PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team will begin their 2020 season this weekend (Feb. 7-9) in the Gardner-Webb University Tournament.

The Hawks will take on Youngstown State, Canisius and the host Gardner-Webb over the three-day tournament. The first game is against Youngstown State at 10 a.m. on Friday (Feb. 7).

Head coach Karla Powell is beginning her second season at the helm of the softball program. This is her first full school year with the team after coming to The Shore in January last year, three weeks before the first game.

"This is an exciting time as we are ready to hit the ground running," Powell said. "I got in here last year and it was a learning curve, but the girls have adapted well and we're excited to see what the season brings."

Eastern Shore has just 11 players on the roster this season. The newcomers are all sophomores Kaylyn Sterling (Half Moon Bay, California), Jayla Pinkney (Severn, Maryland) and Alona Robillard (Lake Wales, Florida) as well as freshman Tyanna Roberts (Woodbridge, Virginia).

The top returners for the squad are junior pitcher Nasya Goodman (Willingboro, New Jersey), who led the team in wins with five a season ago, and sophomore Anissa Derifield (Woodbridge, Virginia), who batted .299 in 2019, is the team's leading batter coming back.

Seniors Allison Gingrich and LeAnn Gingrich (Landisburg, Pennsylvania) should provide the leadership for Maryland Eastern Shore as they embark on 25 games of non-conference play before their MEAC opener against North Carolina A&T on March 21.

"This season I am looking for us to grow from the first game to the last," Powell said. "The two words we use are growth and patience, which means we want to always get better."

Kaylyn Sterling

Sterling comes to the Hawks from the College of San Mateo. The sophomore will fill the void in center field that was left by the graduation of Daeshia Jones.

"Kaylyn is a dominant outfielder," Powell said. "She has amazing range, great speed and a great bat."

Jayla Pinkney

Pinkney played her freshman season last year at Bowie State. She batted .297 with a homerun, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored.

"Jayla is very team supportive, keeps the team upbeat and has brought some positive energy." Powell said. "She has grown a lot from being a walk-on for us and could help at third."

Alona Robillard

Robillard is a transfer from Warner University. She will see time in the infield and behind the plate.

"Alona is one of the hardest working players that I have ever coached," Powell said. "She has a ton of power, is great at third and she always wants to be a leader."

Tyanna Roberts

Roberts was a district high school player of the year in Virginia in 2018. After taking a year away from the game, the Northern Virginia native will see time all over the diamond.

"Tee is very versatile and brings consistency to the lineup," Powell said. "She had a year off from competing and playing, so I think she is ready to prove herself as someone who can do well in the MEAC."

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.