MD's college players
Where are they now?
MARYLAND COLLEGE STARS. Here's an update on past Maryland high school and travel-ball fastpitch softball stars who are
playing now at the college level. This is hardly all of them. It is a snapshot of a few among many spread across the country. The
short briefs below focus primarily on D1 and D2 schools. This blog will
report on D3 later, as well.
Watch this blog for more stories about these players and others in the
weeks ahead. Comments, suggestions about coverage, or tips about a player's performance on
the college diamond are very welcome at the email address: xtremeshowcaseblog@gmail.com.
Updates on 52 MD hometown players at 21 schools...
 |
| Megan Hyson |
Megan
was a travel-ball teammate with pitcher
Emily
Weiman, now of the
NC
State Wolfpack, who,
as
this blog reported, last weekend pitched a 3-2 win over the #10
ranked Georgia Bulldogs. The two played together on the club teams
Lake Shore Lightning and the Riviera Beach Spirit Gold.
● The
Drexel Dragons
have had a slow start, but sophomore pitcher
Shelby
Taylor, who hails from Easton High, MD, has been throwing her Ks
and junior first base
Jenn
Reading, who once played for Kent Island High (Stevensville, MD),
already has sent a home run shot past the centerfield fence just last
weekend in Myrtle Beach, SC.
 |
| Emmie Burke |
● The
Shippensburg Raiders
lost five key seniors from last season, but they are back with nine
highly praised freshman. All of the new players were inked during last
year’s early signing period.
The
Raiders open their season this Saturday, February 18, with two former
Maryland high school stars – each from different corners of the
state – that are itching to go!
 |
| Maddie Justice |
First, there's freshman second base
Emmie Burke,
an all-county C. Milton Wright High star (Bel-Air, MD), who has been
touted as a newcomer “to watch”. Then, there's pitcher, first
base, outfielder
Maddie
Justice, a Stephen Decatur star (Bishopville, MD), who, by
playing several positions, may become “a workhorse for the team”,
says the Shippensburg website.
 |
| Autumn Taylor |
● The GW Chanticleers have been finding
wins tough to come by, but a bright spot has been slugging junior
outfielder
Autumn Taylor from Severna Park High, MD, who has been
knocking runners home, and has already slammed a couple of home runs.
 |
| Kourtney Salvarola |
● The UFS Bulls (University of South
Florida) are inching closer to the top 25 rankings as the team went
3-1 in its opening games, losing only to #3 Florida in extra innings.
No stats posted yet for the last game, but in the first three
contests sophomore shortstop
Kourtney Salvarola from Broadneck High
School (Arnold, MD) had two hits, scored twice, knocked in 3 RBIs,
and was walked three times. As a freshman last year, she started all
53 games for the university.
 |
| Melanie Mitchell |
● The UVa Cavaliers are unbeaten in their
first four outings, while junior pitcher, first base
Melanie Mitchell,
from McDonough High (White Plains, MD), tossed 13 strikeouts on
opening day against the
East Carolina Pirates. As a freshman, Melanie tied the
single season record for wins in a season with 27.
Click here for gallery photos of Melanie.
● The UMES Hawks who struggled with three
outings in Irondale, AL, now travel to Elizabeth City, NC, for two
games this weekend. However, sophomore catcher
Cherokee Williams from
Upper Marlboro, MD, opened the first game with two hits, two runs
scored, and 4 RBIs. Junior
Shaniqa Roane of Forestville Military
Academy (Suitland, MD) started at second base.
 |
| Nicole Loewenstein |
● The Seton Hall Pirates open their
season tomorrow, Saturday, February 18, with senior catcher
Nicole Loewenstein, previously of John Carroll High (Joppa, Md),
behind the plate. "She does a great job in studying scouting
reports, does what's necessary to learn how to call the game out
there" said Head Coach Ray Vander May. " I've never had a
catcher quite like her."
 |
| Sloane Van Meter |
● Maryland Terps take the field this
morning, Friday, February 17, in Boca Rotan, FL, for their first 2012
at-bats against the
Long Island Blackbirds and #11
Michigan Wolverines. On the squad this year
are senior catcher, outfielder
Sloane Van Meter from Archbishop
Spalding (Hanover, MD), sophomore catcher, infielder
Kelly Trimble
from St. Vincent Pallotti High (Laurel, MD), freshman utility
Bridget Hawvermal from James Hubert Blake High (Sandy Spring, MD), and
freshman pitcher
Kaitlyn Schmeiser from Northern High (Dunkirk, MD).
