Sabocsik catching on, North Penn tops CB West
TOWAMENCIN » There aren’t many sports relationships more important than the one between pitcher and catcher.
North Penn’s Mady Volpe had one of the best catchers around in Amanda Greaney her first three years with the Knights but with Greaney graduated at playing at Lehigh, the senior pitcher was going to be throwing to someone new this spring. Fortunately for her and North Penn, Sarah Sabocsik has proven to be a quick study.
The sophomore backstop has quickly asserted herself behind the plate and in the batting order for the Knights.
“I was very excited to catch Mady,” Sabocsik said after Wednesday’s 11-0 win over Central Bucks West. “She’s an amazing pitcher and it’s a great opportunity to be able to catch her.”
Where Greaney was a bit more of a power hitter, Sabocsik is smaller than the current Lehigh freshman but one of the quickest players on the Knights’ roster. Wednesday, the sophomore batted second and drove in the game’s first run on an RBI single in the bottom of the first.
Volpe, a Coastal Carolina recruit as the program’s record-holder for strikeouts, throws with a high velocity but that wasn’t anything new for Sabocsik. She and classmate Julia Shearer play for the same Newtown Rock Gold travel team and Sabocsik has caught for Shearer the past few summers.
At North Penn, Greaney wore No. 22 as her jersey number. Sabocsik has worn that same number for most of the time she’s been playing softball and wanted to take 22 as her own when she made the varsity roster this year.
“Sarah is unbelievable, she catches Julia in the summers but she’s also come right in and worked really well with Mady,” Knights coach Rick Torresani said. “She’s quick behind the plate, has a great arm and behind Julia, is probably the fastest player on the team.
“To lose Amanda Greaney, an all-state player, Sarah took her number and wants to be better.”
Sabocsik said she really took note of the way Greaney led and communicated with her teammates in their limited time together last year and the sophomore hopes to have that same kind of impact by the time she is a senior.