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Junior Paige Harris returns as the Abington Heights Lady Comets top pitcher.

Junior shortstop Cassie Toth is one of many returning starters for the Abington Heights softball team.

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — The Abington Heights softball team returns many key players from a team that finished with an 11-3 record last season, and head coach John Kelly believes the team can be elite if it makes improvements.

“We need to play better defense than we did last year,” Kelly said. “We had solid pitching and catching behind the plate, but we made too many mistakes during the game. We’re stressing defense and not giving teams an extra out or two every inning.”

Junior Dominique Emmett is back at catcher, junior Paige Harris returns as the team’s top pitcher, senior Alex Gockley is back at third base, junior Cassie Toth returns at shortstop, junior Marissa Lewis is back at first base, senior Rachel Gilmore is back at second base, seniors Jessa Sablan and Alexa Doggett return in the outfield, and sophomore Kaylee DeMatteo returns as a designated player.

The Lady Comets must replace outfielders Casey Wrobel and Alivia Plevyak, who graduated from last year’s team.

Sophomore Allison Kane is expected to see significant time in the outfield and freshman Cassidy Bartkowski should see time as either an outfielder or infielder, depending on the severity of an injury suffered by Doggett, according to Kelly.

Kelly, in his 15th year at the helm, believes the Lady Comets could be a contender due to their experience in key positions.

“We’re hoping to compete for the league title,” he said. “We have a lot of girls coming back, including our pitcher and catcher and that’s where everything starts in softball. They should keep us in every game.”

Kelly expects Scranton, Scranton Prep and Valley View to provide the toughest competition within Lackawanna League Division 1 play.

The Lady Comets were defeated by Wyoming Area, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the District 2 Class 3A playoffs last season.

Abington Heights opened its season on April 6 with a 1-0 victory over Delaware Valley in a non-league contest. Harris allowed just one hit while striking out nine batters. Lewis drove in DeMatteo for the only run of the game. DeMatteo and Gockley led the Lady Comets with two hits.