George Washington University
Bucknell
Softball Opens 2023 Title Chase at Upstate Classic
2/9/2023 9:51:00 AM | Softball
Buff and Blue to play five games on opening weekend
WASHINGTON - Going for its third consecutive A-10 Regular Season Championship and second A-10 Tournament title in three years, GW softball commences its 21st season this weekend at the Upstate Classic. The Buff and Blue will play five games across three days, against Bucknell, Maine and the host USC - Upstate. The full slate of games this weekend can be found on the online schedule.Â
Led by the A-10 Coach of the Year Chrissy Schoonmaker in her second season, GW brings back 12 players from its 2022 A-10 regular season championship team. The Colonials added seven newcomers to the 2023 roster - one graduate transfer and six first-year student-athletes.
The Buff and Blue bring a mixture of experience and youth into the season. Along with the six first-year student-athletes, notable Buff and Blue returners include the A-10 Player of the Year Alexa Williams, Mia Parker and Maggie Greco, among others.Â
Williams is coming off a monster season where she led the Buff and Blue in nearly every hitting category. She had 55 RBIs and 12 home runs to go along with a .366 batting average and 1.087 OPS, all team-highs in 2022.
Parker was a mainstay in GW's lineup in 2022. She was one of four players to start all 53 games last season and ranked highly in each batting category. Parker tied a GW record for most hits in a game with four hits in a game against URI (4/23/22), and was also named the A-10 player of the week in March of last season.
Greco is returning for her third season in the Buff and Blue. She started all 50 games that she appeared in at third base in 2022, and set career highs with 38 hits, 27 runs, 18 RBIs and eight extra-base hits.
Other returners from the 2022 season include Darbie Stancil, who posted .965 fielding percentage on 85 chances, Valentina Perrone, who made 33 starts while splitting time catching in her junior season, and Abby Schaub, who was third on the team with 117 putouts last season. Also returning from last season are Gabby Polsky, Taylor Puig, Alena Ramirez, Sidney Torres, Daniella Wilson and Taylin Yankovich.Â
Arizona Ritchie is the lone transfer on this year's squad. Ritchie played four years at UVA, where she became the starting second baseman for the Cavaliers and was the ACC's top-fielding starting second baseman in her senior season. Ritchie, the daughter of GW's head baseball coach Gregg Ritchie, will look to bring the same fielding prowess to the A-10 in her final year of eligibility.
The Buff and Blue bring on six first-years to the roster this season. Ashley Corpuz, Emma Fales and Rose Cano bring their talents to GW from California. Fales and Cano are slated to pitch for the Buff and Blue, while Corpuz brings a big bat and will play outfield.
Lily Hanafin, Daniella Lew and Reese Torres round out the newcomers. Hanafin hails from La Grange, IL and will pitch for GW. Lew and Torres are locals to the area, from Potomac, Md. and Great Falls Va., respectively. Lew joins the team as an infielder, while Torres will catch and is joining her sister Sidney, who is a junior on the team.
GW also made notable additions to its staff in 2023. Among those additions are assistant coach Kris Richards, and longtime GW softball pitcher, graduate assistant Sierra Lange.
A Look at the Competition:Â
Bucknell:
The Bucknell Bison are coming off a 7-38 season. Members of the Patriot League, the Bison were 3-16 in conference play and finished sixth. Â
GW is 4-5 all-time against the Bison. The two programs last met in 2020, when the Colonials swept Bucknell in a two-game series on The Vern.
Maine:Â
The Maine Black Bears were 8-37 last season. Maine is a member of the American East Conference, where they were 4-12 and finished fifth a season ago.
GW leads the all-time series 1-0 against Maine. The lone contest between schools was played last season at the Liberty Classic, and was a 9-1, six-inning win for the Colonials.
USC - Upstate:Â
The USC - Upstate Spartans were 48-10 last year, which included a 31-4 record on their home field. The Spartans are members of the Big South Conference, where they were 21-6, tied for the top record in the Big South.
The Spartans return the Big South Player of the Year, Peyton Darnell, who batted .329 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs last season.Â
USC - Upstate and GW have met one time, which was back in 2013, and won by USC - Upstate.Â
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