2010 Season

 2010

Panthers #1 in Preseason Poll

The defending national champion Tompkins Cortland Community College softball team is atop the NJCAA Division III preseason poll. The Panthers open the season during the spring break trip to Cocoa, Florida the week of March 14-20.
 
TC3 was voted to the top spot in the poll largely due to experience. The Panthers return nine players from the team that finished 35-12 in 2009, led by All-American Brooke Wierzbicki (Vestal H.S./Vestal), all-region selections Colleen Bannon (Vestal H.S./Vestal) and Ashleigh Greenough (Troy H.S./Columbia Cross Roads, Penn.), and national tournament offensive MVP Lauren Dykeman (Union-Endicott H.S./Endicott). The freshman class includes a pair of top pitchers – Erica Gigliotti (Cicero-North Syracuse H.S./Cicero) and Janelle Boyd (Archbishop Molloy H.S./Hempstead) – that should give the team strength and depth in the circle.
 
NJCAA National Division III Softball Preseason Poll
 
1. Tompkins Cortland Community College
2. College of DuPage (Ill.)
3. Monroe Community College
4. Rochester Community & Technical College (Minn.)
5. Brookdale Community College (N.J.)
6. Central Lakes College-Brainerd (Minn.)
7. Corning Community College
8. Gloucester County College (N.J.)
9. Suffolk County Community College-Selden
10. Westmoreland County Community College (Penn.)

Three Panthers Receive Academic All-American Honors

Three members of the 2009 TC3 softball team were honored with the girls got game/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honor. Megan Beschler, Kristin Kinney and Megan Kraeger all received the award, which is based on the cumulative grade point average of the student-athlete. To be eligible, the student must have a gpa of at least 3.5.

TC3 Coaching Staff Honored

The national champion TC3 softball team added another honor this week, with the naming of the TC3 coaching staff as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/NJCAA Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year. Head coach Brent Doane and assistant Jolene Phillips received the honor, the first time any TC3 coaching staff has been recognized as the national coaches of the year.
 
TC3 won the NJCAA Division III national championship last month, the first team national title in the College's history. The Panthers finished the year with a record of 33-12, with two individual players honored as all-Americans, four as all-region players, and four as all-conference players.

Two Panthers Named All Americans

Two members of the national champion TC3 softball team have added All-Americans honors. Sophomore catcher Danielle O'Rourke (Union-Endicott H.S./Endicott) and freshman outfielder Brooke Wierzbicki (Vestal H.S./Vestal) were named 2009 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NJCAA Division III All-Americans. They are the first TC3 softball players ever named All-Americans.
 
O'Rourke, a team captain and two-year starter, hit .388 with a slugging percentage of .578. She led the team with 33 runs batted in and was second on the team with ten doubles and four home runs. She posted a fielding percentage of .992.
 
Wierzbicki led TC3 with a .465 batting average and a slugging percentage of .709. She drove in 32 runs, the second most on the team, and had a team-high 14 doubles.
 
Both players also were named to the NJCAA National Championship All-Tournament team.

Four Panthers Named All Region

The national champion TC3 softball team placed four players on the NJCAA Region III all-region team for 2009. Ashley Greenough (Troy H.S./Columbia Cross Roads, Penn.), Megan Beschler (Thomas A. Edison H.S./Elmira Heights), Colleen Bannon (Vestal H.S./Vestal), and Brooke Wierzbicki (Vestal H.S./Vestal) each was voted second team all-region by the coaches in Region III. A total of 22 players earned all-region honors, with 11 on both the first and second teams. The Panthers won the Region III-B title to advance to the national championship tournament, which TC3 won.
 
Greenough, a freshman sport management major, hit .392 and scored 36 runs. She set a TC3 single-season records with 60 hits and 23 stolen bases and had a fielding percentage of .946 while playing second base.
 
Beschler, a freshman liberal arts and sciences-general studies major, was voted to the team as a pitcher. She went 11-5 with an earned run average of 1.90, striking out 106 batters in 103 innings of work. She also hit .444 and scored 22 runs for the Panthers.
 
Bannon, a freshman liberal arts and sciences-general studies major, set a TC3 single-season record with six home runs. She hit .338 with a six doubles and five triples. She scored a team record 47 runs and was a perfect 15-of-15 in stolen bases.
 
Wierzbicki, a freshman business administration major, led TC3 with a .465 batting average. She was second on the team with 32 RBI and 59 hits and posted a fielding percentage of .984.

All-Conference Team Includes Four Panthers

The national champion TC3 softball team placed Ashley Greenough (Troy H.S./Columbia Cross Roads, Penn.), Megan Beschler (Thomas A. Edison H.S./Elmira Heights), Colleen Bannon (Vestal H.S./Vestal), and Brooke Wierzbicki (Vestal H.S./Vestal) on the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) All-Conference team for 2009. Fifteen players were chosen by the coaches from the six conference teams. TC3 finished the season with a perfect 10-0 record in MSAC play, the second time in the last three seasons Panthers have finished the season undefeated in conference play.
 
Greenough, a freshman sport management major, hit .392 and scored 36 runs. She set a TC3 single-season records with 60 hits and 23 stolen bases and had a fielding percentage of .946 while playing second base.
 
Beschler, a freshman liberal arts and sciences-general studies major, was voted to the team as a pitcher. She went 11-5 with an earned run average of 1.90, striking out 106 batters in 103 innings of work. She also hit .444 and scored 22 runs for the Panthers.
 
Bannon, a freshman liberal arts and sciences-general studies major, set a TC3 single-season record with six home runs. She hit .338 with a six doubles and five triples. She scored a team record 47 runs and was a perfect 15-of-15 in stolen bases.
 
Wierzbicki, a freshman business administration major, led TC3 with a .465 batting average. She was second on the team with 32 RBI and 59 hits and posted a fielding percentage of .984.