Whitehall High School softball players Lindsey Gawrys, Madison Cunningham, and Abbey Reese are some of the newcomers to Lehigh Valley’s Carpenter Cup softball team.

Lehigh Valley, whose head coach is Zephyrs head coach Blake Morgan, had their first practice on Sunday when the 15 players also had the opportunity to get to know each other better.

“I think it’s kind of cool to see them, play together, and get to know them,” said Reese, who plays at shortstop. “I like playing shortstop because you’re communicating a lot, and you’re always doing something so you never get bored, always covering a base.”

Gawrys is also an infielder and will mainly play at first base, although each player is assigned at least two positions for the tournament.

“I heard it’s a fun experience and [I also tried out for] the college exposure. It does add a little more pressure but the coaches prepare us for that,” Gawrys said.

Cunningham, one of three pitchers along with Freedom’s Jennifer Slanovec and Salisbury’s Emily Silberman, was also looking for college exposure.

“I wanted to get more playing time,” she said.

Cunningham said her fastball and drop pitches have been working well.

“I’m excited to play with new girls. It should be a lot of fun,” said Cunningham.

Lehigh Valley will be facing teams from all over the tri-state area.

“Sometimes it’s cool to see other teams and what they do, but I think you treat them all the same and do your best,” Reese said.