Four Herkimer Generals Earn Spots on 2014 NJCAA DIII All-American Team

2014 May 30

Four Herkimer Generals softball players earned spots on the 2014 NJCAA DIII All-American Team.

Samantha Smaldone (Delmar) was named first team. Smaldone, a sophomore catcher was top 10 in six offensive categories nationally, finishing eighth in average (.541), third in hits (72), second in doubles (23), seventh in home runs (9), sixth in RBIs (53) and seventh in slugging percentage (.917). In 39 games, Smaldone accumulated two or more RBIs 17 times, totaling a season-high five RBIs against Jefferson in April. In 133 plate appearances in 2014, Smaldone only struck out four times, racking up three or more hits in 12 games for the Generals.

Second team members include Ashley Sterritt (Accord), Sarah Heimbach (Greenwich) and Toni Secreti (Baldwinsville). Sterritt, an infielder, led the nation in home runs (12), was fifth in RBIs (54), eighth in slugging percentage (.913) and ninth in runs scored (50). In 39 games, Sterritt hit two or more home runs in a single game twice and tallied three or more RBIs nine times. Heimbach led the nation in triples with six and hit .500 with 56 hits, 14 doubles, 49 runs scored and 13 walks. The freshman played in 36 games and was hitless in only five games, scoring two or more runs 18 times in 2014. Pitcher Toni Secreti was seventh in wins (15), eighth in complete games (21), first in shutouts (10), sixth in strikeouts (138) and seventh in ERA (1.28). In the 2014 DIII Softball National Championship which consisted of three consecutive days of competition, Secreti pitched an impressive 26 innings, allowing two earned runs on 13 hits while striking out 18 batters.