2010 Softball Preview
With the majority of the team coming back and only a few holes to
fill, first-year head coach Bernadette Macca sees no reason why the
Mitchell College softball team can’t improve on its
successful run from a year ago. While the Mariners finished with an
overall record of 16-18-1, they earned the third seed in the NECC
Championship by virtue of an 11-5-1 mark in league play. Mitchell
then coasted to the title game before being knocked off by Lesley
University, falling just short of being crowned conference
champions.
The Mariners should be primed to make another run at the NECC
crown, as they return a solid lineup bolstered by the reigning NECC
Player of the Year, along with a pitching staff that ranked among
the best in the conference last season. Graduating seniors Lindsey
Donelin and Liz Roy may have left huge spots to fill in the lineup,
but Macca will look to fill the gaps with a strong roster that
includes 11 returning players and four newcomers.
Leading the way for the Mariners will be senior Sara
Krolikowski, a stalwart behind the plate and in the clean-up
spot in the order. Last season she batted .392 and drove in 36 runs
while leading the NECC with 10 homers, good enough to earn POY
honors and a spot on the All-Conference First Team. She also
provided all-star defense as Mitchell’s backstop and guided
the pitching staff to the third-lowest ERA (3.15) in the
conference. Krolikowski enters her final season with 16 career home
runs and a lifetime batting average of .422, and Macca expects a
lot of the same from the Mariners’ big bat in 2010.
Sophomore Stacey Suplicki enjoyed a strong rookie campaign
in which she ranked second on the team with a .369 batting average
and finished with 29 RBI and eight extra-base hits. A consistent
hitter who also has some pop in her bat, she will slide into the
three-spot in the order to help fuel the Mitchell offense.
Suplicki, a solid fielder with a strong arm, returns to her spot at
shortstop where she recorded a team-high 80 assists last
spring.
Nikki Hoxie will look to take over as the full-time
starter at second base after splitting time with Roy as a rookie.
The sophomore batted .280 in her first collegiate season and showed
patience at the plate, drawing a team-best 14 walks. A standout
soccer player in the fall, Hoxie also used her speed on the base
paths and collected 14 swipes without being caught. Macca may bat
her second in the lineup to help move runners and put pressure on
the defense with her quickness.
Macca has options at both corner infield positions. Senior Kelly
Reynolds, a two-year starter at third base, is a career .208
hitter who will bring leadership to the young squad. Competing for
playing time at the hot corner will be freshman Meghan
Burke, a hard-nosed and athletic player who joins the Mariners
from a solid program at Preston High School. On the right side of
the field, senior Michele Anderson and sophomore Marissa
Thomas figure to continue the platoon at first base. Anderson
made 15 starts at first last season and batted .234 while Thomas,
when not toeing the rubber, started 20 games and batted .216.
Outfielders Jen Bordonaro and Brittany Zaccaria return to their spots in center and
right, respectively. Bordonaro, a junior, has the necessary speed
to cover a lot of ground as the middle outfielder. At the
plate, however, Macca wants to see her put more balls in play so
she can also harness that speed on the base paths. Zaccaria
made 33 starts in right as a freshman and batted .260 with 14 RBI.
She will be counted on to drive in runs from the middle of the
order.
Filling the void left by Donelin in left field will be a more
difficult task. She batted .364 and led the team with 31 runs
scored and 24 stolen bases, fulfilling the role of the prototypical
leadoff hitter. Sophomores Brittany
O’Neil and Arielle
Torres will battle with newcomers Shannen Pelletier, Fiona
Delgado and Tiffany Person for the starting role. Person may
have the advantage, as the speedy freshman can hit, bunt and slap,
and is one of the fastest players on the team.
Inside the circle, the duo of Kristina Torres and Thomas should keep the Mariners in
every game. Torres threw a team-high 133.2 innings last season,
recorded a 2.57 ERA and ranked third in the NECC with 156
strikeouts. More importantly, she accounted for 10 of the
team’s 16 victories and was named to the NECC
All-Championship Team for a strong performance during the
tournament. Thomas contributed five wins and struck out 30 batters
in 83.0 innings of work. Rounding out the group will be Person, a
left-hander who has a good mix of pitches and can hit spots
consistently.
The Mariners are scheduled to play a 34-game slate, beginning with
a spring trip on March 11-14 in Orlando, Fla. Mitchell will play
eight games during the trip, all of which will be held at the
Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. The Mariners open up the
season against Bloomfield College and will also face Thomas
College, Saint Joseph College (Conn.) and the University of New
England before returning to the Nutmeg State.
Mitchell will host Albertus Magnus College on March 24, the first
of six home dates for the Mariners in 2010. Conference play begins
at home against Southern Vermont College on April 3. The Mariners
will play 16 NECC contests, and the top six teams in the conference
will earn a berth for the NECC Championship . The top two seeds
receive a bye for the quarterfinals, and four teams advance to
double-elimination play on May 7-9 at the site of the top seed.
