Softball: These Section 1 underclassmen have made an impact in Class AA and A this spring
The jump to the varsity level is hard, but these underclassmen have stepped up to the occasion and served as big contributors for their teams.
Sometimes, the older stars get the attention, but the spotlight is on these middle school-aged to sophomore softball players that are doing more than just holding their own for their teams.
This is a look at some of the large-school impact underclassmen in Class AA and A who have made their mark in Section 1 this spring. We'll look at the Class B and C impact newcomers Thursday morning on lohud.com.
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Scoreboard: Scores, schedule, results and more from May 9-15 softball games
Perfect game: Yorktown's Maya Servedio does it all in perfect game 3-0 win over Mahopac
Class AA
All statistics are heading into the final week of the regular season.
Emma Barton, So., 3B, John Jay-East Fishkill: She's been vital in the infield with her glove and has a .931 fielding percentage. Although she's solid defensively, she's also chipped in with a .265 batting average at the plate.
Tori Brower, So., LF, Ketcham: A consistent player in the outfield, she's also hitting .360 with nine RBI.
Keira Costin, So., 2B, North Rockland: She has a .346 average, with four doubles, two triples, one home run 10 runs and a team-high 21 RBI. She's also error-free through 35 total chances at second base.
Krista Dwyer, So., P/OF, Clarkstown South: She leads the Vikings in batting average (.444), runs scored (12), on-base percentage (.512) and is tied for a team-high nine RBI. Dwyer also has two wins in the circle and has 22 strikeouts over 53⅓ innings.
Lyla Dwyer, Fr., P, John Jay-East Fishkill: She's a member of the Patriots' pitching rotation but has also delivered as a hitter. She's batting .444 this spring, with four RBI, and had the walk-off hit against White Plains.
Kay Fitzgerald, So., 3B/OF/P, Scarsdale: Aside from moving to wherever she's needed on the field, she's also batting .400 with four home runs and a .785 slugging percentage.
Ava Galligani, Fr., 2B, White Plains: She's hitting over .400 from the cleanup spot for the Tigers and is a defensive presence in the infield.
Serena Gillen, Fr., P, White Plains: She entered the week with 13 wins in the circle and already has more than 200 career strikeouts, including 128 this season. She's also batting over .300 at the plate.
Ella Hayes, So., C/P, Scarsdale: She's a fixture at catcher and is batting .425, but can also chip in as a pitcher when needed.
Kayleigh Heckel, So., CF, Port Chester: Heckel is an offensive machine that's hitting .531 with three doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 22 RBI
Kat Hotle, So., 3B, Ketcham: She's a well-rounded player batting .400, with two doubles and 10 RBI.
Paige Hotle, 8th, C, Ketcham: The only Section 1 player to receive all-section or honorable mention honors as a seventh-grader last season, Hotle is an all-around contributor that's hitting .351 with four doubles and 10 RBI.
Emma Kozlowski, 8th, 1B, Ketcham: Kozlowski is a top offensive contributor for the Indians that's batting .543 and leads the team with 14 RBI.
Alyssa Ligouri, So., P, Arlington: In addition to an 8-2 record, 92 strikeouts and a 0.92 ERA over 68 innings, she's also batting .400 with four doubles and 10 RBI.
Jenny Nardelli, So., 2B, Ketcham: More than half of her hits are for extra bases, and she's batting .417 with 13 RBI, 14 runs and five steals.
Natalie Nesheiwat, 7th, P, John Jay-East Fishkill: She's been a key member of the pitching rotation who has posted a 2.07 ERA.
Taylor Porco, So., P/3B, Clarkstown South: In addition to a .333 average, with three doubles and eight runs scored, Porco also has three wins in the circle and has 12 strikeouts through 39⅔ innings pitched.
Cara Riviello, Fr., SS, New Rochelle: Riviello has a .677 average, with seven home runs, a triple, three home runs, 17 RBI and 12 runs and a 1.960 OPS
Class A
Haley Albano, 8th, 3B, Ardsley: She's filling in just fine after the graduation of five-year and all-section player Gianna Musca, batting .361 with seven RBI and showing great poise at third base.
Cam Barrett, So., 3B/SS, Clarkstown North: The first underclassman co-captain in the Rams' recent history, Barrett is batting .360 with four doubles, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.
Alyssa Chiappa, 8th, 3B, Tappan Zee: A fixture at third and in the top of the Dutchmen lineup, she's batting .302 with 11 runs scored and four RBI.
Katie Cole, 8th, OF/3B, Somers: Batting .429 in the leadoff spot, with nine multi-hit games, and 18 runs scored, she's also transitioning to her new position at third base and has committed just three errors despite learning it from scratch.
Barbara Jo Coppola, Fr., C, Harrison: The returning league player of the year is batting a team-high .409, with six doubles, a triple, one home run, nine RBI, 19 runs and seven stolen bases. Dating back to last season, she's 22 for 22 in stolen base attempts.
Alexia Cozzali, Fr., 2B, Harrison: She's stepped up as a defensive lifeline in the infield, but is also hitting .256 and leads with a team-high nine stolen bases.
