The Rutgers softball team welcomes eight newcomers to the team for the 2010 season, including Katie Berman (Teaneck, N.J.) and D’Aisha Smith (Fords, N.J.).
Berman comes to Rutgers from Teaneck, New Jersey, where she attended Teaneck High School. At THS, Berman was four-year varsity letterwinner and co-captain of the Highwaywomen. Berman earned All Bergen County and All League Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) honors four-consecutive years at second base. She also earned team Most Valuable Player as a junior and senior.
Berman led her team in stolen bases her senior year with 44, ending her interscholastic career with 117 total stolen bases. She also boasted a .439 batting average, and consistently ranked among the leaders in North Jersey for stolen bases and on-base percentage.
In addition to her success in softball, Berman also excelled in soccer, earning First Team All-League and Honorable Mention All-County honors. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Highwaywomen and a co-captain her senior year.
Academically, Berman graduated in the top four percent of her class and was a member of the National Honor Society. While attending Rutgers, Berman intends on majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Marketing.
Smith hails from Fords, New Jersey where she attended Woodbridge High School. During her high school career, Smith participated in softball, basketball, and track. An outstanding athlete, she only played softball for one year, leaving it to run track for her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Smith, a two time captain in track, helped lead her team to three county relay championships, two appearances at states, as well as two back- to-back years at the Penn Relays.
A standout basketball player, Smith was awarded a spot on the Greater Middlesex County All-Star team, and won the GMC Sportsmanship Award.
As a child, Smith recalls wanting to play softball after watching her father play every weekend in softball leagues around the state. The five-foot, seven-inch outfielder plans to double major in Psychology and English, and eventually apply to Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
Check back with www.scarletknights.com for continued updates on the newcomers of Rutgers softball.
