MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., March 8, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team set a new standard in 2018, reaching the postseason for the first time as an NJCAA Division I program and having a student-athlete named an All-American for the first time. This season, under the tutelage of a new coaching regime, the Mustangs have their sights set on continuing to make history in 2019.
 
Samantha Santillo became the team's new head coach back in September. Santillo had a successful and highly decorated four-year collegiate career at NCAA Division I Robert Morris University before entering the coaching ranks immediately after graduation. A prosperous run as the head coach of North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., led Santillo to Monroe. With her came assistant coach Jordan Gurganus, a college teammate of Santillo at Robert Morris. Santillo also named Mustang alumna Brooke Kane as the team's graduate assistant pitching coach for the 2019 campaign.
 
The Mustangs finished 21-19 overall in 2018, the team's first season above .500 since 2015. The team earned qualification into the Region X Championship Tournament, hosted by USC Sumter in Sumter, S.C. The Mustangs opened the tournament with a 6-0 victory over Harford Community College for their first-ever postseason victory at the Div. I level. They were eliminated from the double-elimination tournament after back-to-back losses at the hands of Spartanburg Methodist College and USC Sumter.
 
Chantel Winstead had an outstanding season to become earn a spot on the 2018 NJCAA Div. I Softball All-America Third Team, becoming the first Mustang All-American. Winstead batted an impressive .439 on the season, totaling 26 RBIs and 39 runs scored after starting all 40 games last year. She added eight doubles, three triples and a home run on the season.
 
Winstead is one of three returning Mustangs on this year's roster. Abigail Cancilla is back for her second season after batting .312 in 28 games as a freshman. She scored 14 runs and knocked in 15 more throughout the season. Alexis Cruz is also back for her sophomore campaign and is looking to carve out a larger role in year two.
 
The Mustangs will look to build upon last year's success with the leadership of their three returning sophomores. They will lead a roster that also includes 16 newcomers who saw the team's accomplishments a year ago and want to make their mark as the program continues to grow.
 
After the team's opening weekend was washed out by inclement weather, the team will open 2019 at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where the Mustangs will play 11 games in seven days. The Mustangs open their trip against Lackawanna College on Saturday, March 9, followed later with a contest against USC Sumter. Sunday will feature a doubleheader with USC Salkehatchie. The Mustangs will take Monday off to enjoy Myrtle Beach before getting back to work on Tuesday with contests against John Wood Community College and Paul D. Camp Community College. They will take on USC Sumter in a doubleheader on Wednesday, continue Thursday with a single game against Kishwaukee College, and wrap up the trip on Friday with a twinbill against Spartanburg Methodist College.
 
The Mustangs return home for their home opener on Wednesday, March 20, a doubleheader against SUNY Orange that kicks off an eight-game homestand. They then play Brookdale Community College on Friday, March 21, County College of Morris on Saturday, March 22, and then Rowan College of Gloucester County on Sunday, March 24, all at the Flowers Park Softball Field.
 
The Mustangs will then play three straight doubleheaders on the road, beginning with Lackawanna College on March 27. They travel up to Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) on March 30 before returning to New York to take on Suffolk County Community College on Long Island on March 31.
 
Mercer County Community College comes to New Rochelle on Saturday, April 6, and the Harford visits the Mustangs on April 7. The Mustangs then travel on back-to-back weekdays, taking on SUNY Orange on April 10 before visiting Morris on April 11. The Mustangs return home that weekend to take on Rowan College of Burlington County on Sunday, April 14.
 
The Mustangs wrap up the regular season with six more home games, starting with Suffolk County on Friday, April 19. CCRI comes to New Rochelle for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 20, and Lackawanna pays the Mustangs a visit on Wednesday, April 24, to close out the regular season.
 
AB­OUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).