SOUTHERN TIER SPORTS REPORT: CORNING'S RIJO HEADLINES ALL-STSR SOFTBALL TEAM (June 15, 2022)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
It was a successful year for area softball teams and now it’s time to recognize the best with the All-Southern Tier Sports Report Softball team.

Corning’s Atalyia Rijo capped her fantastic career by being named the Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year.

Rijo hit .585 with seven home runs. She led the area with 43 runs this year and stole 10 bases. Rijo was tied for the area lead with 20 extra base hits, eight doubles, five triples and the seven home runs. She had a .675 on-base and a 1.185 slugging percentage.

Rijo, who has one of the best gloves you’ll ever see at shortstop, is also the defensive player of the year this season.

Olivia Switzer started every game on the mound for Notre Dame this year. She posted a 1.95 ERA on the year with 174 strikeouts and she is the pitcher of the year.

Corning’s DeRosa tied her teammate Rijo for the most extra base hits in the area with 20. She tied for the area lead with nine home runs, and had six triples and five doubles. She scored 40 runs and she hit .551 with a 1.188 slugging percentage with a .610 on-base percentage.  

Horseheads’ Megan Wolf played a key role in helping the Blue Raiders win the sectional title and she is the newcomer of the year. The freshman pitched both the sectional semifinal and final, and in the sectional final she also hit a game-tying home run. She had a 2.71 ERA with 47 strikeouts for the Blue Raiders this year, in a season that included a no hitter.

Horseheads rallied in the sectional final to top Corning and win the Section 4 crown. With that success Rick Gryska is the coach of the year.

The first team includes Rijo and DeRosa and their Corning teammates Kellie Zoerb and Kelsey Booker.

Notre Dame’s Switzer, Ava Mustico and Lawson Bigelow are all on the first team with Horseheads’ Molly Wolf and Eva Koratsis.

Elmira’s Payton Ross and Gabby Milazzo of Edison round out the first team.

The second team includes Horseheads’ Olivia Packard, Carly Scott, Megan Wolf and Maddie Matkosky and Corning’s Peyton Sullivan, Kendall Curreri and Sophia Polzella.

Elmira’s Kaitlynn Place and MacKenzie Fusare are on the second team with Edison’s Brianna Korsky and Notre Dame’s Shannon Maloney and Payton Miller.

There is a rookie team that is led by Wolf and includes Corning’s’ Curreri, Edison’s Mariana Jones and Kailey Ripley and Elmira’s Addisyn Chorney and Hannah Lambert.

SOFTBALL
Player of the year: Atalyia Rijo, Corning
Newcomer of the year: Megan Wolf, Horseheads
Offensive Player of the year: Ellie DeRosa, Corning
Defensive Player of the year: Atalyia Rijo, Corning
Pitcher of the year: Olivia Switzer, ND
Coach of the year: Derrick Gryska, Horseheads

FIRST TEAM
Atalyia Rijo, Corning
Ellie DeRosa, Corning
Kellie Zoerb, Corning
Kelsey Booker, Corning
Lawson Bigelow, ND
Olivia Switzer, ND
Ava Mustico, ND
Eva Koratsis, Horseheads
Molly Wolf, Horseheads
Gabby Milazzo, Edison
Payton Ross, Elmira

SECOND TEAM
Olivia Packard, Horseheads
Carly Scott, Horseheads
Maddie Matkosky, Horseheads
Megan Wolf, Horseheads
Peyton Sullivan, Corning
Kendall Curreri, Corning
MacKenzie Fusare, Elmira
Kaitlynn Place, Elmira
Shannon Maloney, ND
Payton Miller, ND
Brianna Korsky, Edison
Sophia Polzella, Corning

ROOKIE TEAM
Megan Wolf, Horseheads
Mariana Jones, Edison
Kailey Ripley, Edison
Kendall Curreri, Corning
Addisyn Chorney, Elmira
Hannah Lambert, Elmira