Brakettes Announce Three Star Commitments

March 19, 2007 - The Brakettes announced the commitments of three members of last year’s Connecticut Brakettes roster to play in 2007. Stephanie Hill, Denise Denis, and Leslie Malerich have declared their intentions to play for the Brakettes, as the team looks to bring home its 28th ASA Women’s Major National Championship.

Stephanie Hill will return to Stratford in 2007 after a strong debut in 2006. The former NPF draft pick and All-SEC selection at Louisiana State University will defend the corners for the Brakettes, as she played both first and third base during her rookie campaign. The infielder was an Academic All-American at LSU, where she also served as the team’s captain, and will undoubtedly bring leadership to the squad. Stephanie led all Connecticut Brakettes rookies in 2006 in batting average, and her 26 hits were fifth overall on the team. Hill, who was sixth in RBI’s, was a career .336 batter while at LSU.

Denise Denis will also return to Stratford in 2007, and will show off her skills while roaming the outfield grass at DeLuca HOF Field. Denise smacked two homeruns for the Connecticut Brakettes in 2006, after a successful 2005 season with the ASA Stratford Brakettes. The left-handed batter has provided both speed and power to the Brakettes lineups, while contributing solid defensive play at all three outfield positions. The former UMass star made a living against Brakettes’ pitchers as the centerfielder for the Adirondack (NY) Ice, before the locals were able to steal her away from her original women’s major team.

Leslie Malerich will once again take the mound for the Brakettes in 2007. Her career in Stratford started in 2001, before her stellar senior year at Florida State University. That summer, she went a team-best 24-4 with a 0.22 ERA. She also led the team in with 299 K’s in 227 innings pitched. After returning to FSU for one last collegiate campaign, Malerich led the Seminoles to a third-place finish in the College World Series, knocking off #1 UCLA in the process, and was named to the CWS All-American team. Playing for the Italian National Softball Team since 2002, Leslie has led the Italians to strong finishes in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and the 2002 and 2006 ISF World Championships. Malerich also posted a 15-3 mark in 2005 for the Brakettes, with three impressive wins against NPF professional teams. Leslie will be available for the Brakettes towards the end of the season, once her responsibilities in Italy, including the Olympic Qualifier for the 2008 Beijing Games, are completed.

Stay tuned for future team press releases, right here at www.brakettes.com, the Official Website of Brakettes Softball.