Feb. 4, 2015
This season Penn State head coach Amanda Lehotak will welcome a half dozen new faces to Nittany Lion Softball Park at Beard Field. Earlier this winter, GoPSUTV sat down with each member of the program's class of 2019 to ask them a few questions in hopes of getting to know a little bit more about them on the field and off.
Gianna Arrizurieta
INF - #21 - Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Arrizurieta comes to Happy Valley from south Florida where she was a first and second-team all-state selection. She also helped her school (American Heritage Plantation) win a state championship her sophomore season. Arrizurieta comes from an athletic family as her brother Luis played collegiately at Barry University and now suits up for the New York Mets organization.
Jessica Cummings
P - # 1 - Owings, Md.
Cummings is a native of Owings, Md., and comes to Happy Valley having won three straight state championships at Northern High School. She lists her favorite athlete growing up as her older sister and thinks the best part about being a pitcher is being able to touch the ball on every play.
Mia Monopoli
C - #13 - San Francisco, Calif.
Monopoli is a redshirt freshman and comes to Penn State after transferring from San Jose State. A Bay Area native, she left Acalanes High School as the softball's leader in every major offensive category. Monopoli lists Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia as her favorite athlete and actually started catching because no one else on her team wanted to.
Mollie Sorenson
INF - #22 - Stevenson Ranch, Calif.
Sorenson is the second Golden State freshman on the PSU squad, but she comes from SoCal and played for West Ranch High School where she helped her team win back-to-back conference titles. Sorenson says she is most looking forward to helping the Lions put some W's in the win column this year and says her most embarrassing moment on a softball field came her senior year when she got into the circle and pitched against one of the state's best teams.
Alyssa VanDerveer
C - #41 - Hillsborough, N.J.
VanDerveer also is accustomed to winning as her high school won back-to-back conference championships with her on the field. The central New Jersey native grew up watching her dad play 40 and over softball and lists him as her favorite athlete. He is also the reason she chose the No. 41 because he wore in honor of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver.
Rebecca Ziegler
OF - #15 - Tucson, Ariz.
Ziegler helped her high school, Canyon del Oro win back-to-back state championships her freshman and sophomore seasons. The desert native says she's most looking to traveling during the season to places she has never been before and lists her brother, C.J. who currently plays in the Twins organization as her favorite athlete.