Palmerton High School pitcher, Kendra Pekurny, and Pleasant Valley High School infielders, Madison Kymer and Alyssa Kotzman, were recently selected to compete on the Lehigh Valley Carpenter Cup softball team.

Lehigh Valley is a tournament team comprised of players from the East Penn Conference and the Colonial League. The tournament itself is sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies, providing sophomores and juniors the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of college coaches.Coached by John Eyer, tryouts were held last month.Pekurny is a veteran, having played in the double-elimination tournament last year."I was hoping I would make the team, but I was not assuming anything," Pekurny said. "The girls seem closer this year. It really makes a difference."Kymer and Kotzman will be playing on the Lehigh Valley team for the first time.Regarding tryouts, Kymer said, "My [high school] coach talked to me about it, and it's a great opportunity to get looked at by colleges."Last week, the Lehigh Valley team played two scrimmages at Pates Park in which Kymer went 4 for 5."We handled our batting well, and our defense is pretty strong. We all have respect for each other, but mostly, we all get along," said Kymer.On the day Coach Eyer announced his roster, Kotzman's name was the last one to be called."It was rough, the anticipation, but I felt honored with all those other great players there. It's such an achievement," Kotzman said.Lehigh Valley's first game will be played on Tuesday at FDR Park in Philadelphia."I'm looking forward to going out and trying my hardest with a great team by my side," said Kotzman. "I think we can win."