Benacquista Heads North For Softball

Jessica Benacquista was looking to play softball in North Jersey in order to stay close to Belleville High School.
But out of the blue last summer the chance to play at Bryant University, an up-and-coming NCAA Division I college in the Northeast, landed on her doorstep.
One of the Bryant coaches saw her at a showcase and invited Benacquista to come up to see the campus. The since-graduated Bucs senior made a visit, stayed overnight, and got to know the Bryant University softball team.
And that’s what it took for her to decide she wanted to be a Lady Bulldog.
Despite being a Division 1 school, the Belleville graduate took a liking to the 'small size’ (of the school).
"It's not that big and the classes are small," said Benacquista.
She comes into a program on the upswing and had its best record as a Division 1 program last season at 25-19.
At the end of August, Benacquista will be heading to Smithfield, R.I. for Fall softball, a week before the start of school.
For the Lady Bucs first baseman, it was a pretty big 2011. She was on the All Super Essex Conference Liberty first team and on the All Essex County second team.
For the season the first baseman collected 39 hits while hitting .470 for the season and notching 22 RBI while scoring 23 runs with a .521 on base percentage.
As far as extra base hits, she cracked a home run and collected nine doubles. In addition she was solid on defense with a .991 fielding percentage.
"Her all-around ability is what has impressed me the most," said Belleville head coach Chris Cantarella. "She can hit for average or power, has soft hands at first base, throws the ball very well and runs the bases effectively."
In her four seasons on the Belleville varsity team, she has built her resumé beginning as a part-time freshman player to being one of the team's leaders in her junior and senior years. For her last two years, she served as one of the co-captains on the Lady Bucs.
"She was also a leader and helped the more inexperienced at practice," said Cantarella. "She constantly improved and worked at getting better."
The Lady Bucs softball team finished 14-10 and made it to the Group 3 North 2 quarterfinals before losing to South Plainfield, 9-1.
This comes after the Lady Bucs lost their top pitcher, Gabby Chimento, to an injury early in the season. "I think it was a good season considering that we lost our top pitcher," said Benacquista.
One of the biggest wins of the season for Belleville and a career highlight was a 15-0 win over East Side in the first round of the state tournament. Benacquista notched her 100th career hit with a double in the first inning of the game.
Looking back on her four years at Belleville High, the game that sticks out for her is a quarterfinal contest against West Essex. Benacquista smacked a grand slam in the game as the Lady Bucs upset the Knights.
Ironically like this season, the Bucs top pitcher that season was injured just before the Essex County semi-final game that would turn out to be a loss to Mount St. Dominic.
When she heads for Bryant this fall, Benacquista will focus only on softball. At Belleville High she played basketball and was on the cheerleading squad for four years.
Before getting to Rhode Island, Benacquista has been following a 30-page workout book that includes lifting and running during the summer before she arrives in August.

Despite last month’s graduation and summer in full swing, she does not feel like becoming a collegian. "I don't think it has sunk in," said Benacquista. "I will probably feel it when I leave for school."