DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. - Mercy College senior shortstop/outfielder Jenna Ausiello (Petaluma, Calif.), fresh off an outstanding season with the Mavericks, has signed a contract to play professional softball in Hamburg, Germany for the ETV Hamburg Knights.

Ausiello finished the 2012 campaign with a .424 batting average, which ranked her second in the East Coast Conference. Her on-base percentage of .489 and slugging percentage of .658 slots her second and third, respectively. She led the league in doubles with 22, which were eight more than the next player. Her 67 hits tied for the conference-lead and set a new school record. Ausiello's 35 RBI were good for seventh amongst her ECC counterparts.

Nationally, Ausiello ranks fifth in all of Division II in the toughest-to-strikeout category. She is also seventh in the country with 0.44 doubles per game.

Ausiello received ECC Co-Player of the Week praise once this season and was named to the ECC Player of the Week Honor Roll twice.

In Germany, the California native will play shortstop and pitch for the Hamburg Knights 1st Team, while also serving as a coach for the junior team. To visit the Knights' official website, please click this link.

Head Coach Mike Fazio on Ausiello:

"Jenna has been an outstanding performer for us since she arrived here from California for the 2010-11 season, following two standout years with Santa Rosa Junior College, where she played mostly outfield.  It is not a surprise that she would be sought after by a team like the Knights.  She is a great player and has been a solid student here at Mercy where she currently maintains a 3.36 GPA. 

She was selected first team all conference last year.  She received player of the week honors several times in 2011 & 2012.  She just set a new Mercy record for hits in a single season (67), eclipsing the 52 she had shared, following the 2011 campaign. She also joined the Maverick 100 hit club recording her 100th hit as a Maverick after only two years.   She has been a leader for us on and off the field. 

This represents a tremendous opportunity for Jenna.  She gets to continue playing the game she loves, can coach younger players, and at the same time can travel Europe before she steps into the work force.  How does it get better than that? 

Jenna played a key role for us as we worked to build a competitive team in the ECC.  Last year we made the postseason tournament for the first time in over 20 years.  This year, we narrowly missed the tournament finishing in fifth place in what I believe is a very tough conference.  I don't know if that would have happened without her as part of the team.  She has been an impact player in the program since she arrived.  She is one of the best hitters I have seen in my more than 30 years of coaching fast pitch softball. This year she had 158 at-bats with only three strikeouts. She is a line drive hitter who has good power, as she hit 12 homers and 35 doubles during her two years as a Maverick. 

Jenna has helped us shape the future of Mercy College Softball.  I think this is great for Jenna and I am very proud of her."

Provided by the Mercy Sports Information Department.