Princeton returning for 12s tournament

Softball all-stars to open Monday

By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
   After a year away from District 12 tournament play, Princeton softball is back.
   The league did not have enough players available to field a team for district play a year ago, but is back with a strong group this season.
   ”It’s great to field a team and it should be a good experience for the girls,” said Princeton manager Peter Travers, whose team will open tournament play on Monday with an 8 p.m. game at Florence. “If we have success, that’s great. We’d like to be seen as a pitching and defense team. If we play good defense and keep the errors down, that will be a key for us.”
   Princeton is in Pool A for the 10-team District 12 tournament. After facing Florence on Monday, the rest of the schedule has a 6 p.m. game on Tuesday at Bordentown against New Egypt, a 6 p.m. game on Thursday at Florence against Bordentown, and then a home game on June 29 at 2 p.m. against West Windsor.
   The top two teams in each of the two pools will advance to Final Four play at Robbinsville.
   ”We have some girls that have only been playing for a couple of years and also some girls that have been playing for quite a few years,” said Travers, who is being assisted by Joseph Campisi and Megan McHugh. “A lot of the teams in our bracket have good reputations, so it is hard to say how we’ll do.
   ”My sense is that Paul Gray has done a good job of building the softball program in Princeton and we are developing girls that can really play.”
   The 13-player Princeton roster includes four players from the Cranbury-Plainsboro Little League. So this year’s roster is as deep as any Princeton has entered into District 12 play.
   Princeton has four players that could be called on to pitch during the tournament. Charlotte Gray has been the team’s top pitcher, but Travers also expects to get innings from Halley Costantino, Madison Sanidas-Cahill and Jessica Campisi.
   The Princeton manager also puts a premium on the catcher position and feels like his team is in good hands at that position with Sanidas-Cahill, Helen Eisenach and Mary Travers.
   The rest of the Princeton roster includes Charlotte Heller, Kerry Shanaberger, Ami Chauhan, Kristen Miele, Madison Luther, Byrne Fahey and Hannah Hargrove. Costantino, Shanaberger, Chauhan and Miele are from the C-PLL program.
   ”We’ve had some of our practices interrupted by thunderstorms, but the girls have been practicing well and are excited about playing,” Travers said. “This is a great time for the girls. They have played a lot for fun and now we get a chance to teach them some of the fine points of the game and situations.
   ”It will be fun for us to go to different places and get to play under the lights. It should be a great experience for the girls.”
   While Travers will focus on pitching and defense, the team is certainly capable of scoring runs. He expects the offense to be led by Luther, Mary Travers, Costantino and Sanidas-Cahill.
   ”I think everyone is pretty excited to see how we can do,” Travers said. “We have some girls who can play.”