Grace D’Angelo, a senior pitcher for the Westfield softball team, announced her commitment to Franklin & Marshall College via Instagram on Nov. 7.
Officially on varsity since her junior year, D’Angelo has been an asset to the team on and off the field. Last season, D’Angelo helped the softball team by pitching 52 innings and collecting 20 strikeouts. Head coach Caitlin Cheddar said, “Grace is the best example we have of resilience and mental toughness because she has faced setbacks and always comes back tougher. This is something we talk about a lot in athletics, but she has actually achieved it”
D’Angelo has played softball since a very young age. In the off season D’Angelo is constantly pitching. “I put in time with my private pitching coach Jen Haas and travel about an hour and a half twice a month to a facility called Black Cat Fast Pitch in Pennsylvania where I work with coach Jen Mineau. I also train all other aspects of the game with my club team, Untamed,” said D’Angelo.
D’Angelo will be joining the Diplomats next fall. Franklin & Marshall, a Division III program located in Lancaster, PA, competes in the Centennial Conference. Last season, F&M finished 7-24.
Throughout her recruiting process, D’Angelo was interested in a variety of schools in different conferences, including Brandeis, Trinity College, Middlebury and the University of Rochester. Ultimately, she leaned towards the Centennial conference because she wants her family to be able to attend her games.
D’Angelo ultimately chose Franklin & Marshall because “everything about it felt right.” She said, “I toured the school late August and could immediately see myself going there. When I went back for the official visit, I meshed really well with Coach Cooper’s coaching philosophy and the environment that she was beginning to foster at F&M as the new coach. Having a team that feels like family and plays for one another is super important to me and was something I was hoping for when I began my recruiting process. I was fortunate to find this at F&M”
F&M is a small private college with an acceptance rate of just 37.5 percent, and according to U.S. News and World Report, is ranked #35 for national liberal arts colleges. D’Angelo plans on studying biology and going into healthcare, adding that she is “excited for the research opportunities F&M has to offer.”
D’Angelo looks forward to entering her senior season this spring with a goal of leading the team on the mound in the upcoming season.
