Team Italy's Erika Piancastelli powers McNesse State to 2018 NCAA Softball Regionals #ErikaForPresident

Erika Piancastelli, four-time Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year, was born to perform. Daughter of 2000 Team Italy Softball Olympian Loredana Auletta and former Modena Baseball hometown hero Pier Piancastelli, McNeese State's Erika Piancastelli has lived up to expectations and some by leading her Cowgirls squad to the 2018 NCAA Softball Regionals.

In the Southland Conference Championship against Nicholls State at Cowgirl Diamond in Lake Worth, Lousiana on May 11, 2018, McNesse State was three outs away from being victims of a no-hitter and a crushing loss. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Erika Piancastelli stepped up to the plate with the weight of the world on her shoulders and delivered a monster home run blast over the left field fence to tie the game up 2-2. ESPNU television announcer Kati Morse said, "You can't write this stuff... Of all the players that you would want at the plate to do that exact thing that just happened...it's going to be Erika Piancastelli. Quite honestly, it may have been the hardest hit ball I have seen here all weekend." The Cowgirls rallied for two more runs to win the Southland Conference Championship by a score of 4-2 to qualify for the NCAA Softball Regionals. McNeese State (40-19, ranked #45) now advances to the Texas A&M Regional, a four-team regional tournament featuring host Texas A&M (40-16, ranked #13) along with Baylor (36-16, ranked #16) and Prairie View A&M (20-21, ranked #260) in College Station, Texas. Their first game against Baylor will be streamed on ESPN3 on Friday, May 18 at 3:30 pm (Central Standard Time). In the three games the two teams have faced off this season, Baylor has won two of the contests. McNeese State hopes to turn the tables.

After Erika Piancastelli was named Southland Strong Player of the Game on May 11, 2018, ESPNU's Kati Morse said: "You could really not ask more from her and her performance today. Big hits, big defensive plays, especially this being one of her last games at home potentially as a senior in front of her home crowd. You could have not had a better day as Erika Piancastelli."  Immediately following the televison broadcast, Kati Morse took to her twitter account (@MorseCodeRed) and praised Erika Piancastelli. She tweeted, "Hands down, one of the greatest I've ever seen play this game #ErikaForPresident." The statistics support her claim that Erika Piancastelli is one of the best collegiate players in North America based on the following 2018 season national rankings: 1st in walks (60), 3rd in total bases (147), 4th in home runs (22), 7th in slugging percentage (.925), 12th in RBI (59), 13th in doubles (18), and 107th in batting average (.384).

Erika Piancastelli continued to write both the McNeese and Southland Conference record books this season, breaking five conference career records this season, giving her a combined (McNeese and Southland Conference) total of 17 records to her name including 12 combined career records. McNeese Cowgirls head coach James Landreneau said, "I'm so happy for Erika. Erika is Erika, her name and what she has done for us. Everybody expects her to be a super hero all the time. We are truly blessed to have such a talented, humble kid in our program." Erika Piancastelli is a six-year Team Italy veteran (catcher and third base) and is the most decorated player in McNeese State’s 39-year softball history. She became the first softball player in Southland Conference history to be named the league's player and hitter of the year for the fourth consecutive season after she led the Cowgirls to their third straight conference regular season and tournament championships while qualifying for their third straight NCAA Tournament.

Scrap Yard Fast Pitch, an independent women’s professional softball team, announced recently that they have invited Erika Piancastelli to join the 2018 Summer Roster. Although the Team Italy all-star player may choose to participate, it is unlikely that she will let anything get in the way of national pride. Like her mother did nearly two decades ago, Erika Piancastelli hopes to represent her country in the 2020 Olympics. The first hurdle for Team Italy to jump in order to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo is a good showing at the 2018 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Softball World Championship, which takes place in Chiba, Japan, from August 2-12, 2018. Team Italy manager Enrico Obletter is looking forward to the return of Erika Piancastelli in the Azzurre lineup after having played the 2018 Asia Pacific Cup in Sydney, Australia without his secret weapon. Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen

by Roberto Angotti