Tigers Softball Scores Academically and Wins Nyack Tournament
On Thursday, April 20, during an impromptu practice session, White Plains Head Coach Ted O’Donnell did not initially refer to his team’s performance on the field during an interview at White Plains High School.
Instead, O’Donnell, in the midst of his 22nd season at the helm, emphasized the academic performance of his14-player roster. “I have 13 players that have a 90% and above weighted average,” proudly stated O’Donnell. “Therefore, for scholar athletes, they (NYSPHSAA) are allowing you to use weighted grades this year and I happen to have a very strong academic team.” emphasized O’Donnell, who is also a Social Worker at WPHS.
Of O’Donnell’s 14 players on the WPHS Softball Team, 13 of them are enrolled in Advance Placement and Honor Classes, which allows their overall averages to be classified by their “weighted” academic averages in accordance with their challenging curriculum.
“Thirteen of my players are taking a total of 49 Advance Placement and Honors Classes and they have a combined average-weighted GPA of 105.519, which is impressive, especially considering that they are simultaneously performing as varsity athletes,” said O’Donnell.
On the field of play, the Lady Tigers maintain a 3-3 record after winning the Nyack High School Black and Red Tournament over the weekend. On Friday, the Lady Tigers trounced the Sleepy Hollow High School Horsemen, 18-0 in five innings, in the Opening Round.
Tigers’ pitcher Emily Tumminia pitched a one-hitter and while at the plate she had three hits and six RBIs. Tummina is just one example of O’Donnell’s prolific academic team, as she will attend University of Michigan next year. Tumminia academically has a weighted GPA of 5.2.
This season, Tummina is sharing the pitching duties with another lefty, young freshman Ava Rainone, who pitched the Nyack Black and Red Tournament Championship game against host Nyack on Saturday. Tumminia, a Team Captain, will reinforce the infield at first base when not on the mound.
Rainone gave up seven hits, while only relinquishing one earned run and struck-out nine Horsemen to get the win. The Lady Tigers bats were still in full gear in the Championship game, while winning by a margin of 13 runs, 16-3.
The Lady Tigers were losing 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning, but broke the game open when Erin Patterson, known for her precise slap-hitting, slapped a two-out hit to tie the game. Then, junior outfielder Brooke Falvey followed with a bases loaded two-out triple that put the Tigers ahead, 6-3.
Falvey is the sister of Tayler Falvey, an All-County and All-Section player for the Lady Tigers, who graduated in 2013 and is presently a senior at Catholic University.
Senior shortstop and clean-up hitter, Juliet Lodes had three RBIs in the game, as did freshman third baseman Sarah DiSanto. The Tigers scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure the Tournament Title, 16-3.
Lodes is a four-year varsity starter and also a Team Captain who is undoubtedly the anchor and leader of the team. She is the sister of Spencer Lodes, the star pitcher and first baseman for the Tigers Varsity Baseball Team.
The clean-up hitter hit a homerun over the centerfield fence at Scarsdale High School to support winning pitcher Rainone, who threw a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks in the Lady Tigers initial win of the season against the Raiders, 7-2, on April 18.
“Without my team behind me, I definitely would not be able to handle my role. But I have 100% trust in every single one of our players,” stressed Lodes. “There is not a weak link on our team and the overall bonding and chemistry, I have never experienced in my four years playing varsity,” commented Lodes, who will attend Catholic University next year.
Rainouts proved difficult this season for the Lady Tigers but they managed to “weather the storm.” This included the home portion of the away-and-home series versus Scarsdale, on April 20, due to wet field conditions. Therefore, O’Donnell had to revamp his schedule this season to accommodate rainout-dates.
“Today is the 20th of April, so the last day you can play a regular season game is May 14. This means in the next three weeks we have to get in 16 games, this means playing five or six games a week. This is the first time that I have been in this position as a varsity Head Coach,” commented O’Donnell.
O’Donnell is assisted in the coaching ranks by his ever present assistant Michael “Skip” Stevens, who was hired during the summer as the Head Football Coach at the merged football program of Briarcliff/ Alexander Hamilton High Schools.
