Gilroy
– Canisius College has named former Gilroy High softball pitcher
Andrea Bunten its Female Student–Athlete of the Year.
The senior pitcher, who graduated from GHS in 2001, is the only
player in the Canisius softball program’s 26
–year history to reach 600 career strikeouts.
Gilroy – Canisius College has named former Gilroy High softball pitcher Andrea Bunten its Female Student–Athlete of the Year.
The senior pitcher, who graduated from GHS in 2001, is the only player in the Canisius softball program’s 26–year history to reach 600 career strikeouts. She leads the Golden Griffins on the mound at this weekend’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament.
Bunten wasn’t at the annual Student–Athlete Banquet to accept her award. Thinking she wouldn’t be chosen, Bunten attended class instead.
“I was actually really shocked (to get the award),” said Bunten, also named the MAAC Pitcher of the Year and to the All–MAAC First Team. “I knew I was up against some other good athletes in sports doing better than ours.”
For the regular season, Bunten went 10–9 on the mound, posting a 1.70 ERA while striking out 166 batters in 115 innings. She also set the school record for most strikeouts in a game when she retired 18 Niagara batters in an April 19 game.
At the beginning of her career at the Buffalo, N.Y. school, Bunten was a freshman who didn’t get much experience behind two seasoned senior pitchers. But in her sophomore year, she was thrown into the fire – and responded well.
“I love having pressure on me,” Bunten said. “I don’t really like being the underdog.”
The one thing she didn’t respond well to? Adjusting to the softball–unfriendly weather of upstate New York.
“Oh, yeah, we played in the snow, which was not too nice,” Bunten laughed. “The ball’s really not easy to hold on to.”
Today, the Golden Griffins play Fairfield in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.
Bunten was the tourney MVP last year after winning five games in a row to lead Canisius to the conference crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. If Canisius wins the tourney this weekend, the Griffs will make their second straight NCAA appearance.
Last year, Canisius was pitted against Big Ten powerhouse Michigan in the first round. The Griffs were ahead for most of the game, on track to pull off the upset of the tournament, but the Wolverines rallied late to win.
The Gilroy native will graduate later this month. She has been in contact with an Australian professional team and if plans work out, Bunten hopes to be heading Down Under in August to play ball.
