PIKE CREEK, Del. – Head Coach Jerry Grasso announced Thurs., July 15 that Veronica “Roni” Peters, a standout athlete at Leonardtown High School, and Dana Walker, a transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson University, have committed to Goldey-Beacom College for the Fall of 2010.
These two newcomers will join a young and promising Lightning squad that finished 16-23 this past season with just two seniors on the roster. All but three players on the 2010 roster will be back next season, including Second Team All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference designated hitter Danielle Rice, fourth-year senior pitcher Heather Draper (five wins, four complete games, 63 strikeouts), and junior reliever Sadie Jones (three saves).
Roni Peters (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown HS)
Peters comes to GBC a very accomplished softball player at Leonardtown High and in travel softball for the Bayside Blues.
A four-year member of the Leonardtown High varsity squad under head coach Glen Larnerd, Peters earned team most valuable player awards all four seasons and was three times named first-team all-county and first-team all-conference by her local newspaper, The Enterprise.
During the 2007-08 season, Peters was also distinguished by the Washington Post on the “All-Extra” First Team. She captained the team her junior and senior seasons, and during her final season this Spring, she was The Enterprise “Player of the Year” and earned honorable mention on the Post's All-Met team.
Peters also had an outstanding career with her travel team, the Bayside Blues. The Blues, an 18-and-under travel team that operates under a 501 non-profit organization out of Calvert County, Md., is designed to assist female student-athletes that want to play softball collegiately.
The Blues had great success from 2007-09. Most recently in 2009, Peters led them to a second-place finish at the ASA Central Atlantic Regional 18U Nationals. In 2008, they placed second at the Maryland State Tournament and competed in ASA 18U Nationals. The 2007 season saw Peters and the Blues win the Mid-Summer Classic Tournament, place second at the USSSA Rock N' Rumble Tournament and take seventh at the USSSA “Class A” World Series in Kansas City, Kan.
A versatile athlete, Peters also played three years of varsity volleyball and two years of basketball (one junior varsity and one varsity). She was selected the volleyball team's rookie of the year in 2006-07 and was named all-county by The Enterprise in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Peters earned the “Good Sport” award in 2008 from St. Mary's Co., the Mid-Atlantic Recreation and Parks' Sport Alliance. A superb student at Leonardtown High, she was on the honor roll and won the academic achievement award three out of her four years.
A 5'6 right-hander, Peters has pitched and also played shortstop, third base and the outfield.
Dana Walker (Middletown, Del./Fairleigh Dickinson)
Walker, a former softball star at St. Mark's High School, returns to her home state of Delaware after two seasons at Division-1 Fairleigh Dickinson University of the Northeast Conference (NEC).
A solid middle-infielder, Walker helped turn five double-plays in her two-year career with the Knights. As a freshman in 2009, she had two hits in 17 at-bats (.118 average) and collected one RBI. Defensively, she had a .905 fielding percentage that included an assist in a double-play from her second base position.
In 2010, Walker continued to show off her glove with a .953 fielding percentage and four turned double-plays. She also showed prowess offensively, hitting safely in 13 of 55 at-bats (.232) and showing she could hit for power with one homerun, four doubles, 10 RBI and a .357 slugging percentage.
Before FDU, Walker had an outstanding career at St. Mark's right in Wilmington. A three-year starter and team captain for head coach Guy Townsend, she finished strong by hitting .358 with an on-base percentage of .524 and earned the team's Outstanding Athlete award her senior year in 2008. She was named First Team All-Catholic Conference, and she was invited to play shortstop for the North All-Stars in the Carpenter Cup and also in the Blue-Gold Delaware State Senior All-Star game.
In her junior season, Walker played second base, shortstop and third base and also batted lead-off. She earned honorable mention All-Catholic Conference and was also selected to play in her first of two Carpenter Cups on the Delaware North team. Walker also played travel softball for the Maryland Legends Gold 18U team that season. She led the Legends to the Sweet 16 at the PONY Nationals.
Her sophomore season she started on the varsity squad at second base and hit in the leadoff spot. She batted .309 with an on-base percentage of .422 and posted a .958 fielding percentage. Walker was named Second-Team All-Catholic Conference that season.
Walker was also a very accomplished field hockey player, playing for the Maryland Strikers for seven years and winning several National Indoor Titles at U14, U16, U19 and participating at the National Festival Field Hockey Tournament in 2005 and 2006.
Additionally, Walker was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2005-06, a member of St. Mark's Blue/Gold Club, and she once attended the St. Mark's Leadership Retreat.
