EDINBORO — Forget about hitting the ground running.

Maura Pasquale has hit the ground hitting for the Edinboro University women's softball team.

The Seneca Valley graduate and Fighting Scots' freshman shortstop is second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a .491 batting average through 16 games.

“I was shocked when I heard that,” Pasquale admitted. “I never expected to be doing anything like that.”

Frankly, she's just happy to be playing.

After having her senior high school season wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pasquale played in three or four tournaments for the Pittsburgh Predators last summer.

She did not arrive on campus at Edinboro until January, thus missing out on the program's usual fall softball program.

That's a long time for the glove to be sitting in the closet and the bat leaning against a wall.

“I couldn't wait to play again,” Pasquale said. “I couldn't get enough of it.”

Edinboro coach Dan Gierlak, in his 32nd year at the helm, will attest to that.

“Maura is such a wonderful kid,” Gierlak said. “When she got up here, she couldn't take enough ground balls. She couldn't take enough pitches at the plate, either.

“She's been very eager to learn and get better from the day she showed up.”

And it's showing.

Pasquale's .491 average is 96 points higher than anyone else on her team. She also leads the Scots with an .811 slugging percentage, 26 hits, 14 RBI, six doubles and three home runs.

Her slugging percentage is second in the PSAC and her .534 on-base percentage ranks fourth in the league.

“I've had freshmen get off to good starts and adapt quickly to Division II softball, but I've never had one come out hitting like this,” Gierlak said. “Maura struggled in her first few games. Since then, she's just taken off.

“It usually takes a while for young players to catch up to the speed of the game at this level, but she's adjusted extremely well.”

Pasquale hit in the high .300's her junior year at Seneca Valley.

“The biggest difference now is every player is competitive,” she said. “Every pitcher is good and there are quality players all over the field.”

Pasquale's 26 hits have come in 53 at-bats. She's struck out only seven times this season.

One of her three home runs came against Slippery Rock University's Claire Zimmerman, a former Seneca Valley teammate.

“I never hit her in practice when we were teammates,” Pasquale said. “We had a lot of fun with that one.

“She threw me two changeups for strikes, then threw me a fastball on the outside and I hit it out.”

Pasquale was named PSAC West Softball Athlete of the Week for her efforts last week. She had nine hits and nine RBI in 19 at-bats.

Gierlak said he inserts Pasquale into the second or third spot in the lineup, depending on the opponent.

“I would have no problem batting her anywhere one through four,” the coach said. “She can hit for power, we've had her sacrifice bunt, hit-and-run, pretty much everything.

“Maura has the ability to be the best shortstop in the conference.”

Edinboro was 0-12 in the shortened 2020 season. The Scots have had only two winning seasons in the past 10 and are 7-9 so far this year.

“All I want to do is help the team win,” Pasquale said. “I was a little nervous when I first started playing here, but the stress went away when I was at the plate and heard our bench cheering for me.

“I like being part of a team that has each other's backs. I think that's what's happening here.”