Sports : Parker among those to play on William Penn's Softball Team this season

Peyton Parker to return to William Penn's Softball Team this year

2021 record: 20-30 (13-22 Heart, 8th)
Starters returning/lost: 6/3 fielders; 3/1 pitchers
Letterwinners returning/lost: 13/8

Notable returners:
Valeria Quiroga, Jr., San Benito, Texas
(First-team all-Heart, .349 BA, 11 HR, 29 RBI)
Lexi Resa, Sr., Liberty, Mo.
(Honorable-mention all-Heart, .275 BA, 25 R)
Peyton Parker, Sr., LaPorte City, Iowa
(Letterwinner, 4-15 record, 2.95 ERA, 133 IP, 59 K)
Charley Geguzis, So., Williamsburg, Iowa
(Letterwinner, .218 BA, 10 R)

Notable losses:
Lexi Riccardi
(Second-team all-Heart)
Rachael Haessly
(Two-time letterwinner)
Dakota Kulis
(Two-time letterwinner)
Avery Rayos
(Two-time letterwinner)

Notable newcomers:
Chelsey Huff, Fr., Douds, Iowa
Abby Wilson, Jr., Calgary, Alberta
Brianna Talamantes, Fr., San Pedro, Calif.
Allyson Stewart, Jr., Delta, B.C.

Some new additions, coupled with a solid returning nucleus, are expected to make the Statesmen softball team one to be reckoned with in 2022.

William Penn, guided by Mike Christner in his 21st season, is coming of a 20-30 season a year ago (13-22 Heart) that was highlighted by a trip to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament that saw the Statesmen knock off top-seeded Grand View before eventually bowing out.

Valeria Quiroga (Jr., Brownsville, Texas, Sociology) will lead her squad onto the diamond after garnering first-team all-Heart laurels in 2021.

Pitcher

Peyton Parker (Sr., LaPorte City, Iowa, Sports Management) is slated as the staff ace. The senior posted a 2.95 Earned Run Average last spring, but did not receive much in the way of run support as she finished with a 4-15 record. She pitched well at the league championship, holding down Grand View in the upset win and also going 11-plus innings against Evangel.

Chelsey Huff (Fr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science) will be handed the ball quite a bit in her first collegiate season as she is projected to be WPU's #2 pitcher.

The trio of Bianca Castillo (Jr., Rio Rico, Ariz.), Ashton Brown (So., Ottumwa, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering), and Sara Branson (So., Lone Tree, Iowa, Exercise Science) also return to the circle.

Castillo was 4-3 with 19 strikeouts, while Brown was 4-6 with 49 Ks; Branson toed the rubber in two games as well.

Christner sees depth in the circle, along with at many other positions, to be one of the team's strongest assets this year.

Catcher

Lexi Resa (Sr., Liberty, Mo., Biology) will set up behind the plate once more as she enters her final campaign in the navy and gold. She garnered honorable-mention all-Heart recognition in 2021, hitting .275 with two home runs, 25 runs, and 15 RBIs.

Resa will be backed up by returner Jayde Tucker (Sr., Los Alamos, N.M., Sociology), while Sarah Gallivan (Jr., Round Lake, Ill., Secondary Education) and a few other newcomers are in the mix as well.

Tucker tallied 13 hits in 2021.

First Base

Brianna Talamantes (Fr., San Pedro, Calif., Business Management), who may also earn innings at catcher and designated player, is slated to primarily start at first base in her inaugural Statesmen season.

Shiloh Cunningham (Jr., Lynnville, Iowa, Biology) will vie for time as well after playing in 32 games a year ago with 10 hits and seven runs scored.

Second Base

Nayely Martinez (So., Carson, Calif.) was a mainstay at second base in 2021 and will continue in that role after tallying 30 hits last spring.

Shortstop

Like her teammate on the other side of the base, Charley Geguzis (So., Williamsburg, Iowa) has earned the right to again start at shortstop. She hit .218 in 2021 with 29 hits, 11 RBIs, and 10 runs scored.

Martinez and Geguzis were exceptional with their gloves, committing just 19 errors in 309 chances last year.

Ella Pierce (McClelland, Iowa, Business Management) has garnered the title of backup for both Martinez and Geguzis in her freshman season.

Third Base

Quiroga will likely see most of her time at the hot corner, but may also man first base if the situation necessitates. She was the team's best hitter a year ago, posting a .349 average with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 26 runs scored. While those numbers are impressive, they could have been even more jaw-dropping had she also not drawn a school-record 36 walks.

Lexy Underwood (Jr., Escalon, Calif., Elementary Education) is slated as Quiroga's backup, having hit .203 last year. Underwood's versatility will give her an abundance of opportunities all across the diamond.

Left Field

Christner saw a deficiency in his outfield and hit the recruiting trail hard. The result of those efforts has been an all-new outfield, beginning with Carla La Rosa (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) in left field.

When not pitching, Huff may also find herself in the grass.

Center Field

Junior transfer Abby Wilson (Calgary, Alberta, Biology) will get the call in center field with returner Tianna Soto (Sr., Fontana, Calif.) serving as her backup.

Right Field

Joining Wilson from Canada, Allyson Stewart (Jr., Delta, B.C., Nursing) has secured the right field position in her first WPU season.

Schedule

William Penn opens the 2022 campaign in Kansas Sunday and Monday with doubleheaders against Bethany and McPherson. The crew then treks to Tucson, Ariz. for its annual spring break trip where it will play 10 contests.

After returning from the Grand Canyon State, the Statesmen will begin Heart action with a road doubleheader versus Culver-Stockton on March 13. The team's home opener is set for March 19 against Mount Mercy; WPU has 24 games at Penn Field this year.

Conference

The league schedule will consist of 38 games with the top teams meeting in the Heart Tournament from May 5-8 in Cedar Rapids. WPU is picked eighth in the 14-team league, while Grand View is the preseason favorite; Central Methodist is a close second as well.

(William Penn)