Softball Adds Six For 2021 Season

Riverdale, NY - Manhattan softball Head Coach Tom Pardalis will add six newcomers to his roster for the 2021 season. Freshmen Mollie Charest, Lily Fish, Megan Hedlund, Kristyn Smith, and Grace Ware, as well as junior college transfer Vani Patel, will join a roster of 16 returning letterwinners from the Jaspers' truncated 2020 season.

"The strength of this incoming class is going to make for a very deep roster," said Pardalis, who will enter his 12th season at the helm of the program this spring. "The competition for starting positions will be very tough, which will raise everyone's game to a very high level."

Charest, a pitcher from Chatham, MA, was a four-time Cape & Islands League MVP, and a five-time league all-star. She won four conference championships at Monomoy Regional High School, and also holds the distinction of being a New England Hit, Pitch and Run U14 Champion. 

"Mollie is a hard-nosed pitcher," noted Pardalis. "She loves to play every inning, and with five pitchers we will also be looking at utilizing her in relief as a strike machine."

Fish, an infielder, played five years of softball at Fayetteville-Manlius High School in upstate New York. She earned first team all-league and all-state recognition during her time with the Hornets. Hailing from a sports family, Fish's mother, Mary Roesch, was a member of the 1988 NCAA Division III soccer championship team at William Smith.

"Lily is a phenomenal athlete," said Pardalis. "She plays multiple positions in both the infield and outfield, and has a ton of speed, which will be a huge asset for us."

Hedlund is an infielder from Phoenix, AZ, where she earned four varsity letters at Boulder Creek High School. Hedlund served as team captain for two years, and was named to the 6A Desert Valley Region First Team in her junior season. She also earned all-district recognition that year.

"Megan was a steal for us and we're lucky to have her," said Pardalis. "She's a great hitter and good defensively, which will put a lot of pressure on people."

From Plainfield, NJ, Smith won the county finals and state sectionals as the first baseman for Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Prior to that, she played two years at Wardlaw Hartridge. 

"Kristyn is very much a power hitter," said Pardalis. "We're hoping she will be able to go from gap to gap for us at the plate."

Ware earned All-Southwest Conference honors as a catcher and utility player during her junior season at Connecticut's New Fairfield High School. She is a two-time All-Patriot Division honoree, and she also earned a Class M Girls Basketball State Championship as a freshman.

"Grace will be one of our main utility players," said Pardalis. "She is also a good hitter, so she will be helping us out all-around."

Patel, an infielder who joins the Jaspers from Herkimer County Community College, was recognized as a NJCAA First Team All-American and also served two seasons as team captain with the Generals. Originally from Firestone, CO, Patel played high school softball at Eleanor Roosevelt.

"We've had a lot of success with Herkimer players," said Pardalis, who noted that Patel will be his fourth transfer from the junior college in the past two years. "There's a major jump between travel ball and Division I, so I see Vini helping this class adjust and mature."

Before the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the spread of COVID-19 this past March, the Jaspers were 6-6 on the year with wins over Merrimack and South Dakota to open the season. Designated player Annie Moore (Northridge, CA / El Camino Real) was named to the 2020 Preseason All-MAAC Team and earned MAAC Player of the Week honors on February 25. 

Moore is joined on the Jaspers' returners list by fifth-year players Christine Gebhardt (Middletown, NJ / Middletown North) and Nicole Williams (Ansonia, CT / St. Joseph's), who both opted to take advantage of the NCAA-granted extra year of eligibility. Gebhardt, who ranked 16th on Division I's "toughest to strikeout" list last season, was the team leader with five doubles in 12 games last season, putting her at 31st nationally. Williams, the 2017 MAAC Rookie of the Year, earned a MAAC-best ERA of 1.91 last season, recording a team-high 22 strikeouts over 25.2 innings pitched.

"We were off to such a great start last year, and I think, with this new class and the players returning, we are stronger than we were then," said Pardalis. "I think everything that happened last year has made this team hungrier."