Amanda Berry was the first YSU softball player to be named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year when she received the honor as a junior in 2003. She excelled throughout her YSU career as a mainstay in the starting lineup for four consecutive seasons and left with her name all over the Penguins’ record book.
Berry played in 197 games and started 196 contests in her career. She posted a .333 batting average with 208 hits in 625 at bats. Berry had 47 doubles, 17 home runs, 13 triples, 113 RBIs, 76 runs scored and a .531 slugging percentage from 2001-04. She finished her career as YSU’s all-time leader in hits, triples, doubles, RBIs and slugging percentage. She now ranks fourth in career hits.
As a freshman in 2001, she started all 49 contests for YSU and was a second-team All Mid-Continent selection. Berry had a team-best .284 batting average with 44 hits in 155 at bats. She had 11 doubles, a pair of triples and a homer during the campaign. She scored 17 runs and had 12 RBIs as well. She had 10 multi-hit games, including having three hits in five contests. She raised her batting average from .218 in mid-April to .284 by the end of the campaign.
During her sophomore year in 2002, she had a break-out season playing and starting in all 43 contests. Berry batted .336 with 45 hits in 134 at bats. She had 10 doubles, three triples and a pair of homers. She drove in 20 runs and scored 12 times.
She had an outstanding start to the season batting .404 through the first 15 games of the year. She had 14 multiple-hit games and three hits in three contests. Berry knocked in three runs and belted a homer in the Horizon League Tournament against Green Bay. She also had three RBI against Robert Morris.
As a junior, her performance earned her a host of accolades. Berry was named the Horizon League’s Player of the Year, was a first-team all-conference honoree, garnered second-team NFCA/Louisville Slugger Great Lakes Region recognition, was selected to play in the College All-Star Game at the National Pro Fastpitch Festival and received the Vindicator/YSU Female Athlete-of-the-Year Award. She was the first junior female and softball player to be named a YSU Athlete of the Year.
The Penguins finished the campaign with a school-record 36-17-1 record. In 54 games played, Berry posted a .318 batting average with a school-record-tying 55 hits in 173 at bats. She had 14 doubles, belted seven home runs and had four triples for the year. She established a new school mark with 39 RBI, had 98 total bases and scored 31 runs.
The Penguins’ cleanup hitter set a school record on March 22 with six RBI against Marist and tied the school mark with two homers. Additionally, she tied the school record for hits in a game with four vs. Robert Morris and had five RBI with two triples in a contest against UIC. She collected 15 multiple-hit games and had three runs scored twice against RMU.
As a senior, she had her best offensive season of her career. Berry played in all 51 games for the 29-22 Penguins. Berry had a career-high .393 batting average with 64 hits in 163 at bats. She had 12 doubles, seven homers and four triples while driving in 41 runs and scoring 16 times. Berry finished with an impressive 105 total bases for the year.
Berry was a four-year standout at Lorain Catholic High School. She was a four-time all-county selection and four-time area All-Star honoree.
