The Emmaus High School softball team will be under a new regime during the 2022 season. Rich Giering takes over the program as head coach and has high goals and expectations for the Green Hornets, which are coming off a 12-9 overall season and 11-6 mark in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference in 2021.

“We expect to be in both the league and districts playoffs and as far as anything after that we will see what happens down the road,” said Giering. “The girls have been working hard each and every day in the preseason and that’s all I can ask for as a new coach. I’m very excited about this group and we will be ready to go. In our division I expect us to compete with Parkland, Northampton and Whitehall and I also expect Freedom and Becahi to be tough.”

Some of the top returning players for the Green Hornets this season include junior All-EPC Second Team second baseman Daria Krout, senior first baseman Lindsey Moreau, junior All-EPC Second Team catcher Mason Roselli, senior right fielder Peyton Sisonick, junior All-EPC Second Team center fielder Shayla Morgan, junior pitcher Danika Barthol, senior pitcher/first baseman Sarah Sherman, junior All-EPC Second Team left fielder Rachel Sherman, junior shortstop Aveaha Schwab and senior outfielder Brooke Huczko.

A few new players that will be relied upon to contribute this season include junior center fielder Ashlyn Sherwood, junior infielder Alexis Schoonover, senior third baseman Sami Lilly, junior outfielder Taylor Hiestand, junior pitcher/third baseman Kamryn Tokar and junior infielder Aubrey Molnar.

“I’m excited to be coaching such a talented group of players this season,” Giering said. “We have a good mixture of experience with seniors, juniors and sophomores all able to play valuable innings for us.”

Emmaus opened its regular season with a nonconference victory over Perkiomen Valley last Friday. The Green Hornets play at Spring-Ford in another out-of-conference game on Friday and have their EPC opener at home against Whitehall on Saturday.