ITHACA, N.Y. — Where Aly Intihar fits into the women's softball lineup at Cornell University remains in question.

Whether she belongs in that lineup is not.

Intihar recently concluded her freshman year with the Big Red by being named first-team Mid-Atlantic All-Region as a utility player by the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association.

Intihar started 15 games at first base, 25 at second, one at third and seven at shortstop as Cornell finished 35-14, one game behind Harvard in the Ivy League standings.

"She may be best suited for the outfield," Cornell coach Dick Blood said. "She is such a mentally and physically tough kid, with plenty of range and a great arm. She played well at every position we put her."

She hit well, too.

Intihar batted .351 with 11 homers and 41 RBI, leading the team in the latter two categories.

She didn't hit a single home run during her senior season at Seneca Valley.

"My coach changed my swing a lot when I got here," Intihar said. "He likes everybody to hit for power as opposed to slapping the ball.

"The biggest difference between my swing this year and last year is that I have more of a follow-through and my swing is quicker."

Blood has a record of 396-185 in 11 years at Cornell. He's had freshmen shine at the plate before, but such players have been few and far between.

"The biggest adjustment softball hitters have to make at the college level is seeing the pitches spin so much," Blood said. ""At the high school level, pitchers just want to get the ball across the plate with some authority.

"In college, it's coming across the plate with that same authority — and it's moving all over the place."

Blood said it's common to see girls hit .655 in high school, then hit .255 in college.

"Parents wonder why that is," the coach said. "But that .655 high school average comes from hitting .865 against lousy pitching and .225 against good pitching.

"The good pitching is what comes to college."

Intihar admitted she surprised herself with her immediate production at the plate.

"I worked hard all year long and hoped for the best," she said. "Throughout last fall, I kept improving. But I never thought I'd hit 11 home runs. Coach Blood taught us to use a baseball swing more than a softball swing.

"You could tell right away he knows what he's talking about and you listen to what he says. He's a great coach when it comes to the technical side of the game."

Cornell finished as runner-up in the Ivy League for the third consecutive season. Because the league does not have a postseason tournament, the only way to reach the NCAA Tournament is to win the conference outright.

"It was devastating to lose the way we did this year," Intihar said. "We traveled so much. We played 36 of our first 37 games on the road.

"Trying to balance a schedule like that with your classwork is really a challenge."

Intihar is a student in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

"What I like about Aly is she places high expectations upon herself," Blood said. "She's a hard-nosed ballplayer and a disciplined person. She's never satisfied with her performance."

Intihar likes playing a middle infield position best, though Blood hinted she might be his starting first baseman next season.

Before this spring, Intihar hadn't played first base since seventh grade.

"That was challenging, learning that position," she said. "I like middle infield because diving for ground balls, getting up and throwing to first base is fun. But I'll play wherever they need me."

Cornell had nine freshmen on the roster this spring.

"The upside potential of this team is tremendous. ... Aly's right in the middle of that," Blood said.

Here is a look at Seneca Valley graduate Aly Intihar's final statistics as a freshman with the Cornell University women's softball team:<B>Category-----------Total------------Team Rank</B>Batting Avg. -----------.351-----------4thHits-----------53-----------2ndDoubles-----------9-----------3rdTriples-----------2-----------2ndHome Runs-----------11-----------1stRBI-----------41-----------1stStolen bases-----------6-----------3rd