The College of Staten Island Softball Team is scheduled to begin the 2025 season on Sunday in South Orange Village, NJ when they take on Chestnut Hill College. Next, the team continues on to The Spring Games in Florida before a series of road games to conclude the month of March. The team will then spend much of April at home facing numerous conference rivals as the program seeks its first postseason appearance in NCAA Division II. The Dolphins were alive in the race for a playoff spot until the final out of the regular season against Mercy University. However, needing a win in the season's final game to reach the postseason, the Dolphins fell to the Mavericks on their home turf. 2025 will see Head Coach Tracey Garofalo return for her fourth season along with a trio of seniors who are beginning their fourth season with the program. First among the seniors is Alexis Miramontes, a pitcher who has logged plenty of innings during her Dolphins career both as a starter and reliever. Second, Mariah Carcano has been a staple in center field and a fixture in the CSI lineup for the past three seasons. Finally, Anissa Acosta has arguably been the most prolific player to wear a CSI uniform during the Division II era of the program. These three seniors will be part of a CSI roster that features plenty of returning talent including ECC Co-Player of the Year Aileen Balderas. Also returning are sophomores Amanda Stalker, Bridget Motley, Aliveah Warner and Olivia Wanser, all of whom started the majority of the team's games and made major contributions last season. In the circle, Alexandra Frenza and Kennedie Ruth are both coming off strong seasons and will remain integral pieces of the CSI pitching staff. Also, adding to the promise of the upcoming season is the arrival of eight new Dolphins who will debut for the team in 2025. Below, take a look at some of the key returners, important dates, and full details on how to follow the team all the way from opening weekend, down to Florida, and beyond!
KEY RETURNERS
* > 30 GAMES PLAYED (POSITION PLAYERS) & > 15 APPEARANCES (PITCHERS) *
Anissa Acosta - Sr. | Los Angeles, CA
Acosta has arguably been the most important player in the CSI Softball program during the Division II era and has the career numbers to back up that status. A .342 hitter as a Dolphin, she is closing in on the all-time program home-runs record. With her best season yet, 200 career hits are within reach, and 100 career RBI is a certainty at some point this season. With a career on-base percentage of .405, she is also an incredibly tough strikeout, and of her 144 hits, 57 have gone for extra bases. In her senior season, she will have one final opportunity to be among the catalysts that propel the Dolphins to their first NCAA Division II playoff appearance.
Mariah Carcano - Sr. | La Habra, CA
Carcano has been an important piece of the Dolphins lineup during her tenure, and her biggest impact may come in the form of her defense. Patrolling center field in a wind-stricken CSI Softball Complex, she has remained a consistently reliable presence in the outfield. Last season, she committed just a single error while posting a career-best .310 batting average. She also posted an on-base percentage of .350 surpassed 100 hits for her career. The Dolphins will once again rely upon her defense in center, and the team will hope that she can replicate her 2024 numbers at the plate once again in 2025.
Aileen Balderas - Jr. | Los Angeles, CA
The 2024 ECC Co-Player of the Year, Balderas took an unprecedented step forward in her sophomore season with the Dolphins. Putting together what was perhaps the best season in the Division II history of the program, Balderas hit .411 with an astounding 67 hits. She also hit in 28 straight games during an incredible stretch that saw the Dolphins move to the brink of reaching the postseason. In addition to her .411 batting average, the junior reached base at a .443 clip last year, mostly coming out of the leadoff spot. It remains to be seen where she will hit in the lineup this season, but the Dolphins can sure that her impact will be felt once again in 2025.
Olivia Wanser - So. | Westbury, NY
Wanser burst onto the scene last year with one of the best freshman seasons for a CSI Softball player in recent memory. In her first season with the program, she was named to the ECC All-Conference First Team and hit .389. She collected 58 hits on the season and posted an on-base percentage of .443. Another tough strikeout, she was punched out just 15 times last season and drew 15 walks. Already one of the most feared bats in the ECC, a step forward as a sophomore could mean huge things for the second-year Dolphin.
Aliveah Warner - So. | Toldeo, OH
Warner is the second of four returning CSI sophomores who played a huge role at the plate in her first season with the team last year. Starting 39 games, she posted a .282 batting average with a .357 on-base percentage. She also displayed a knack for driving in runs as she collected 21 RBI on 35 hits last season. Of those 35 base knocks, ten went for extra bases, and she also reached base ten time via the base on balls. The Dolphins hope to see how grow into an even more dangerous hitter along with her fellow sophomores in 2025.
Bridget Motley - So. | Staten Island, NY
Only three Dolphins appeared in more games than Motley last season, and she played a huge role after being thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman. Quickly earning the starting nod at third base during the team's Florida trip, she rewarded her coaches with excellent defense at the hot corner. While her glove is what stood out most, she still posted a 30-hit season. Another Dolphin with a knack for run-scoring hits, she also delivered 20 RBI last season. Anchoring the infield defense in 2024, Motley could once again be asked to fill a similar role this season.
Amanda Stalker - So. | Howes Cave, NY
Stalker slowly emerged as one of the most consistent bats in the Dolphins lineup during the second half of last season and put together a very impressive freshman campaign. Hitting .344, she collected 32 hits on the season and posted an on-base percentage of .410. Mostly hitting in the top half of the lineup, she scored 12 runs and drove in 12 runs despite less than 100 at-bats. With an increase in plate appearances this season, Stalker could expect to see bigger offensive numbers in 2025.
Natalya Knoth - Jr. | New Paltz, NY
Often the first bat off the Dolphins bench, Knoth improved her batting average 40 points during the 2024 season. Hitting .254, she drove in five runs and collected 15 base-hits. She reached base at a .313 rate and earned 14 starts last season as well. Filling the difficult yet critically important role as the team's first pinch-hitter to the plate last season, the Dolphins could ask her to do more of the same in 2025.
Kennedie Ruth - Jr. | Feasterville, PA
Ruth was undoubtedly the ace of the Dolphins pitching staff last season, and she brought the team to the cusp of a playoff berth on the final day of the season. Overall, she pitched to a 9-11 record with a 3.77 ERA across 26 appearances and 17 starts. She pitched two shutouts last season, but her season-defining effort came in a complete game one-run effort against Mercy on the season's final day. Once again slotted into the CSI rotation, Ruth will be relied upon heavily to help the team reach the postseason in 2025.
Alexandra Frenza - Jr. | New Paltz, NY
Frenza has been a staple in the CSI rotation for the last two seasons, and she improved her numbers as a sophomore in 2024. She decreased her ERA by nearly three runs and decreased her runs allowed by 34 in just 12.2 fewer innings than she tossed as a freshman. She also displayed an ability to work out of incredibly tough situations with runners on base and was able to keep the Dolphins in most games that she pitched. Another step forward this season would be a huge boost for a CSI pitching staff that has often seen their top two starters very heavily taxed over the course of a long season.