Westmoreland campus clippings: Ex-Mt. Pleasant ace Alincic leaving Morehead State
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Former Mt. Pleasant ace softball pitcher Carolyn Alincic is changing college programs, and possibly divisions.
The strikeout pitcher who won WPIAL and PIAA titles with the Vikings, is leaving Morehead State (Ky.) after just less than two seasons.
Candid and open about her decision, Alincic said she needed to hit the reset button, mentally and physically. Transferring, she believes, will allow her to do both.
“The environment on the softball team wasn’t the best, and it started to take a toll on my mental health,” the sophomore said. “It made me want to get away from the intensity of Division I athletics because it really made me lose the love for the game and playing turned into a chore. I also felt like I was completely behind in my academics, so I decided it would be best to drop to a division that would be the most suitable to allow me to focus most of my time on school work, rather than only having enough time in the day to do softball-related activities.”
Alincic said she has been in contact with numerous schools, from Division I to NAIA.
She was 2-5 this season in 11 appearances for Morehead State, including 10 starts. She had an ERA of 8.06 in 33 innings with 26 strikeouts and 39 walks.
Alincic, who played high school softball with confidence and a no-nonsense approach, said she does not feel the need to prove herself to anyone.
“I was the first person in my family to go to college at all, let alone being a college athlete, so I’ve proved all I needed to prove to myself and my family,” she said. “I’m satisfied that I can always say I played Division I softball.”
As concerned about the next wave of young recruits to come through the ranks as she is her next stop, Alincic has a message about big-time college softball.
“Sometimes, Division I just isn’t the right fit for some people,” she said. “The one thing I am trying to prove is that the ‘Division I or bust’ mentality is irrelevant. I used to think I was letting people down if I didn’t play at the most competitive level. So I hope younger local girls can follow my career and realize that you don’t have to play Division I to be a great athlete.”
Towson: Junior Chloe Poulich (Mt. Pleasant), who is hitting .362 and leads the team in doubles (11) and RBIs (20), and ranks second in runs (21), was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association second team.
Football
West Virginia: Redshirt freshman Jayvon Thrift (Norwin) announced he will enter the NCAA transfer portal and leave Morgantown. The 5-foot-9, 182-pound safety did not play in a varsity game for WVU after redshirting in 2019.
Thrift initially committed to Youngstown State before heading to WVU. His other offers coming out of Norwin included Pitt, Syracuse, Temple, and Toledo.
Baseball
Saint Vincent: The Bearcats (15-16) held off Bethany, 2-0, in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference play-in game to inherit the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. SVC will take on No. 1 Washington & Jefferson (33-1) at 1 p.m. Thursday in the opening round.
In the play-in win, senior Tom Bash tossed eight shutout innings to improve to 6-1. He allowed six hits and struck out seven. Senior Matt Evans, meantime, pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save, and senior TJ Dailey went 2 for 4 for the Bearcats.
Seton Hill: Grad student Tommy Pellis (Greensburg Central Catholic) was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week. Pellis helped lead the Griffins to a 6-0 mark and was nearly unstoppable at the plate. He was 11 for 24 with 10 runs, six home runs and 11 RBIs during the six-game stretch. He had a two-homer games against Slippery Rock and Pitt-Johnstown.
Pellis is hitting .450 with 50 hits, 40 runs, 14 homers and 39 RBIs.
Washington & Jefferson: Sophomore Tyler Horvat (Penn-Trafford) went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs to help lead the Presidents to an 8-3 win over Saint Vincent. In the second game of the doubleheader, he pitched five innings and allowed an unearned run, while striking out eight as he improved to 8-0 with a 2-1 win.
Men’s tennis
Saint Vincent: Junior David Lynn (first singles) and junior Mauricio Sanchez (second singles) were named to the All-PAC first team. They also made the first team as a pair, at first doubles.
Junior Josh Boland made the second team at No. 4 singles.
Women’s tennis
Saint Vincent: Sophomore Angela Popovich (Hempfield) and junior Maura Skelley were named to the All-PAC second team.
Women’s lacrosse
Saint Vincent: Junior Joey Smith was named to the All-PAC first team after leading the Bearcats with 53 points and 32 assists, while scoring 21 goals. Senior teammate Lucy Volna, a senior, was named to the second team after a 24-goal season.