2008 Softball All-Stars
Name%School%Yr.%Position
*Ashley Burnham%Danvers%Sr.%Shortstop
Kerry Desmond%Ipswich%Jr.%Pitcher
Krista MacKenzie%Ipswich%Jr.%Second base
Emma Docking%Ipswich%Sr.%Shortstop
Christina Cipriani%Bishop Fenwick%Jr.%First base
Bethany Cullen%Beverly%Sr.%Second base
Susannah Barnes%Salem%Sr.%Center Field
Samantha Terenzoni%Peabody%Sr.%Catcher
Michelle Grifoni%Peabody%Sr.%Second base
Tawny Palmieri%Peabody%Sr.%Shortstop
Mallarie McGrath%Swampscott%Jr.%Third base
Samantha Perry%Swampscott%Sr.%Catcher
Marissa Gambale%Swampscott%Jr.%Shortstop
Samantha Norman%Marblehead%Jr.%Left Field
Jaimie Cappucci%Pingree%Soph.%Third base
Whitney Bell%North Shore Tech%Sr.%First base
*— Denotes Salem News Player of the Year
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ASHLEY BURNHAM
Danvers Sr. Shortstop
It wouldn't be a stretch to call Ashley Burnham, a three-year captain and four-year starter, the greatest all-around player to come out of the North Shore since the late 1980s, when Bishop Fenwick produced Lisa McGloin and Linda Lipson, both of whom went on to the University of North Carolina. Burnham is also a Division 1 scholarship player who is headed to James Madison University. This year she hit .641 with five homers and 16 doubles and she didn't strike out once. She was so feared at the plate that she was walked intentionally 24 times and had an on-base percentage of .784. In her first three years with the Falcons, she hit .460, .716 and .583, respectively. That's only part of her story because she's also an extraordinary defensive player with a fabulous arm. To top it off, she's a top-notch leader on and off the field and a terrific student (93 average). Coach Tara Petrocelli says "You're lucky to have a kid like this once in your career. I'd love to find someone who doesn't like her."
TAWNY PALMIERI
Peabody Senior
Shortstop
Concluded a splendid career with the Tanners by hitting .513 with nine doubles, five triples, two homers and 15 RBI ... Team captain and Northeastern Conference All-Star ... Three-time Salem News All-Star ... Peabody High Athlete of the Year ... Best moment came when she smashed a three-run homer against Bishop Fenwick in the Courtney Corning tourney title game ... Cites her father as a great influence because he allowed her to be a bat girl for the Babe Ruth All-Star World Series team.
SAMANTHA TERENZONI
Peabody Senior
Catcher
An excellent catcher, Terenzoni also came up big at the plate, hitting .444 with five doubles and 12 RBI ... NEC All-Star and Agganis All-Star ... Went 4 for 4 with a double and homer against a very good Ipswich team in the first round of the Courtney Corning tourney ... Coach Butch Melanaphy says Lindsey Penney (six years ago) and Terenzoni are the two best catchers he's seen at Peabody ... Has a 3.4 grade-point average and is headed for Eastern University.
MICHELLE GRIFONI
Peabody Senior
Second Base
Solidified the middle of the Peabody infield along with Palmieri and chipped in a .439 average, nine doubles and 13 RBI ... Continued an amazing trend by not striking out for the second year in a row ... conference all-star and was the team MVP her junior year ... Good infield arm and coach Butch Melanaphy pointed out that she made very few mental mistakes ... 3.55 grade-point average and a member of the National Honor Society.
SUSANNAH BARNES
Salem Senior
Center Field
Two-year starter and Witches captains, Barnes hit .431 with four doubles and a homer ... Paced the team with 21 RBI and was Salem's Hall of Fame Award winner ... Also the team's Offensive Player of the Year ... NEC All-Star ... Provided key hits and was also solid in the middle of the outfield ... Great student, ranked No. 4 in her class with a 4.4 grade-point average ... Cites her father, Jason, track coach Mike Eon and softball coach Dan Bertone as major influences.
WHITNEY BELL
North Shore Tech Senior
First Base
The team's co-MVP, Beverly resident Bell hit for a lofty .500, hit five homers, six doubles and three triples and knocked in 33 runs ... A slugger who finished with 14 homers in her last two seasons ... Three-year starter and two-year Commonwealth Conference All-Star ... Two-time Salem News All-Star ... Honor roll student who is headed to Salem State College ... Coach Joe Balzarini lauded her effort for getting in shape as her career progressed.
CHRISTINA CIPRIANI
Bishop Fenwick Junior
First Base
Bishop Fenwick's captain elect for the 2009 season, Cipriani batted .492, scored 11 runs and had 12 RBI ... Led the team in hits, including six doubles ... Catholic Central League All-Star ... Crusaders MVP ... Finished up strong, going 3 for 3 against Wakefield and then 2 for 3 vs. Beverly in the Courtney Corning tourney in Peabody ... Was the team's calming influence, said coach Paul Lyman ... Carries a 3.5 grade-point average.
BETH CULLEN
Beverly Senior
Second Base
Proved to be sensational at the plate as a senior, batting .638 with four homers, 23 RBI and 22 runs scored ... Belted two homers in conference game against Revere ... Team MVP, NEC and Agganis All-Star and Courtney Corning Memorial scholarship winner ... Had a 3.6 grade-point average and is heading for High Point University in North Carolina ... Credits her siblings for her success because they're extremely competitive and they fire each other up to do their best.
