Lehigh Valley’s Carpenter Cup softball team had its first practice on June 13 in preparation for the Carpenter Cup tournament which begins on June 20 at FDR Park in Philadelphia.

“Tonight was about being on the same page and good communication because they all know how to play the game,” said Lehigh Valley head coach Brian Fehnel. “Different schools do different things, so when we get down there and as the game goes on and things happen, we’ll correct things and approach it that way.”

Emmaus High School outfielder Shayla Morgan is one of the returners from last year’s team.

“The experience last year gave me a lot of looks from different colleges, and it’s fun to play with new people,” Morgan said. “Practice has been good. It’s a lot of new girls working together and learning new plays, and trying to make sure everything works together before Monday. We definitely seem comfortable, and a lot of us know each other from high school and from other teams, so I think we’ll be good.”

A total of 16 teams, split into four pools, will compete in the tournament, and the top two teams from each pool advance to the final rounds of games on June 22.

“We have a lot of good hitters on this team,” Fehnel said.

Parkland High School alumna Kelly Dulaney, a student at Kutztown University, worked with pitchers Kassy Aquino (Whitehall) and Delaney Troxell (Catasauqua) on Monday night.

“It’s a different side of the game. I haven’t coached before, but I really like Brian, and it’s fun getting back out with younger girls and getting into coaching. I think [Kassy and Delaney] will work really well together,” Dulaney said. “I really loved when I played for Lehigh Valley, so it’s gonna be fun to see the other side of it. I still keep in touch with some of the girls I met. I think that’s my favorite part. You meet so many girls from different schools, and it’s fun that they’re your friends now.”

Carly Gaffney (Palmerton) will also be in the pitching rotation but missed practice to compete in Palmerton’s state semifinal game.

Said Fehnel, “I like Kelly’s demeanor and everything she does. She’s a good person. And having Ricky (Sechler) and Bill (Held) helping out here. Ricky coaches at LCCC and has coached on Carpenter Cup staffs before. He’s been a huge help.”