Saint Francis head softball coach Jessica O'Donnell elevated former graduate assistant AnnaMarie Gatti to a full-time assistant coaching position in July of 2020. Gatti was an integral part of the Saint Francis staff for her first two seasons, serving as a graduate assistant and primary pitching coach during the 2019Â and shortened 2020 seasons. She continued to serve as the pitching coach in 2021.
"AnnaMarie is one of the best people and coaches that I have ever been around in the game of softball," said O'Donnell. "Her experiences as a student-athlete at Syracuse and a graduate assistant at Saint Francis have prepared her for this opportunity 100%. Her work ethic is second to none and I'm excited to elevate Anna to a well deserved full-time assistant coaching role. She truly loves Saint Francis and everything that we stand for. I'm excited for our student-athletes to continue to learn from such a high caliber person, coach, and leader."
Â
In 2021, Gatti helped the Red Flash to its fourth-consecutive NEC Tournament Championship and NCAA Regionals appearance as well as the third NEC Regular Season Championship in program history with a 22-2 record in NEC play. Saint Francis claimed the tournament championship with a 12-4 win in five innings against LIU. The Red Flash concluded the season with a trip to Austin, Texas for NCAA Regionals, facing No. 11 Texas and No. 10 Oregon.
Gatti helped shape one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the country in 2021. Among NCAA Division I programs, the SFU pitching staff had the fourth-best ERA (1.47), was tied for fifth in shutouts (19) and ranked 24th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.45), helping elevate the Saint Francis squad to 14th in the nation in win-loss percentage (.800).
In addition to team rankings, two pitchers were nationally ranked as well. Sophomore Grace Vesco was tied for third in shutouts (13), fifth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.26), sixth in ERA (1.00), tied for 13th in wins (22) and tied for 28th in strikeouts (196). Sophomore Rachel Marsden ranked 27th in walks allowed per seven innings (1.15), tied for 39th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.00) and 49th in ERA (1.62).
The Red Flash pitching staff set three single-season program records. Saint Francis broke the program records for shutouts (19), strikeouts (321) and ERA (1.47). The Red Flash had the best start in program history, winning nine of its first 10 games. Two single-season individual pitching records were broken as well, with Vesco having the most shutouts (13) and strikeouts (196).
Vesco was honored with many accolades following the season. Vesco was named All-Region First Team was the unanimous choice for NEC Pitcher of the Year. She was also named to the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 15 list. Vesco and Marsden were the two pitchers across the league named to the All-NEC First Team. Vesco was named the NEC Tournament MVP. The Red Flash pitching staff combined for six NEC Pitcher of the Week honors, six NFCA Top Performer honors and an NEC Pitcher of the Month honor.
In her first season as a graduate assistant, Gatti led a young pitching staff to a third straight NEC title.Â
As a group, the staff logged 17 complete games and four shutouts.
Freshman pitcher Christina Clark (Avon, Ohio/Avon High School) shook off her rookie label and pitched like a veteran in NEC play to capture Second Team All-NEC honors and a spot on the All-NEC Rookie Team. Under Gatti's tutelage, she twirled gems in the NEC Championship to win NEC Tournament MVP. Clark also won two NEC Rookie of the Week awards and one NEC Pitcher of the Week awards during the season. In NEC conference play, Clark went 6-2 with an ERA of 2.43 with four complete games and a key save.
Instrumental to SFU's success in 2018 was Gatti's ability to re-introduce collegiate shortstop Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) to the circle after not pitching since high school. Bower won nine games and pitched her best game of the season against No. 5 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, narrowly losing 3-1. In NEC play, Bower complied four wins.
In 2020, Gatti led the SFU staff to a 4.67 era. Freshman Grace Vesco (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) impressed in her first season with a 4.32 era and 5.0 k/7 rate. Her return, coupled with the return of Clark and freshman Rachel Marsden (Erie, Pa./McDowell) have Gatti's unit set up for long-term success.
Gatti's enjoyed a stellar collegiate career herself, earning NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Third Team honors as a sophomore in 2016. She led the Orange in wins (12), innings (157), and complete games (12) en route to a 27-26 record. She was also tabbed for ACC Player of the Week. Her success continued during her junior year as she posted a 9-8 record with four complete games in 109 innings.
Gatti's career culminated in an excellent senior season. She posted a 12-7 record with a 3.16 earned run average and six complete games, leading Syracuse to a 30-20 record.
Following the conclusion of her collegiate career, Gatti was drafted by the Future 1s in the fourth round of the 2018 ASBA Draft.
Gatti established herself as a presence in the league with a 5-4 record and six complete games. She finished fourth in opposing batting average (.250), fifth in wins (5), fifth in games finished (5), and fifth in games in relief (5).
A native of Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Gatti received a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Studies from Syracuse University and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Saint Francis in 2020.
