Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - A recruiting class of eight student-athletes will be joining the Caldwell College softball team for the 2009-2010 academic year, head coach Dean Johnson announced. The class includes infielders Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner), Cassandra Cefolo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), Mariah Lucena (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) and Sierra Parker (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills); outfielders Katie Dellaratta (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) and Amy Leal (New Bedford, MA/Bishop Stang); and pitchers Kelly Schymanski (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) and Kourtney Wilson (Islip, NY/St. Anthony's).

Cascone is a two-time all-state performer at Susan Wagner High School in Staten Island, earning a spot on the New York State Sportswriters Association Class AA third team this season after making the fourth team as a junior. As the Falcons' shortstop and leadoff hitter, Cascone led the Falcons to a 17-3 record and the semifinals of the PSAL Class A tournament.

Cefolo is a four-time all-conference, all-area and all-county third baseman at Hanover Park High School. This past season, she was named to the all-Morris County first team and the all-Group 2 third team by the Star-Ledger. She plays her summer softball with the Morris County Belles.

Lucena led Belleville High School to the semifinals of the Essex County Tournament and the Section 1 Group 4 Tournament this past spring. The shortstop was selected to the all-Essex County 1^st team and the all-Group 4 third team by the Star-Ledger. Her summer team is the NJ Heist.

Parker, the Cougars' latest recruit from California, batted .407 as a senior at Chino Hills High School and earned all-Sierra League honors. An all-League Academic athlete, she also was named to the Inland Valley All-Star Game. Parker plays for the Southern California Crunch Gold.

Both an outfielder and catcher, Dellaratta was forced to sit out her senior season at Deptford High School due to injury. The team's leading hitter as a freshman and sophomore, Dellaratta received all-County honorable mention as a freshman and junior. Her summer team is the West Jersey Witches Elite Gold.

Leal was named an all-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Star as a junior at Bishop Stang High School. As a senior she helped her team reach the state tournament while earning Softball Super Team honorable mention from the New Bedford Standard-Times. She plays for the Rhode Island Thunder Gold in the summer.

Schymanski has been the top pitcher for Owen J. Roberts High School for the past two seasons. This past Spring, Schymanski helped the Wildcats advance to the semifinals of the district and state tournaments. A finalist for the Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year, Schymanski went 22-2 with an earned run average of 0.47 and a school-record 225 strikeouts as a junior to earn Player of the Year honors from the Daily Local News. Her summer team is the West Jersey Witches Elite Gold.

Wilson is a four-time all-League pitcher at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N.Y. This past season, Wilson was 8-2 and helped to lead St. Anthony's to the quarterfinals of the CHSAA playoffs. As a sophomore, she tossed a perfect game en route to earning all-League honors. She pitches for the Long Island Sudden Impact Gold in the summer.

The Cougars finished the 2009 season with a record of 37-18-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division II East Regional for the fifth time in six seasons.