GOLDEN EAGLE SOFTBALL SET TO START SEASON IN FT. PIERCE, FLA. SUNDAY
With the last cold blasts of March hopefully rolling through Northwestern Pennsylvania, signs of spring should be popping up every where soon.
One of the those signs is already upon us, as the Clarion University women’s softball team is set to start the 2007 season in Ft. Pierce, Fla., Sunday, March 11, with a doubleheader against Millersville.
“We are very excited for the season,” first-year head coach Nancy Smoose said. “I have seen a lot of improvement in the team since taking over in September. We have been working very hard to improve our fundamentals and develop consistency in the program. With 10 players back who saw action last year and the addition of 12 freshmen, we are looking to build a competitive program.”
Last season Clarion was 1-32 overall and 1-19 in the PSAC-West.
“The biggest thing we are trying to do is to get the players to believe in themselves,” Smoose said. “We are trying to get them to have a winning attitude, and we are trying to develop confidence in them that they can win.”
Pitching will be the key ingredient for Clarion, and to that end getting two pitchers back healthy this season after missing some or all of last year will be important.
Sophomore Lindsay Vevers (Pittsburgh/Sto-Rox) saw action in four games (13 2/3) innings last year before having her season cut short by an injury, while freshman Caitlin Lamison (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) didn’t play at all but was a third-team All-State pitcher as a senior in high school after compiling a 0.34 ERA with one perfect game and hitting .462.
“With Lindsay and Caitlin back, it really bolsters our pitching staff,” Smoose said. “They are going to be solid starters for us. I think they are going to make an impact.”
With Vevers and Lamison back in the mix, Clarion has good depth on the mound with two of last year’s starters also back in Valorie Rankin (Port Allegany/Port Allegany) and Stephanie Estok (Fairview/Fairview). Rankin got Clarion’s win last year over Slippery Rock and finished the season throwing a season-high 98 2/3 innings. She showed good control with 33 strikeout and just 15 walks. Estok pitched 44 2/3 innings a year ago.
None of the Golden Eagle starters are big strikeout pitchers, so defense will be an important key to any success Clarion has in 2007.
“Our pitchers are good location pitchers,” Smoose said. “I don’t know if they will overpower anyone, but they have good control and good location with a variety of different pitches. Because of that, defense is going to be key. These pitchers can’t do everything. I think our defense will be good. They are working hard, and they are experienced.”
The defense will be led by second-year catcher Natalie Zimmerman (State College/State College), a sophomore. Zimmerman played in all 33 games last year and hit .218 with four RBIs, which tied for second on the team. Defensively, she committed just eight errors.
“Natalie is doing a super job,” Smoose said. “She is a team leader, a vocal leader. She has great knowledge of the game, and she is a power hitter.”
With Zimmerman as the anchor, Smoose believes Clarion will be strong up the middle defensively with senior Karla Kaczmarek (McKean/General McLane) returning for her fourth year of seeing time in the Golden Eagle infield, while sophomore transfer Kara Kelosky (Ellwood City/Riverside) will take over at shortstop and freshman Jamie Maggio will patrol centerfield after sitting out last year.
Kaczmarek started all 33 games last season and hit .204 with eight runs scored. Kelosky is a transfer from LaRoche, where she hit .381 with three home runs, four doubles and triple with 16 RBIs and was second team All-Conference selection. Maggio, who was an honorable mention All-State selection as a senior in high school, is a solid defensive player who will also bat leadoff according to Smoose.
Joining Kaczmarek and Kelosky in the infield will be either freshman Susie DeNillo (Harrison City/Penn-Trafford) or freshman Angela Sterner (Franklin/Franklin) at first base and freshman Dana Falk (Fambell/Riverside) or freshman Dana Krenitsky (Clarks Summit/Abington Heights) at third base.
DeNillo hit .350 as a senior at Penn-Trafford last year while helping her team to the WPIAL semifinals, while Sterner was a second-team all-conference player for Franklin in 2006 while helping the Knights to the conference title.
Falk was a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Beaver County Times All-Section performer at Riverside, while Krenitsky was a first-team All-Star at Abington Heights.
The corner outfielders will be sophomore Kate Gilboy (Pittsburgh/Mt. Lebanon) in left field and either junior Lauren Stauber (Ellwood City/Lincoln) or sophomore Jenelle Hallowell (Emporium/Cameron County) in right field.
Gilboy is Clarion’s leading returning hitter coming off a .273 freshman season that saw her also drive in six runs and score five in 32 games, all starts. She was also solid in the field committing just three errors.
Stauber returns to the Golden Eagles after sitting out last season. She appeared in five games as a freshman in 2005 but didn’t have an at-bat, while Hallowell played in 20 games last season and had one hit and one RBI.
“Offensively, small ball will be a big part of our game,” Smoose said. “We want to be aggressive and smart on the bases. We have to take advantage every time we get runners on base. At the same time, I also believe we have some players who can get us those extra base hits.”
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – Clarion plays eight games in Florida with doubleheaders against Molloy, Concord and PSU-Beaver in addition to the Millersville twinbill … The Golden Eagles return north to face Seton Hill March 28 before its home and PSAC-West opener with IUP March 30 … The softball field is located on the opposite side of the parking lot from the football stadium at the western edge of Clarion right off Route 322.
Kate Gilboy
Leading Returning Hitter
Natalie Zimmerman
Returning Starting Catcher