Siena DeCicco, 8th, CF, Clarkstown North: She has great range in the outfield, but is batting well at the plate. She's hitting .377, with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and 16 runs.
Eva Destito, Fr., C, Yorktown: Destito has a .357 average, with five doubles, eight RBI, 11 runs scored and just five strikeouts. Defensively, she boasts a .988 fielding percentage and has thrown out four runners.
Liv Greco, So., 1B, Harrison: She's batting .375, with three doubles, 11 RBI and seven runs scored.
Sofia Haber, 8th, P/1B, Ardsley: She's a key member of the Panthers' pitching rotation, with a 3-3 record in close games, 2.70 ERA, and 70 strikeouts over 46⅔ innings. She also starts at first base when she's not pitching and is hitting .375 with four doubles, nine RBI and only three strikeouts.
Emma Johannsen, 8th, RF, Hen Hud: Already a power hitter, she started her career with back-to-back home runs against Harrison and Yorktown and has tallied 10 RBI so far. She's also been a fixture in the outfield, starting in every game.
Gianna Lafaro, So., C, Mahopac: She has batted .346, with two home runs and 23 RBI, on top of her good play behind the plate.
Marlee Levin, 8th, C, Clarkstown North: A defensive standout with a strong arm, Levin is also batting .292 at the plate with a home run, three extra-base hits, nine RBI and only one strikeout this season.
Ava Lichtenberger, So., P, Mahopac: She's posted a .327 average with six doubles, three triples and 16 RBI. As pitcher, she has a 1.43 ERA with 146 strikeouts through 98 innings, while holding opponents to a .160 average against.
Kiera Luckie, So., P, Pearl River: The returning all-state pitcher has a 10-3 record, 0.93 ERA, 108 strikeouts and just 15 walks allowed through 83 innings this season. Luckie is also hitting .373 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 15 RBI.
Gianna Longo, So., P, Nyack: She has eight wins in the circle, with 123 strikeouts and a 2.90 ERA over 88⅓ innings. Longo is also batting .611 at the plate, with nine doubles, one triple, one home run and 21 RBI.
Emilia Mancusi, Fr., 1B, Ursuline: She's batting .354 for the Koalas, with five doubles, 15 runs, 13 RBI and six steals.
Keira Meyers, So., P, Tappan Zee: She reached the 200-strikeout mark, and entered the week with only 30 hits and 37 walks allowed, while posting a 2.43 ERA and tossing two no-hitters. Offensively, Meyers is batting .448 with five doubles, four triples, a home run, 12 RBI and 19 runs scored.
Savannah Nordstrom, 8th, 1B, Tappan Zee: After starting last season as a seventh-grader, she's following up with a .363 average, highlighted by two doubles, a home run and eight RBI.
Emma Morley, So., C, Hen Hud: Filling in a key role at catcher, she's also hitting .300 with four doubles, two triples, a home run and 12 RBI.
Katherine Papa, Fr., C, Somers: The only player on Somers to play in every inning of every game this season and a key defensive presence behind the plate. She's also batting .333, with 18 runs scored and 16 RBI.
Ava Papaleo, 8th, CF, Ursuline: She's the No. 4 overall prospect and the top-ranked outfielder nationally in the Class of 2026, per Extra Innings softball rankings. Papaleo is hitting .477 with seven doubles, three home runs and has 11 stolen bases.
Alyssa Peduto, Fr., 3B, Eastchester: Peduto has a .412 average, eight doubles, two triples and three home runs and 16 RBI. She came through in the clutch with a three-run walk-off home run against Ardsley.
Gianna Peduto, Fr., C, Eastchester: She's been solid behind and at the plate, batting .300 with three home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored.
Bella Policastro, 8th, 2B, Nyack: She's delivered in clutch situations and is hitting .362 overall this season, with four doubles and eight RBI at the top of the lineup.
Julianna Simone, So., 3B, Nanuet: In addition to her solid defense, she's batting .375 and is tied for the most RBI on the team with 15. Simone is also 5 for 5 in stolen base attempts.
Jessica Tejera, Fr., SS, Ursuline: One of three players to earn all-section as an eighth-grader last season, Tejera is batting .355 with nine doubles, a triple, eight RBI, 24 runs and 15 stolen bases.
Michelle Tiso, So., CF, Eastchester: She has a .415 average, five doubles, one home run and 12 RBI. Eight of her 12 RBI were in two-out situations. She's also batting .588 with runners in scoring position.
Gabriella Triano, So., P, Harrison: In addition to a 9-4 record, 2.17 ERA and 113 strikeouts, she's also hit two home runs and had seven RBI at the plate.
Ja'Nae Walker, Fr., 3B/C, Hen Hud: Walker has a .512 average with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 18 RBI and 12 runs.
Camdyn Wilson, 8th, SS, Mahopac: A reliable player at shortstop, she's batting .246 with four doubles, a triple, nine RBI, and 20 runs scored from the leadoff spot.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Section 1 Class AA, Class A underclassmen impact players
