Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of stories about how the county’s scholastic softball teams fared this spring.
By Rob Potter
GRAHAMSVILLE — July 5, 2005 – Overall Record: 11-10

Division Record: 5-5 OCIAA Division V

Top Players: Senior pitcher Lindsay Nuzzo was named the Lady Bears’ Most Valuable Player for the 2005 season at the recent team picnic. She had a 9-9 record, struck out 129 batters, walked 47 and allowed 96 hits. Nuzzo also lead the squad with 98 putouts.
Offensively, Nuzzo batted .290 this spring.
Senior catcher Kelli Short earned the team’s Most Improved Player award.
“She did a great job of calling the pitches for us,” Coach Mary Feusner said.
Feusner added that most coaches in OCIAA Division V called the pitches themselves and then had the catcher relay that information to the pitcher. But Feusner said that she had total confidence in allowing Short to decide which pitches Nuzzo and the other Lady Bear hurlers would throw to the opposing batters.
Senior outfielder Lacey Moore led the team in batting average (.380), RBIs (26) and extra-base hits (eight).
Feusner noted that she also made some other award presentations recently. T-V is one of scores of high schools throughout the nation that presented awards that were sponsored by the Gatorade company.
Moore received the team’s Gatorade Best Offensive Player Award.
The Gatorade Player of the Year Award was presented to senior shortstop/outfielder Melissa Bachmann. She had the team’s third highest batting average (.348) and led the Lady Bears in runs scored (27) and stolen bases (13).
Bachmann even pitched a bit for the Lady Bears this season, posting a 1-1 record and saving two games.
Junior outfielder Maria Jeltsch won the Gatorade Will to Win Award. Her .377 batting average was second-highest on the squad and she scored 25 runs, which was second only to Bachmann’s 27 runs scored. Jeltsch also used a keen batting eye to earn the most walks (14) on the team this spring.
Junior first baseman Kristen Pomeroy had a .310 batting average and recorded 93 putouts, which was second most among the Lady Bears.

Season Highlight(s): “Winning the Sullivan County Softball Officials’ Tournament was definitely a highlight for us,” Feusner said. “It was the fourth time Tri-Valley has won the tournament since it began back in 1991.”
Feusner also noted that 11 members of the team combined for a 94.197 GPA, which placed the Lady Bears among the top 10 softball teams in the state for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Scholar-Athlete program.
“I always like it when our players get it done in the classroom as well as on the softball field,” Feusner commented.

Other: T-V will lose seniors Bachmann, Kate McCarthy, Moore, Nuzzo, Short and Nicole Stedner to graduation.