Mountain Hawks welcome five in class of 2010

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan has announced the addition of five student-athletes, who will join the Mountain Hawks softball program this fall. This year’s class consists of two pitchers, two catchers and an infielder, as Lehigh looks to continue to assert itself as one of the top teams in the northeast, as evidenced by its eight straight Patriot League regular season titles, and three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances.

Last year’s Mountain Hawks squad won a school and league-record 43 games and defeated national power Texas A&M twice to reach the finals of the NCAA Amherst (Mass.) Regional. Troyan loses three seniors from last year’s team, including the all-league battery of pitcher Kate Arico and catcher Mary Wieder; and will look to this incoming group to help fill the void.

“We lost a lot from last year’s team in terms of leadership,” said Troyan, who is entering his 12th season as head coach. “As a coaching staff, we feel that this incoming class is going to grow and mature into a very strong class from top to bottom.”

Troyan will look to offset Arico’s graduation and bolster an already strong pitching staff with the addition of two hurlers from California. Tiffany Curtis, a right handed pitcher from Newbury Park High School, while southpaw Danielle Clark comes in from Hanford. Troyan describes Curtis as “a hard thrower, who has the ability to spot her pitches and change speeds.” Curtis played her club softball for the California Spoilers Gold team, and she has the same pitching coach who mentored current Lehigh senior Heather Hamasaki, a two-time all-league pitcher before moving to third base.

Clark, the first left handed pitcher to join the Mountain Hawks since former standout Jenny Bender ’03, is a tall pitcher who is very effective at hitting her spots and changing speeds. Both she and Curtis will help solidify a pitching staff that already features Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Lisa Sweeney.

“Naturally, when you lose a pitcher who finished her career like Kate Arico did – with two wins over the No. 13 team in the country – there will be big shoes to fill,” explained Troyan. “We feel that both Danielle and Tiffany are fully capable of filling her shoes.”

With the loss of Wieder, a four-time all-league selection, behind the plate, Troyan has brought in a pair of backstops, Brooke Lewis and Lauren Eichblatt to help fill the void.

Lewis, the third Californian in the Class of 2010, comes from Cathedral Catholic High School in La Jolla, California, near San Diego. A member of the So-Cal Breakers club team, Lewis is a solid receiver with a very strong throwing arm.

Eichblatt arrives in South Bethlehem from Clear Lake high school in Houston, Texas and armed with a quick-release, she is also very solid defensively.

“With Mary (Wieder) gone, we certainly have a huge position to fill from both a leadership and a catching standpoint,” Troyan said. “I feel that both Brooke and Lauren will prove helpful in filling that void.”

The final member of the incoming class is Amy Piccinich, a two-time first team All-State performer from Ramapo High School in New Jersey. A high school and summer league shortstop, Piccinich is a good offensive and defensive player who should immediately bring versatility to the Mountain Hawks, while continuing the pipeline of outstanding players who hail from the Garden State.

“Bringing Amy in keeps with our history of attracting some of the top players in New Jersey," said Troyan. “We’ve had success bringing in Kate Marvel and Lisa Sweeney each of the last two years, and we feel like Amy is one of the top players to come out of New Jersey in 2006.”

In addition to the five newcomers, Lehigh returns 16 letterwinners from last year’s Patriot League championship team, including eight of nine starting position players.

Lehigh Softball Class of 2010

Name	Pos.	Hometown/High School	College
Danielle Clark	LHP	Hanford, Calif./Hanford	Arts and Sciences
Tiffany Curtis	RHP	Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park	Business
Lauren Eichblatt	C	Houston, Texas/Clear Lake	Arts and Sciences
Brooke Lewis	C	La Jolla, Calif./Cathedral Catholic	Arts and Sciences
Amy Piccinich	SS	Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo	Business

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