Young Talent Ready To Take The Diamond For Peddie Varsity Girls Softball

They might be young, but the Peddie Varsity Girls Softball team already have set their sights high.

Under second-year Head Coach Tom Meneskie, Assistant Coach Joe La Bella and Assistant Coach Lily Wolman, the Falcons feature a 13-player roster, with five of six infielders being freshmen, enthusiastically deemed “The Fab Five.”

Jules Miele ’29 will toe the rubber as the team’s primary pitcher, with Noemi Ortiz ’29 behind the plate as catcher. Ariana Gomez ’29 will handle first base, Lizzie Danbury ’29 will play second and Cadence Schuster ’29 will be at shortstop. All five will also lead at the top of the batting order.

Miele came to Hightstown because of Peddie’s reputation for having amazing, supportive role models, both in athletics and academics.

“The amazing coaches and support I have at Peddie and knowing I’m going to get better in academics and athletics is what brought me here,” Miele said. 

All five freshmen have their own unique abilities and the team is “loaded” with young talent, Meneskie said. The biggest objective for the team is to mix their talents together with the older girls and develop them as leaders right away. A big strength this season is the abundance of utility players, who can play multiple positions.

“It’s a great time here at Peddie for sports and we’re hoping to bring back and rebuild softball here at Peddie like it was 10, 15, 20 years ago,” Meneskie said.

Athletic Director Rich D’Andrea ’01 shared this same optimism.

“The foundation Coach Meneskie has built in one short year is simply remarkable. Like many others on campus, I’m excited to watch this program grow,” D’Andrea said.

Sam Kent ’27, Grace Lee ’26 and Iris Lin ’26 are the team’s co-captains. Lee will be a veteran presence at third base. Rounding out the roster is: Alex Anton ’28, Bella Borde ’28, Anna Oushalkas ’28, Bella Oushalkas ’26 and Sophia Pei ’26. 

“Peddie Girls Softball has helped me grow as an athlete and a leader, allowing me to learn more about myself while building meaningful friendships that last far beyond the program and define what it means to be part of this team,” Lee said.

Leadership has been a significant influence on this year’s team.

“What brought me to the softball program was the seniors who graduated last year and the year before,” Kent said. “We just work really well together and we have a great relationship. The coaching is fantastic.”

Kent, who will start in center field, mentioned that different from prior years, she was able to start training with her new teammates over the summer before the school year started. The team met for practice about four times a week outside on the field, which brought the team closer come the start of the school year.

For Danbury, what interested her about the program was the ability to start building from the ground up, and helping to grow the program.

“It feels really cool being part of something big,” Danbury said. “I really like the coaches who I got to meet last year, when they were recruiting me. I love the environment of the school and the team.”

This year features a 20-game schedule, a step up from Meneskie’s first season last year with 14 games. This year, 10 games will be MAPL contests. When the team returns from spring break, they will open the season at Robbinsville High School for the first scrimmage of the season. The team’s first home game will be on Saturday, March 28 vs. Ewing High School.

“It’s going to be challenging, both in our division and outside our division,” Meneskie explained. “We’ll be playing a lot of tough competition in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC), which is going to really help our game and get us prepared for the MAPL schedule ahead of us. The sky is the limit for this group of girls.”

2025–2026 Peddie Varsity Girls Softball Roster: