By Joseph Staszewski
Dana Moss knew for a long time where she wanted to go to college. For her, no other school seemed to compare. As a sophomore, the Archbishop Molloy star went to C.W. Post for a clinic and immediately fell in love.
“It was the first school I saw and every other school I saw after that didn’t compare to it,” she said.
Moss accepted a full scholarship to play softball at the Division II school in Brookdale, L.I., next season. She will join fellow Stanners and Sudden Impact travel ball teammate Maria Palmeri there. The two have known each other since they were 12.
“I think she pretty much played on every team that I have been on since I started,” Palmeri said. “It feels really good to be able to share the next four years with her.”
Moss, who plays first base and will try her hand at short this season, felt comfortable at C.W. Post, which features other members of the Sudden Impact program. She gets along well with head Coach Jamie Apicella and was impressed with the players’ relationships.
“I just thought the campus was beautiful,” she said. “It’s not too far away from home, but it’s not too close, so I can commute whenever I want.”
Moss, who is unsure what she will study in school, will join a program that went 41-16 overall last season and 20-8 in the ECC. The Pioneers, who are currently 8-8, made the Division II NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive year last season and lost in the College World Series round after winning the East Super Regional.
“Dana is a very good player,” Molloy Coach Maureen Rosenbaum said. “She is a modest player. She’s just superb.”
The three-year varsity player isn’t boastful about her abilities or accomplishments on the field, even after helping the Stanners win their first-ever CHSAA state crown a year ago. Moss hit 8-of-11 with five runs scored and three RBIs in the Stanners’ CHSAA city championship and state playoff games last season. She is a doubles machine at times and was impossible to get out late in the season.
“I have her in the fourth spot because she is the most reliable hitter,” Rosenbaum said. “She always puts the bat on the ball. She very rarely strikes out. She will either hit line drives into the gap or hit for power.”
Moss is experimenting with a new position at shortstop this season with the graduations of Marissa Puzino and Alanna Gallagher. She will play there instead of first when Palmeri, the regular shortstop, is pitching. While she is still learning the intricacies of the position, her smarts, speed and athletic ability make her the best candidate in Rosenbaum’s mind.
“I think she will fill in fine,” the coach said. “She just has to get used to it.”
There was no apprehension when it came to Moss’ college decision. That was made up a long time ago.
“I knew from the first time I saw C.W. Post that was the school for me,” Moss said.
