PHOTOS: Signature conference victory has Cape May Tech in position to compete for a championship

Posted: April 23rd 2026

Shortstop Brianna Knights of the Cape May Tech softball team pops up after making a diving stop during Thursday's game against Pleasantville as teammates Marisa Daniels (left) and Annabella Culican look on.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The Cape May County Technical High School softball team has a chance to make history.

A victory over Buena earlier this week pulled the Hawks into a first-place tie with the Chiefs in the Cape-Atlantic United Conference. If Cape May Tech wins the rest of its conference games, the worst it can do is tie for the conference title. It would be the program’s first CAL title of any kind.

Tech began the season with four consecutive losses, one of which was a lopsided 12-0 decision at Buena. But the Hawks have gone on a tear since, winning eight of their last nine games after a decisive 16-1 victory over Pleasantville on Thursday. That victory came two days after a 5-3 win over Buena that allowed Cape May Tech to tie the Chiefs for first place in the conference.

“It was such a great win,” said infielder Marisa Daniels, one of just two seniors who sees significant playing time for the Hawks. “The hype was amazing. We were all together and we worked really hard. We really wanted it.”

Cape May Tech coach Cortney Walters, in her fifth season in charge, believes the win over Buena was a first for the program, which began competing in the CAL as a varsity program in the mid 1990s.

“It was a monumental win,” Walters said. “Our school was abuzz about it. We were abuzz about it. A big win like that gives us a reason to look forward and try to accomplish so much more.”

Tech (8-5 overall, 7-1 CAL United) is enjoying another fine season after going 15-9 overall and finishing second in the CAL United Conference in 2025.

The Hawks are still a relatively young team, with many juniors and freshmen making up the bulk of the roster.

“We’re really excited about where we are,” Walters said. “When I started here, we won three games my first year but it’s been steady progress ever since then. We feel like we’re building a program and we’re really building something the school can be proud of, the kids can be proud of and the community can be proud of.”

Junior outfielder Annabella Culian, who went 4 for 4 with a double in the win over Pleasantville, currently leads the team in hitting at .526 with 20 hits in 38 at bats and is also tops on the team with 20 RBI. Not far behind is junior catcher Melissa Rivello, who’s hitting .425 with eight extra-bases hits, 14 RBI and 21 runs scored. Daniels is hitting .400. Junior Cheyanne Enright is hitting .300. Freshman shortstop Brianna Knights is batting .314 and leads the team in walks with 18, runs scored with 26 and stolen bases with nine. Junior Emma Oravits has pitched to an ERA around 3.00 with 94 strikeouts in 54 innings while also adding nine hits at the plate. Junior first baseman Ginger Radzieta has eight hits and 17 runs scored.

Daniels said the team is having a lot of fun after its slow start.

“I love our team,” she said. “We all communicate all the time. It’s so much better than at the beginning of the season. We had a slow start but then we started to win. We’re going strong now and it’s going well.”

Walters believes the team’s chemistry has been instrumental to its success.

“That’s one of the things we work on in the preseason and in the offseason,” she said. “We try to bring the kids together and get them wanting to win for each other. That’s important when you don’t have that super-standout kid. It’s all about being there for each other and lifting each other up. You make a mistake and there’s someone there to pick you up. That’s so important.

“All the girls are really on board, We have a really good dugout. The kids are all really involved. They’re cheering for each other. It’s a big group effort for us right now because everybody has bought in. We had a bad start but now we’ve picked it up. We had some success last year and the girls really want to build on that.”

Tech is next scheduled to play Monday when it hosts Lower Cape May in another conference game.