Softball 2025 Season Preview
FROSTBURG, Md. - Frostburg State Athletics will be taking a preview of each team competing in the spring season, covering nine total sports. Over the next couple weeks, each team will be broken down into their matchups, key players, and overall outlook for their season and program. To kick off the spring season is Softball.
Overall
Frostburg State Softball is gearing up for their 28th season in 2025, as Head Coach Bill Vasko is set to lead the program for his seventh consecutive year. Vasko brings in a whole new coaching staff to assist him this season, naming Hayley Tamaro the assistant coach, and Shanel Stott the graduate assistant, both who played at the Division I level. Former West Liberty star, Katie Beeman, looks to help volunteer as well.
Last Season
FSU posted 29-20 overall record a season ago, going 20-8 in conference play for second place in the MEC North Division. The Bobcats held an 11-game win streak throughout the season, while also seeing a huge 7-5 upset win over No. 11 Charleston at the time. On the accolade side, Jamie Roberts led Frostburg with First Team All-MEC and NFCA First Team All-Region mentions, while also being named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. Gracie Nelson and Arden Miller received Second Team All-MEC honors, while in the classroom five Bobcats were named CSC Academic All-District, and 15 were put on the Easton/NFCA All-America list.
The Returners
The Bobcats welcome back 16 returners from 2024's squad, having had a senior class of six round out their career in a Frostburg uniform with Roberts, Ava Gnibus, Brianna Munday, Sydney Theobald, Ryann Darling, and Ellie Buckheit all leaving a terrific mark on the program during their time.
Vasko is happy to welcome back a strong suit at the plate, with senior Allyssa Albright sitting as the best returning hitter from last year, batting .374 for a team-high 15 doubles. Nelson, using her speed at the top of the lineup, returns as a junior, leading the team in runs scored a season ago with 36, while the middle punch of the lineup and infield return as well, with Samara Funk and Cristina Sommerkamp coming back for their senior season. Hannah Binek comes back as a senior as well, while Miller is set to enter her junior year, both who saw over 35 hits in 2024. Laura Gilford's story continues, looking to make her return to the field for the first time since in the 2023 season, when she batted .432 for 41 hits, 37 runs, and 27 stolen bases in 30 games. Rounding out the lineup is junior Olivia Stetler, who saw some time behind the plate last year, alongside junior Ashlynn Routzahn, as well as the sophomore class of Kylee Piconi, Katie Healy, Morgan Gross, and Maddy Shaw.
From the circle, Vasko only returns two main pitchers who saw a significant amount of time on the mound last season in senior Kate Chapple and junior Ally Myers, as well as Maddie Smith, who looks to see her first collegiate action as a pitcher. Chapple, coming off an injury at the start of last year's season, had a remarkable 2024, throwing 72.2 innings for a 6-5 record, one shutout, 41 strikeouts, and a team-best 3.84 ERA. Myers appeared in nine games, throwing for 15.1 innings, picking up two wins and holding a .211 opposing batting average.
The Newcomers
Vasko adds a freshman class of eight to the mix, filling in spots all over the field. Sage Haller, Zoey Marinello, and Ava Fair come in as strictly infielders, while Brianna Russo and Kylie Pytlak serve as infield/outfield. Lauren Homa joins the team as a catcher/infielder, while Vasko welcomes two pitchers to the team in Julia Meagher and Izabella Donaldson.
Kick off to Season
FSU starts their 2025 season down south in Wilson, NC with a 12 PM doubleheader against Barton and West Chester on Saturday, February 15. The Bobcats then remain down south for two more weekends, before traveling to Seton Hill (Pa.) on Wednesday, March 5 to face the Griffins in a 1 PM doubleheader. Frostburg holds their home opener on Saturday, March 8 for a doubleheader with Bowie State set for 1 PM, while MEC action for the Bobcats doesn't begin until Saturday, March 15, when the team travels to Davis & Elkins for a 12 PM doubleheader.
For more information and upcoming previews, please visit frostburgsports.com.
Latest Softball Stories
- Softball Selected Second in MEC North Division Preseason PollThe Mountain East Conference announced their 2025 Softball Preseason Poll on Tuesday afternoon, with Frostburg State Softball taking second in the North Division.
- Softball Welcomes Three New Members to Staff for 2025 SeasonThe Frostburg State Softball team and seventh-year Head Coach Bill Vasko have announced their coaching staff for the 2025 season.
- Softball Puts 15 on Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete ListThe NFCA revealed its Easton Top GPAs for its collegiate divisions, as 8,054 collegiate student-athletes captured Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the 2023-24 academic year.
- Roberts Named College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-AmericanCollege Sports Communicators (CSC) announced on Tuesday the 2024 Academic All-American Softball teams for NCAA Division I-II-II and NAIA, with Frostburg State senior Jamie Roberts being named a Second Team Academic All-American for the second consecutive year.
- Five Take Academic All-District Honors for SoftballFor the second straight year, Frostburg State Softball had five players receive Academic All-District Honors from College Sports Communicators, with seniors Jamie Roberts and Sydney Theobald, juniors Hanna Binek and Cristina Sommerkamp, and sophomore Arden Miller earning the distinction this time around.
- Roberts Named NFCA First Team All-Region for Second-Straight SeasonFor the second consecutive season, Softball standout Jamie Roberts has been named NFCA First Team All-Region, as announced by the organization on Thursday.