Mercyhurst softball coach Leanne Baker was happy for her player.
Still, when Baker learned Lakers power-hitting right fielder Allison Dejidas would forgo an additional year of eligibility after graduating from Mercyhurst this week to begin her studies in Pitt’s physical therapy doctoral program, she said she couldn’t help but repeatedly remind the 2019 Freeport alumna that she would be welcome to return for one more season.
“I don’t think you can ever replace any individual,” Baker said. “Everyone brings their own special flavor to the program. I can’t say enough how much I’m going to miss her.
“She’s just one of those people you want a part of your program for the rest of their lives.”
It’s easy to see why.
Dejidas was one of three players to start all 55 of Mercyhurst’s games this season and made the most of her time in the batter’s box. She had a .432 batting average, 1.282 OPS, 15 home runs, 68 RBIs, 138 total bases, and .784 slugging and .498 on-base percentages, which were team highs in each category.
The 5-foot-9 senior was also named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball athlete of the year last week. She led the conference in RBIs, finished in a tie with Shippensburg’s Hannah Marsteller for most home runs and was top five in batting average.
“People would pitch to her different just because they knew how special she was,” Baker said. “We saw it in the tournament, too. Kudos to her because she just kept swinging and kept battling.”
Dejidas set Mercyhurst’s single-season home run record in 2023 and her 32 career long balls are most in program history. She had multiple hits in 23 games for the Lakers this season and had multiple homers in a game three times.
“I came in as a hungry freshman that’s for sure,” Dejidas said. “I really just wanted to prove myself and prove that I was good enough to be here and play at the collegiate level, let alone at the Division II level. I proved that every day, and I continued to prove that every single year since.”
After only getting the opportunity to play 16 games as a freshman in a COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Dejidas immediately took over as Mercyhurst’s starting right fielder in her collegiate campaign in 2021.
In her first full season, Dejidas hit .339 with 8 home runs, 6 doubles, 25 RBIs, 20 runs scored and a .587 slugging percentage. She followed that up by hitting .329 with a team-high eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 2022.
“Coming in as a freshman, I was a starter right off the bat, and I’ve been a starter all four of my years here,” Dejidas said. “I had a huge role from the beginning. I knew that was a big role to take on as a freshman. I took that role and I really used COVID, when we got sent home, I basically went straight to work. That was probably the hardest I have worked, and I continued that.”
Baker said Dejidas was recruited as a power hitter but really blossomed and was able to hit for power to all fields.
“It was just a matter of finding her pitches to hit, knowing the situation and knowing what she was looking to do,” Baker said.
Many pitchers this season chose to throw outside to Dejidas, which was a mistake, Baker said.
“I guess if you break up the strike zone into nine zones, she could hit in all of them,” Baker said. “A lot of people shied away from throwing her inside because they thought she would crush it. I saw her put a home run out several times that was [thrown] in the righties batter’s box.”
Dejidas said she takes pride in her versatility.
“I love hitting outside, it allows me to extend on the ball. I think a lot of my home runs were at center field to left field just as much as they were to right field because I’m a lefty, too. I definitely have opposite-field power and that’s not a common thing to have to be able to put the ball out on the opposite side of the field.”
As much as she excelled hitting, Dejidas also played well in the outfield. She had 75 put outs and a .962 fielding percentage, while serving as the Lakers’ most dependable outfielder over the past several seasons.
“Technically speaking, she’s our best outfielder defending the sun,” Baker said. “We have the most confidence in her out there. She has a really strong arm.”
And Baker is now hoping she will have at least one more opportunity to pencil Dejidas into her lineup.
Mercyhurst (34-21) was eliminated from the PSAC tournament Friday with a loss to East Stroudsburg at Veterans Park in Quakertown. The Lakers are now left hoping for a chance to extend their season with an at-large NCAA tournament bid after finishing in second place in the PSAC West regular-season standings behind Seton Hill.
“We are 110% holding out hope for an NCAA bid,” Dejidas said. “I really hope that they give us a chance because I know that this group of girls really can make a statement. If we get that opportunity I know we will take advantage of it. and I know we will excel.”
Local PSAC all-conference players
There were 10 former WPIAL players who represented Western Pennsylvania on the PSAC first and second all-conference teams.
Bloomsburg sophomore utility player Emma Little, a Penn-Trafford graduate, was named first-team PSAC East, while pitcher Callie Sowers, a Hempfield graduate, was named to the second team.
Seton Hill junior shortstop Nina Grandey, a Serra Catholic graduate and North Versailles native, was named to the PSAC West first team. She was joined on the list by Dejidas, Gannon sophomore outfielder Abbey Girman, a South Fayette graduate; and Pitt-Johnstown junior designated player Kayla Miehl, of Bethel Park.
Seton Hill junior catcher Mackenzie Zang, a Thomas Jefferson graduate, was named to the PSAC West second team, along with California University of Pennsylvania junior outfielder Charity Henderson, of Southmoreland; Seton Hill sophomore designated hitter Brooke Clelland, of Penn-Trafford; and Mercyhurst junior pitcher Morgan Hilty, of Penn-Trafford.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.