KERRY DESMOND
Ipswich Junior
Pitcher
Carried Ipswich through the season and into the Division 3 North semifinals with a great overall season: 18-4 with a 1.41 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 153 innings ... Two-time Salem News All-Star also batted .453 with three homers ... Cape Ann League Player of the Year and team MVP ... Rates her best performance as the 11-inning 2-1 win over Winthrop in the state tourney, a game in which she threw more than 130 pitches ... Main influences are her dad, Buddy Henry as her hitting coach and Len Myslinski as her pitching coach.
EMMA DOCKING
Ipswich Senior
Shortstop
Ipswich coach Doug Woodworth calls her the most focused player he's ever had and it showed in her performance as she hit .459 in the regular season and .500 in the postseason ... Also played brilliantly in the field, displaying good range and a strong arm ... Two-time CAL all-star, an Agganis All-Star and recipient of the team's Coaches Award ... Will play Division 2 college ball at Eckerd in St. Petersburg, Fla. ... Ranked in top 15 percent of her class with 3.7 grade-point average.
KRISTA MACKENZIE
Ipswich Junior
Second Base
An opponent's nightmare due to her speed and ability to make contact, MacKenzie batted .583 with nine doubles, four triples and 16 stolen bases ... Only made one error in her first season at second base ... CAL all-league selection ... Collected 42 hits in the regular season ... Says her dad, John, has been an inspiration and also credits Tufts coach Cheryl Milligan for her hitting improvement.
MALLARIE MCGRATH
Swampscott Junior
Third Base
One of Swampscott's big three on offense, McGrath finished with 31 hits, a .443 average and 15 RBI out of the No. 2 spot in the order ... NEC all-star and made the all-tourney team in the Holland Tournament in Lynn ... Valuable defensive player who moved from second base to third and made just one error ... Had a 3.5 grade-point average ... Influenced by her dad, who's been coaching her for as long as she's been playing.
SAM PERRY
Swampscott Senior
Catcher
Veteran catcher caught fire at the plate as a senior, batting .589 with two homers, 13 doubles and a team-high 24 RBI ... NEC all-star who finished third in the voting for MVP ... Team MVP and an Agganis All-Star selection ... Defensively, picked off four runners and has such a good knowledge of the game that coach Annamaria Addonizio let her call all the pitches ... Good student (3.0) who is headed to Arizona State University.
MARISSA GAMBALE
Swampscott Junior
Shortstop
Came on strong as a junior, batting .413 and led the team with 24 runs scored ... Made opposing defenses nervous by going 15 for 16 in stolen base attempts ... NEC all-star and made the all-tourney team at the Holland Tournament in Lynn ... A natural outfielder, Gambale was switched to shortstop because of her athleticism ... Had a 4.1 grade-point average ... Strongly influenced by her father, who is passionate about the game and taught her much about the game.
JAIMIE CAPUCCI
Pingree Sophomore
Third Base
Young player from Saugus played big for the Highlanders, batting .492 with 31 hits and 30 RBI ... Led the team in hits, RBI and batting average and made just two errors all season ... Team MVP and an Eastern Independent League All-Star ... A two-year starter already, Capucci is called a fearless third baseman by Highlanders coach Jim MacLaughlin ... Smacked two homers in the EIL tourney ... Had all A's and B's at an academically challenging school
SAMANTHA NORMAN
Marblehead Junior
Left Field
An unsung hero type player, Norman batted .339, finishing with 21 hits and a team high 17 RBI ... Received the team's Offensive Player of the Year Award ... Belted a pair of homers against Beverly and filled in at third base when a teammate was sick ... Best arm among the team's outfielders ... Unanimous choice as a team captain next season ... Grew up playing Little League baseball ... Names Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek as a major influence.
Honorable Mention
Beverly — Monica Cassola, Fr., third baseman; Jayne Spiridigliozzi, Sr., first baseman.
Danvers — Jillian Carroll, Jr., catcher; Caraline Mohalland, Sr., first baseman; Joanna Zecha, Soph., third baseman; Alicia Dean, Fr., designated player/first baseman.
Salem — Jennifer Nguyen, Sr., catcher; Julia Jennings, Fr., third baseman; Sarah Chasse, Fr., pitcher.
Marblehead — Courtney Colantuno, Sr., pitcher; Kate Fallon, Jr., shortstop
Swampscott — Katherine Gorham, Sr., outfielder; Kristan Vinal, Soph., pitcher.
Peabody — Nicole Wilson, Soph., pitcher; MaryKate Helas, freshman, designated player.
Bishop Fenwick — Courtney Begin, Jr. pitcher; Casey Fitzgerald, Soph., designated player.
Ipswich — Kelly Michael, Soph.; third baseman; Jackie Hulbert, Jr., first baseman; Emily Bouvier, Jr., outfielder.
North Shore Tech — Emily Pontes, Soph., shortstop; Stephanie Rudis, Soph., pitcher/catcher/designated player
Pingree — Britney McNeilly, Jr., pitcher/first baseman; Kellie Marshall, Soph. shortstop.
