New Haven, Conn. – It was another successful spring on the diamond for the Albertus Magnus College softball team in 2016, as the team topped the 20-win plateau for the second straight season and the fourth time in program history. The Falcons finished the year with a 22-17 overall record and earned the No. 7 seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament thanks to a 12-10 mark in league play.
Albertus Magnus saw its season come to an end on the final weekend of the conference tournament. The Falcons fell to both Johnson & Wales and Suffolk in the double elimination portion of the league tourney.
In his sixth season at the helm of the team, Head Coach Ed Emielita guided the team to doubleheader sweeps of Anna Maria, Lasell and Saint Joseph's (Maine) in GNAC action during the regular season. The Falcons also amassed three different three-game winning streaks during the year, highlighted by a season-best six-game unbeaten streak after returning to the Northeast following their spring trip.
It was an historic season for the team, as the team set a new single-season program record with seven shutouts. Senior outfielder Alyssa Puccilli (Milford, Conn.) put an exclamation point on her career and leaves Albertus Magnus as the school's all-time leader in hits with 148. Also during the campaign, sophomore infielder Gillian Fortier (Naugatuck, Conn.) became the ninth player in program history to register 100 career hits. She is the fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in just 68 games.
Following the season, three softball players earned All-GNAC honors with the team landing one player on the first team and two on the third team. Fortier was named to the first team for the second year in a row, while Puccilli and sophomore infielder Brianna Whitfield (West Islip, N.Y.) both received third team distinction. Junior Rachel Cataudella (Shelton, Conn.) represented the Falcons on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
At the Albertus Magnus College Department of Athletics annual end of the year banquet, Fortier was named the school's Female Athlete of the Year. Sophomore pitcher Megan Ferraro (Branford, Conn.) was tabbed as the squad's MVP, while junior Amanda Jessey (East Haven, Conn.) was team's Most Improved Player and Puccilli brought home the softball Falcon Award.
Albertus Magnus opened the spring by going an impressive 8-2 on their spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to take part in the FastPitch Dreams Spring Classic. Over the stretch, the Falcons outscored the opposition 52-27 and won two games by mercy rule in five innings of action. AMC won the first three games of its trip and the final three.
On St. Patrick's Day, the Falcons defeated Keystone, Southern Vermont and Bay Path. In the circle, sophomore Samantha Maselli (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), freshman Kristen Cunning (Hoboken, N.J.) and Ferraro all earned wins, while surrendering just six earned runs in 19 innings. Offensively, Cataudella went 5-for-11 on the day and Puccilli recorded four RBIs.
After going 3-1 in non-conference play after returning to Connecticut following spring break, the Falcons swept a GNAC-opening doubleheader at Saint Joseph's (Maine) behind strong pitching performances on April 2. On a cold, wet afternoon Cunning and Ferraro were stellar in the circle, combining to give up zero earned runs, while scattering 10 hits and striking out two hitters. The Falcons also had a solid day defensively, committing zero errors compared to four by the Monks.
Following a rainout, AMC swept a league doubleheader with Lasell at home before splitting a twinbill at Rivier. Versus the Lasers, Albertus Magnus outscored the guests 15-1. Fortier scored three runs in the opener and Puccilli went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in the nightcap.
The Falcons hit a speedbump in mid-April, dropping back-to-back league doubleheaders versus Norwich and JWU. The team got back in the win column with a doubleheader split with Suffolk on April 17. In game two against the Rams, Ferraro tossed a complete game and scattered seven hits to earn her team-leading ninth win of the season. Albertus Magnus wasted little time pushing runs across, plating four in the first and adding a single insurance run in both the second and third frames to take an early 6-0 edge. The Falcons put the game out of reach in the seventh as junior Megan Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.) and sophomore Daysia Wehder (Queens, N.Y.) hit back-to-back home runs.
After taking both ends of doubleheader against Anna Maria on April 20, the team from the Elm City split each of their last four GNAC doubleheaders to head into post-season play as the No. 7 seed in the GNAC Tournament.
The squad opened the league tournament with a 1-0 road victory against Saint Joseph's (Maine) on May 3 to advance to the double elimination portion of the event. Ferraro tossed a complete-game shutout and kept the hosts off balance all day at the dish, scattering six hits and fanning three hitters. She also walked just two batters en route to her fourth complete-game shutout of the spring. Ferraro retired the side in order in the first and fifth innings on the way to her team-leading 14th win of the season. With two outs in the third frame, Cataudella delivered an RBI single up the middle that brought Kelly racing home with the eventual game-winning run.
In their next tilt, the Falcons would fall 5-1 to Johnson & Wales on the campus of St. Joseph (Conn.). In the game, AMC opened the scoring in the scoring in the top of the second courtesy of a sac fly to left field by freshman Maxine Sanchez (Corona, N.Y.) that plated Fortier. In the bottom half of the frame, the Wildcats would answer with three runs before adding two insurance runs in the sixth.
The team's season came to end with a 9-5 setback versus Suffolk on May 7. The Falcons jumped out to an early, 4-1, lead after three innings, but the Rams would score eight runs over the final three stanza to advance.
Fortier had another banner year for the Falcons after being named the GNAC Player and Rookie of the Year in 2015 as a freshman. She led the team in batting average (.387), on-base percentage (.511), slugging percentage (.495), triples (4) and is tied for tops on the squad in hits with Puccilli and Whitfield at 43. She ranked fifth in the league in on-base percentage.
Whitfield had a breakout year for AMC, starting 38 games and hitting .377 with an on-base percentage over .400. She tied for the team lead with 25 runs scored and 21 RBIs this year, while smacking eight doubles. Defensively, Whitfield registered a .926 fielding percentage and was a part of four double plays. During the middle of the season, she put together a career-best nine-game hitting streak.
Puccilli left her mark on the softball program over the past four years and leaves as the all-time hits leader with 148. This year, she set new career highs in hits (43), doubles (8), stolen bases (9) and batting average (.347). Puccilli had a homer during the season and picked up 21 RBIs. In the outfield, she had the highest fielding percentage on the team at .981, while making seven assists.
In the circle, Ferraro went 14-5 with a save to go along with a 2.67 ERA in 125 and two-thirds innings of work. She tossed 14 complete games and four complete game shutouts in 2016. In her first year on campus, Cunning won five games and amassed a 3.37 ERA in 52 innings. Maselli went 2-2 with a team-leading 2.43 ERA in 10 appearances and junior Shyleen Ortiz (New Britain, Conn.) went 1-5 with four complete games in just under 40 innings for the Falcons.
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