Rye Neck softball’s season ended in the quarterfinals of the section tournament May 24, but the Panthers’ senior trio will be remembered as winners.
Shelby Preisser, Gabby Fasolino, and Daniella Lori captained the team to a 10th straight league title and an undefeated record in league play this season. The Panthers went 16-5 overall, winning 11 of their last 12 regular season games.
“Their commitment to the team and work ethic was second to none,” Rye Neck coach Joan Spedafino said of the senior class, which finished their high school careers with a record of 81-11, claiming two section titles and four league titles. “Their leadership is what stands out the most. They were such great role models to the younger players and always represented Rye Neck softball in such a positive manner.”
The fourth-seeded Panthers opened the playoffs in a familiar fashion, beating Byram Hills 13-1 on May 22, before falling to Pearl River 13-5 in the next round. Even in defeat, Preisser went out with a bang, hitting two home runs and driving in all five of the team’s runs.
In her four years playing varsity for Rye Neck, the Haverford College softball commit racked up more than 100 hits and 100 RBIs at the plate, while throwing over 350 strikeouts.
“Our team had a lot of skill my freshman and sophomore years,” Preisser said of two squads that advanced to the New York state tournament. “But I feel like this year’s team had the most heart and determination, and that’s what made us so successful.”
Preisser earned all-league and all-section honors and was named the Section 1 pitcher of the year. Freshman Charlotte Picone joined her on the all-league and all-section teams. Lori and Fasolino were also all-league and named honorable mention all-section. Junior Gianna Stracuzzi was all-league, and Carly Golub and Isel Ortiz were honorable mention all-league.
“Different players stepped up in all of the victories and our defense got stronger and stronger,” Spedafino said. “This year, we had a very young team on paper (two eighth graders, two freshmen, and two sophomores), but on the field, they all played like they had years of varsity experience.”
