Brian Dewey knew what a great hitter he was getting when Natalie DeMatteis came to play softball at Mercyhurst North East two years ago.

He didn't realize he was getting a great defensive player as well.

After a stellar career at the junior college, DeMatteis, a graduate of Moniteau High School, recently signed a letter-of-intent to play at Division I Cleveland State University.

"She exceeded our expectations here," said Dewey, head coach of the Saints. "When we recruited her, we knew she was a good hitter, all through high school and all through her life.

"What we did not expect was how good a shortstop she was. We recruited her at second base," he added.

DeMatteis, of Boyers, had played second base for the Warriors, but making the switch to shortstop came easy.

"I had played shortstop before so it was not that much a problem," said DeMatteis.

DeMatteis led the Saints in batting average in both seasons and finished in the top 10 nationally as well.

She leaves the program with a school-record .532 career batting average as well as its leader in career hits (107) and runs (73) and tied the record for doubles with 29.

In 201 at-bats, DeMatteis fanned just five times and while playing shortstop for two years, she made just eight errors in 241 chances.

"The difference at shortstop is there's a much longer throw," said Dewey, "but that's not as big a deal for her since she has a strong arm. She wanted to play deep, but you find out in college the kids run quicker.

"The thing about shortstop is there is so much to remember, but she's smart. She picked it up quick," Dewey added.

DeMatteis discovered Cleveland State when incoming coach Angie Nicholson was coaching at Butler (Ind.) University last year and was in contact with Dewey.

"She met (Dewey) and asked about me," said DeMatteis. "We e-mailed back but didn't hear from them again until halfway through the season."

DeMatteis credits Dewey for improving her play.

"I didn't expect to be that good," said DeMatteis of her final statistics. "But, I had an awesome coach who helped me in hitting and fielding and doing things well."

DeMatteis finished as a two-time first-team all-Western New York Athletic Conference choice. As a freshman. she was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American first-team selection.

Dewey saw DeMatteis developing into a potential Division I player, but wasn't sure in every area.

"After her first year, to be honest, I thought she was good enough athletically, but academically, I wasn't so sure," said Dewey. "Her second year, though, she took her academics seriously and I saw what she could do."

In terms of playing at the Division I level, Dewey is very optimistic DeMatteis will contribute right away.

"Natalie's No. 1 strength is she puts the ball in play," said Dewey. "She has a good eye and does not swing at bad pitches. No matter which division you're in, Division I or Division III, you can't swing at bad pitches.

"That knack will make her a good player. A lot of teams will try to pitch her away, but she's a good opposite-field hitter too,"Dewey added.

DeMatteis knows she has a chance to get some major playing time right away, but knows she'll have to work for it.

"I just hope to have an impact," said DeMatteis. "There are a couple of spots open in the infield. It doesn't matter where I play as long as I get to play."