Cutler Concludes Solid Softball Career For Trinity

Hartford, Conn., August 14, 2008 - The Trinity College softball team, coached by Caitlin Luz (6th season), posted a 16-15 record and earned their fourth consecutive bid to the NESCAC Championship Tournament with an 8-4 division mark.  Trinity opened the NESCAC Tourney with a 7-0 shutout at host Wesleyan, but lost, 11-1, against Tufts and, 8-2, against Wesleyan in its next two games. 

Offensively, junior tri-captain Ariana Mullin (Woodbridge, Conn.) batted a team-high .411 (37-for-90, led team in hits, 3rd in NESCAC in batting average) with team-highs of 28 RBI and 13 walks to go with 22 runs (3rd on team), five doubles (2nd on team), two triples, and four home runs.  She started and played in 30 games as the starting catcher and threw out 11 potential basestealers.  Freshman 2B Katherine Stoltenberg (Montgomery, N.J.) batted .344  (25-for-93) with 25 runs, five doubles, 10 RBI, a team-high seven HBP (new College record), and a team-high 10 steals in 11 tries, while sophomore CF Jessica Tait (North Salem, N.Y.) hit .337 batting average (35-for-104, led team in at-bats, 2nd in hits) with team-highs of 29 runs, six doubles, three triples (T1st in NESCAC), eight home runs, and 71 total bases (5th in NESCAC) to go with 22 RBI (2nd on team), 12 walks and a team-best .683 slugging percentage.  Tait, who was a NESCAC Player of the Week once this season, started all 31 games in centerfield and made just one error in 56 chances with a pair of assists.  Mullin (First Team) and Tait (Second Team) were selected to the All-NESCAC Team, while Mullin earned Academic All-District and NESCAC All-Academic, and Tait took All-New England Second Team.

Freshman Nicole Nardella (Beverly, Mass.) batted .333 (34-for-102) with 18 runs, two doubles, four homers, and 22 RBI walks in 31 games (31 starts) at third base, while sophomore Erika Klotz (Naperville, Ill.) batted .328 (20-for-61) in 23 games (22 starts) in the outfield, and senior tri-captain 1B Laura Cutler (Concord, Mass.) hit .293 (29-for-99) with 16 runs, four doubles, and 11 RBI in 31 games (31 starts). In her career, Cutler totaled 76 hits in 243 at-bats for a .313 batting average with 41 runs, 11 doubles, four home runs, and 35 RBI.

Junior tri-captain Stacy Hathcox (Woodinville, Wash.) started all 31 games in left field and finished with 21 hits in 79 at-bats, 10 runs, 13 RBI, and seven steals in nine attempts, while sophomore SS Patricia Cipicchio (Southmont, N.C.) was 20-for-83 (.241) with 17 runs, four doubles, four homers, and 21 RBI in 31 games (all starts).  Freshman Taylor LaRese (Southington, Conn.) hit .222 (14-for-63) with 11 runs, four doubles, and a homer in 28 games (26 starts) as the DP in most games, while classmate Melanie Orphanos (Norton, Mass.) was 7-for-36 (.194) in 22 games (13 starts), mostly in the outfield.  Hatchcox was a NESCAC All-Academic and All-Sportsmanship selection, as well as the College's junior female scholar athlete of the year.

In the circle, junior Gabrielle Sergi (Walpole, Mass.) led the team in appearances with 22, starts with 18, wins at 9-7, complete games with nine, innings pitched with 104, and strikeouts with 52 to go with 34 walks and a 3.63 earned run average.  She was selected as NESCAC Pitcher of the Week once this spring.  Freshman Kristen Anderson (West Haven, Conn.) was 5-5 with four complete games, one shutout, and 11 strikeouts against 14 walks in 17 appearances (six starts) with a team-best 3.17 ERA, while junior Abagail Cecchinato (Thomaston, Conn.) was 2-2 in 13 appearances (seven starts) with 16 strikeouts, 38 walks, and two complete games with a 5.45 ERA.