A look at our college and high school softball players of the week: Morgan Decker and Elyse Cuttic

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FROM KEITH GROLLER

COLLEGE PLAYER OF WEEK

MORGAN DECKER, LEHIGH

A sophomore jinx for Lehigh third baseman Morgan Decker? Hardly. More like a sophomore surge.

The Central Bucks South and Jamison, Bucks County product is living up her advanced billing as the Patriot League preseason player of the year by hitting .800 (12-for-15) in six league games so far and has won the league’s player of the week honor three times.

In three games last weekend against Lafayette, Decker was 5-for-6 with four extra-base hits and four RBIs. She also drew four walks to compile a .900 on-base percentage to go along with her .833 batting average for the week. Overall, she’s batting .455 with 14 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs.

“Morgan is just incredibly patient and if someone is pitching around her, she will be unselfish and take a walk,” Lehigh coach Fran Trojan said. “She has a tremendous swing, a tremendous eye and plays a tremendous third base.”

Trojan is not surprised by what Decker’s she’s doing. He saw her Decker’s talent at a young age,

“Her little league team played against my daughter’s little league team in a state championship game and she hit really well,” Troyan said. “When we were going through the line, I said: ‘Tell your father that I am starting to recruit you as of right now.’ She started to come to our camps and clinics and that’s how we got the inside track on her.”

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ELYSE CUTTIC, BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC

As a freshman in 2013, Bethlehem Catholic’s Elyse Cuttic didn’t get to pitch much because Joelle Morey was the team’s star in the circle.

Cuttic said she learned a lot from Morey.

“She definitely taught me what Bethlehem Catholic is all about and how we play and what’s our mentality,” Cuttic said. “She taught me about the winning tradition.”

Cuttic has done her part to keep the winning tradition going, pitching solidly in the team’s 4-1 start. She allowed just two runs in the team’s first three wins, and only two in a loss to highly-touted Liberty.

Against Easton on Wednesday, Cuttic gave up a season-high five runs, thanks mostly to a grand slam by Gianna Solomon. But she shut the door after the slam, allowing just one hit over the last three innings, as Becahi closed out a 8-5 win.

“That slam didn’t vex her,” Becahi coach Rich Mazza said. “She’s got a ton of poise. She’s very focused. She doesn’t get rattled. She just keeps plugging away.”

Cuttic, a left-hander, works with former area pitching star and high school assistant Brent Windsor.

“Coach Windsor instills confidence in me and he wants me to keep control of my emotions,” she said. “I rely a lot on my teammates. I know they’re always going to back me up, make the plays and get enough runs for us to win. So I just go out there and try to hit my spots.”