CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Rising Harvard softball seniors Morgan Melito and Alyssa Saldana, along with rising junior Brianna Jewett, have been elected captains by their teammates for the 2021-22 season, Jenny Allard, The 2019 Ragatz Family Harvard Women's Coach of Excellence, announced today.
 
A senior infielder from Westlake Village, Calif., Melito holds a career batting average of .262 with a slugging percentage of .413. Melito's tallied four career home runs and 33 RBIs through 62 games, while flashing the leather on defense with a .983 career fielding percentage. In her junior season, Melito was named to the 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Melito received the 2020 Betty Ippolito Legacy Award, presented to the player who does the most to continue the tradition of excellence in Harvard softball.
 
Saldana returns to serve as a captain for a second year for the Crimson. A native of Riverside, Calif., the senior outfielder boasts a career slugging percentage of .222 through 55 career games. Saldana batted .313 through 10 games and 17 plate appearances during the shortened 2020 season, along with tallying five hits, four RBIs and two runs scored.
 
Sophomore pitcher Jewett has appeared in 20 career games for the Crimson, including five games and one start in 2020. Jewett posted a 3.73 ERA and tallied six strikeouts on the mound last season. At the 2020 team awards ceremony, Jewett received the Becky Pocius Award, given to the teammate who embodies the qualities of a true team player.
 
The duo of Melito and Saldana guided the Crimson to the Ivy League Championship title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2018, while the duo and Jewett helped the squad accomplish back-to-back titles and a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019.