College of Staten Island Athletics

Jewelers will tell you that you need to look at the center of a diamond to distinguish its true value.  In the mid-2000’s the center of CSI’s softball diamond featured Christina D’Arpa, and so the Dolphins were near-flawless for four consecutive seasons.  The Moore Catholic High School product wasted no time diving into the Dolphins’ system.  With CSI looking to regain championship form after falling in the CUNYAC Championship in 2003, D’Arpa earned 11 starts in the pitcher’s circle and earned a pair of shutouts and a 2.60 ERA, fanning 67 batters in 65.2 innings. 

It was clear that D’Arpa could be a catalyst in the circle, but the freshman was a power at the plate as well, batting .532, spreading out 50 hits and 35 RBI with 13 doubles, 29 runs scored and 10 stolen bags.  It catapulted the Dolphins back to the top of the conference as D’Arpa rode CUNYAC MVP honors en route to a championship her freshman season.

A year later D’Arpa’s role continued to blossom.  The sophomore hurled 109.2 innings and recorded a 1.91 ERA with a 13-3 record.  Along the way she set the school record, still standing, with 10 triples, adding a team-high 21 stolen bases and a monstrous .458 batting average in 2005.  Another championship, Regular Season and Tournament MVP followed. 

D’Arpa’s road then hit a bit of rough pavement in 2006.  The junior was set back due to injury, appearing in only 16 games with eight starts in the circle.  The numbers still shined, with a .380 batting average, a 5-3 record and 2.40 ERA in tow, but the Dolphins failed to repeat as champions, and many specifically questioned whether the upperclassman could regain her dynamic form.

The questions were abruptly put to rest in 2007.  D’Arpa proceeded to put up one of the most dominating seasons in NCAA history.  A 14-7 overall record against one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules CSI has ever sported with a program record 1.52 ERA to go with 101 strikeouts, a .405 batting average complete with a career-high eight home runs, a CSI single-season record.   The Dolphins blitzed through an undefeated CUNYAC regular season and took another championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and when the dust settled, D’Arpa was once again the CUNYAC’s Most Valuable Player, becoming to this day the only three-time MVP in conference history.  She still owns CSI career records for ERA (1.85), triples (19), and slugging percentage (.747), and ranks in the Top 10 in 18 career and single season batting and pitching records.