Payne, Sasala selected
While most of Waynesburg’s spring athletes were taking it easy over spring break, the Yellow Jacket baseball and softball teams were getting their respective seasons into full swing down in Florida. While competing down south, a pair of newcomers made some pretty big impressions on their new squads. For their efforts, they were selected as the newest Waynesburg University Athletes of the Week.
Freshman first baseman Haley Payne and first-year junior shortstop Kyle Sasala produced huge numbers in the Sunshine State. Those big numbers, along with several other impressive performances from their teammates, allowed the Jacket baseball and softball teams to return to Pennsylvania with solid records as they prepare for Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) competition.
During the softball team’s (5-5) eight games played from Monday to Friday this past week at the Rebel Spring Games, Payne did plenty to secure the Yellow Jackets’ starting first base job. The freshman from Boonsboro, Md., hit .407 with a home run and a team-high three doubles. She also recorded a team-best seven RBI and scored four more times. Payne also took to the circle and pitched four innings in a start.
Sasala had a huge week at the RussMat Central Florida Invitational. The transfer from Division II Seton Hill led Waynesburg (8-2) to a 5-1 record in six games. Sasala scored a total of 14 runs in six games, piled up five triples and posted six RBI. Sasala’s five triples in six games, including a two-triple game against Mt. Aloysius, matched last year’s team total for three-baggers. The Cranberry Twp. native also posted four multi-hit games, including a trio of three-hit games for the Jackets.
With their days in Florida behind them, Waynesburg’s kings and queens of the diamond are back in Pennsylvania to prepare for a pair of non-conference doubleheaders. The Jacket women hit the road on Thursday, March 15, to take on Frostburg State, while the baseball team is preparing for a home twin bill against Penn State Behrend on Monday, March 19.