DEEP PITCHING

Five Wolverine hurlers
Deep pitching promises
fresh arms always ready

If the pitching performances at the fall-ball games last week is any indication, the Wesley Wolverines will have a more than effective pitching staff this season. First off, Head Coach Juli Greep will not be short of arms to summon to the circle. In Tuesday's doubleheader, the Wolverines have already made use of:

■ Junior #9 P/OF Lily Engel (Dover, DE)
■ Freshman #21 P Sydney Botsch (Smyrna, DE)
■ Sophomore #23 P Destiny Davis (Salisbury, MD)

In the spring, two more pitchers will join the group 
with the active status of:

■ Freshman #11 P/OF Halee Scruggs (Milford, DE)
■ ALL-CONFERENCE and co-captain 
    junior #12 P Lindsay Siok (Milford, DE)

A LOCAL CREW

As the player's hometowns indicate, four of the five Wolverine hurlers hail from downstate Delaware, while the fifth's Maryland hometown – Salisbury – is just over the downstate Delaware line.

The “Botsch” name may standout to softball fans. Sydney's sister, Chelsea Botsch, just graduated this past year from Wilmington University where she picked up fastpitch honors as an All-American Honorable Mention and First Team All-East Region softball pitcher. 

Wesley Wolverine junior #18 C Nina Marcano 
(Middletown, DE) frames a pitch at last Tuesday's 
no-hits allowed fall-ball games. Nina plays a 
critical role in the team's pitching excellence 
with her pitch call expertise. Nina, after only 
her first two seasons, also brings her bat 
to the plate as the single season and career
TRIPLES conference (CAC) record holder.

 Among our Wolverines, Sydney and Lily pitched together once before on a travel ball team two years ago under Chelsea's tutelage where the Wilmington star filled an assistant coach's role.

Lindsay and Lily also have partnered as pitchers on the summer travel circuit. 

Lindsay and Halee have played together at the same high school.

Its a tight group that's getting tighter. All of the five Wolverine hurlers' paths have crisscrossed several times before in high school and club games. Without a college senior among them, they are an imposing unit that should be together for the next two years.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

The potential for this pitching staff was evident last Tuesday evening where there were solid, at times dazzling, accomplishments from the circle for the Wesley Wolverines. 

Among several amazing stats, no Wesley hurler allowed a single hit on either side of the doubleheader! This was against the Neumann University Knights who have been their conference champions or runner-ups for the past 12 seasons.

Lily started off by keeping all balls hit within the infield, walking one and fanning three over her 5 innings of shutout work. Sydney followed, overwhelming the Knights, tossing an impressive seven strikeouts in just 3.1 innings before Destiny closed out the night with her own scoreless innings pitched. Only one Knight scrambled home on the evening via an error, a clear unearned run.

BEHIND THE PLATE

Give credit as well to the Wolverine hunched behind the plate and orchestrating every pitch from what will be this season a very wide variety of styles, speeds, spin pitches, and out pitches.
 

Nina Marcano

Co-captain junior #18 C Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE) calls every pitch as she guides the pitching staff through the opposing lineups. Nina has handle the catching duties now for almost every inning through her freshman and sophomore years, where she also has helped Wolverine pitchers win all-conference honors and the team set record season wins. 

The catcher is an integral part of, and can be equally responsible (if often unsung) for, much of the brilliance in pitching execution. These Wesley pitchers can be thankful that they are taking signs from one of the best in the conference. 
 
Get ready for fastpitch action this 2016 season; the Wesley Wolverines are coming armed in a pack and throwing strikes! 

The five pitchers are pictured below...