 |
| Jordan Waterloo |
● The Goldey-Beacom Lightning spark their
new season next Friday, February 24, in non-conference play against
Fairmont State University's Fighting Falcons and the
Glenville State College Pioneers. Marylanders on
the roster are senior pitcher, utility
Shannon O'Hara of LaPlata
High, MD, senior third base, first base
Jordan Waterloo of Thomas
Stone High (Waldorf, MD), sophomore pitcher
Roni Peters of
Leonardtown High, MD, freshman catcher, outfielder
Karina Twining of
Easton High, MD,
● The Wilmington University Wildcats are
off on a Spring Break trip to Clermont,FL, next week where the team
will play nearly half its 2012 schedule and 18 different schools
before returning home Sunday, March 11. Senior catcher
AmandaCrockett of North East High, MD, undoubtedly will be preparing by visualizing
her leadoff fifth inning home run last year to beat Ferris State University 2-1
in their home opener in Kissimmee, FL.
 |
| Jordan Reid |
● The DSU Hornets travel to Jacksonville,
FL, in early March to play their first games. As this blog has
posted
previously, senior outfielder, second base
Jordan Reid of Gwynn
Park High (Accokeek, MD) begins 2012 as the conference's “Preseason
Player of the Year”. Reid was second in the nation with a .497
batting average last season. Senior
Chelsea Stern, an All-County
Player of the Year at Northern High (Wings, MD), will patrol the
outfield.
 |
| Sharde' Es |
● The Hampton University Pirates set sail on their
season's course today, Friday, February 17, against the
Albemarle Dolphins in
Hampton, VA. The team struggled with injuries last year, but return
this season with eight letter-winners, including senior third base
Sharde' Estep of Gwynn Park High (Aquasco , MD) and junior outfielder
Adrianna Scott of Old Mill High (Laurel, MD).
 |
| Stephanie Dameron |
● The Radford University Highlanders have had
considerable success in the last three seasons. So, they have high hopes
this year for great achievements, especially with their strong pitching depth. Last year, sophomore pitcher
Stephanie Dameron from St. Mary's Ryken (Dameron, MD) led the
pitching staff with 152 inning of work for a 1.89 ERA, a 16-6 record,
and ranked second in the country in fewest walks per 7 innings
pitched (0.64).
 |
| Jade Bowins |
● The Sacred Heart Pioneers are the
defending conference champions with several new faces in the lineup.
The school looks to sophomore outfielder
Jade Bowins, formerly of
Gov. Thomas Johnson High (Frederick, MD) as a key player. She was labeled the
“stellar rookie” last year when she batted .333 and scored 30
runs. Pioneers first game is next Friday, February 24, against the
IPFW Mastodons
and the
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
 |
| Kelly Hickman |
● Mount St. Mary's Mountineers will open
their season next Friday, February 24, with a large crew of Maryland
fastpitch players on the roster. There's junior second base, utility
Kelly Hickman from Chesapeake High (Pasadena, MD), junior outfielder
Erin Leddy from St. Mary's Ryken (Great Falls, MD), sophomore first
base, outfielder
Bre Lohman from Boonsboro High (Sharpsburg, MD) and
FOUR freshmen: third base
Casey Beck from Severna Park High, MD,
catcher
Rachel Teti from Linganore High (Mt. Airy, MD), pitcher
Hayley Stankan from Allegany High (Cumberland, MD), and
HollyBuckel from North Carroll High (Finksburg, MD)
 |
| Delaney Bell |
● The Shepherd Rams will be in Greeneville, TN, for their first games next
week. Our West Virginia neighbor probably has more Maryland high school
players than any other DII school. There's 9 of
'em! They are:
SENIORS catcher
Kris Durham from Queen Anne, MD and
infielder
Delaney Bell from Glen Burnie, MD;
SOPHOMORES pitcher
Alexis Fisher from Sharpsburg, MD and outfielder
Alysha Voytell from
Frederick, MD;
FRESHMEN infielder
Shanan Plunkett from Hagerstown,
MD, utility
Kristen Juenger from Frederick, MD, outfielder
TaylerSchaefer from Dunkirk, MD, catcher
Elisa Orlandi from Owings, MD, and
catcher, third base
Savannah Snyder from Elkton, MD
