Grossman And Greyson To Join Terrapin Softball Squad
7/18/2002 8:00:00 AM | Softball
July 18, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - High school standouts Natalie Grossman (Princeton, N.J./The Hun School) and Rachel Greyson (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./El Toro) will be two of the new faces on Gina LaMandre's 2003 softball squad. Grossman, an acclaimed outfielder, and Greyson, a dynamic catcher, signed national letters of intent, have been admitted to the university, and will join the Maryland Terrapins on the diamond when fall practice begins. The duo is added to a squad that posted a 31-21 record, finished third in the ACC after the regular season and opened a state-of-the-art $3.6 million softball facility in 2002. The team's .596 winning percentage on the year was the third best in the eight-year history of Maryland softball.
"We're very excited to have Natalie and Rachel coming in," said Terrapin head coach LaMandre. "We feel they can be immediate contributors to our team."
A native of Princeton, N.J., Grossman spent four years on the varsity squad at the Hun School of Princeton. She was a Newark Star-Ledger all-state selection in 2001, a three-time member of the Trenton Times all-star team and a four-time MAPL all-league selection. While playing for the New Jersey Devils travel squad in 2001, Grossman led her team in at bats, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, RBI, on base percentage (.414) and batting average (.370). She was a two-time all-star with the Devils in the GSA league.
"Natalie brings both speed and agility to the outfield," commented LaMandre. "She can cover a lot of ground, and is a great contact hitter."
Greyson, a 5-6 catcher/outfielder, comes to Maryland from El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif., where she was a two-time South Coast all-league selection, the recipient of the coach's award in 2002 and named her squad's defensive player of the year in 2000. She was also a member of the Orange County Batbusters, a travel team that placed seventh at the 2001 Gold National Tournament. Greyson also traveled with the SoCal Storm that finished 13th at ASA 16-and-Under Nationals in 2000.
"Rachel adds depth to our battery, and possesses the versatility to play other positions when not behind the plate," said LaMandre. "She will be a good complement to Casey [Leiter] and share the catching duties with her."
