The 11th annual Uncle Sam Softball Tournament will be played Saturday, May 1 at Knickerbacker Park in Lansingburgh. Check out Saturday's edition of The Record for our full preview section.

Opening Round games:
Troy vs. Lansingburgh, 5 p.m.
CCHS vs. Tamarac, 5 p.m.

Consolation and championship games, 7 p.m.

Stephanie Bouchard, Sr., center fielder, Catholic Central

"She’s No. 2 in the lineup because she’s a good hitter," said Catholic Central head coach Jack O’Grady. "She’s fast, she’s consistent and she can bunt like crazy when we need her to. She’s a good all-around player."
Don’t blink, because you might miss Bouchard racing around on the basepaths or chasing down fly balls in center field.
A Brunswick native, Bouchard is excited for Catholic Central’s opening round game today against Tamarac. She competed with and against many of the current Bengals players as a youth.
Bouchard will attend St. John Fisher College in Rochester in the fall and hopes to play for the softball team.
"Last year, Troy was really big rivals with us and we really think we can beat them this year," Bouchard said.

Meg Volz, Jr., catcher, Lansingburgh

The Lady Knights’ leadoff hitter, Volz has a knack for finding the power alleys on the fields at Knickerbacker Park.
"I practice. Obviously, I work on it a lot," Volz said of her swing. "I go to the batting cages a lot and I have hitting stations in my basement that I do. The double tee. I’ll hit two tees in a row to make sure you’re following through all the way."
She batted .511 a season ago for Lansingburgh’s Section II Class A championship team and she’s also invaluable behind the plate for her leadership and tutelage of first-year staring pitcher Sam Woitkoski.
Volz, who played at Catholic Central in her younger days, is also excited to face five-time defending champion Troy in the opening round.
"We’re all pretty close, so there are rivalries between all of us because we’re all from the same area," she said. "You always want to knock out the top dog."

Tegan Fox, Soph., catcher, Tamarac

"I work out and I bench press a little bit," Fox laughed, "with my brother and my dad. I just get in shape for softball. Especially since I’m a catcher, I have to have good thigh workouts and that kind of stuff."
Fox is from a football family – her brother David quarterbacked the Bengals in recent years and her father Brian served as defensive coordinator - and she brings that type of intensity to the softball diamond. She is in her second season behind the plate on the varsity level and is really beginning to connect with Amber Gokey, who is her pitcher and best friend off the field, too.
"You’re able to calm the person down if they’re going off or if they’re upset about something," Fox said. "It’s a lot easier."

Anansa Benbow, Jr., second base, Troy High

"The thing I bring to this team…I think I stay positive," Benbow said. "I like to get people up especially after a bad play or a strikeout. I like to stay positive and focus on the next inning and not dread the past."
Troy’s second baseman has found a home in the third spot in the lineup after bouncing between second and cleanup early in the second. She was batting a robust .500 (8-for-19) heading into Wednesday’s game against Bishop Gibbons.
"It is fun, because you like to get up with people in scoring position," she said. "You come up and get a nice hit and it feels good when you’re on first or standing on second after a single or double."

Past Champions of the Uncle Sam Softball Tournament

2000: Lansingburgh 9, Catholic Central 6
2001: Lansingburgh 17, Hoosick Falls 2
2002: Lansingburgh 3, Troy 1
2003: Lansingburgh 9, Troy 0
2004: Catholic Central 4, Troy 2
2005: Troy 4, Lansingburgh 3
2006: Troy 15, Lansingburgh 0
2007: Troy 6, Catholic Central 2
2008: Troy 6, Catholic Central 0
2009: Troy 2, Lansingburgh 1