NEWARK, N.J. (February 14, 2017) – A pair of juniors will be tasked with leading the 2017 Rutgers University-Newark softball program as Head Coach Kristen Hunt announced that outfielder Elizabeth Marflak and utility player Morgan Walizer will serve as team captains.
 
The pair was a huge part of the 2016 squad that reached the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament, a set a new program wins record (21) and won the most games in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play in program history as well.
 
Marflak was the team's primary left fielder, while Walizer pitched, played third base and batted all season long.
 
"Both players are very different, but both are natural leaders," said Hunt. "They have different ways of leading – Liz (Marflak) is more of a vocal leader and Morgan tends to lead by example – but on and off the field they are really great."
 
Marflak hit .240 last year, playing in and starting each and every one of the Scarlet Raiders' 42 games. She led the team in at-bats (146) and found her way on base at a .306 clip, also racking up an impressive seven outfield assists. She posted 35 total hits and drew a team-high 14 walks, scoring 26 times out of the leadoff spot which was second on the team.
 
Marflak also made a huge leap from freshman to sophomore season, improving her game through hard work and dedication. Additionally, Marflak epitomizes the word student-athlete, maintaining a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average. She also recently attended the NCAA Leadership conference in November.
 
Walizer does it all for the Scarlet Raiders, playing in 42-of-42 games for Newark in 2016. She hit a strong .283 on the year, slugging .367 and maintaining a .330 on-base percentage while notching 30 hits and 15 runs batted in. On the mound, Walizer went 6-4 in 29 appearances, hurling five complete games and 94 total innings. She struck out 41 batters and allowed just a .286 batting average against, appearing in 12 of the team's victories last year. The then-sophomore hurled a no-hitter on April 13, striking out 11 in a win over Yeshiva, and she also earned NJAC Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career on May 2.
 
Walizer is a member of the Honor's College at Rutgers-Newark, and both young women have done a tremendous job in taking the younger Scarlet Raiders in and getting them to buy-in.
 
"We brought in 13 new student-athletes this year, so there are a lot of new faces around the program," said Head Coach Kristen Hunt. "Liz (Marflak) and Morgan have done a really nice job in getting those new players to buy-in to the system, and showing them how to do things the right way – in practice, in the weight room and as members of our great campus community."
 
Marflak, Walizer and the Scarlet Raiders begin their 2017 season on March 11 in Clermont, Fla. against New England College. Fans can expect the release of the NJAC Preseason Poll on Wednesday, February 15, and a preview of the entire 2017 schedule early next week.