in the Big East in home runs this season.

After Pitt’s victory over Syracuse on May 1, Aprile said that Stevens’ poise was impressive, particularly for a freshman.

“She calls the games, she’s developed a good relationship with the pitchers,” Aprile said. “She’s very steady, not a lot gets to her, and that’s helpful, especially offensively.”

Aprile said that even when Stevens struggles, she’s always able to bounce back quickly, and that works to her benefit both offensively and defensively.

With Stevens stepping up behind the plate, the Panthers finished their season with a 27-25 overall record.

Pitt ended its season with a 9-1 loss to Louisville in the Big East Championship quarterfinals on May 13 after earning the sixth seed in the tournament, the Panthers highest-seeding ever, and competing in the Big East tournament for the fourth time in five years.

Junior pitcher Cory Berliner received her first All-Big East honor when she was named to the All-Big East third team following the regular season. Berliner finished the year leading the Panthers in ERA (2.06) and innings pitched (166.1).

Alyssa O’Connell pitched effectively, throwing 165 innings with an ERA of 2.16.

Berliner and O’Connell were fourth and fifth in the conference in ERA, respectively. Throughout the season, Aprile commented that pitching and defense were the strongest areas for her team.

The Panthers were third in the conference in fielding percentage (9.67) and second in ERA (2.19).

However, much like last season, Pitt tended to struggle from the plate. The Panthers finished 12th in the conference with a combined batting average of .232.

Ashley Amistade led the Panthers in batting, with an average of .320, making her the only Pitt player to finish the season with a batting average above .300.

Bravo hit 15 doubles this season, which places her second in that category in the single-season record books. She also recorded a nine-game hitting streak early in the year.

On May 17, Aprile signed two recruits for the class of 2011: infielder Courtney Derus and pitcher Karlyn Jones.

Derus, who hails from Bloomfield, Colo., was a four-year starter at her high school where she received all-conference honors twice. For the past three seasons she played shortstop.

A Sparks, Nev., native, Jones racked up a .67 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 94 innings. She helps her own cause at the plate, too, batting .479 with 32 RBIs.

Needless to say, things are looking good for the Panthers heading into the 2011 season.