Softball 2011 Season Preview
After falling only one game short of the NECC Softball Championship title round last season, Mitchell College will look to take the next step in 2011. Head coach Bernadette Macca returns for her second season at the helm of the Mariners, who finished 22-14 a year ago and went 12-4 in conference play.
Macca will lead the 14-player roster that includes nine letterwinners and seven starters, an experienced group that played together all of last year and should hit the ground running in the new season. The Mariners will benefit from returning four of their top five hitters and an 11-game winner inside the circle.
Mitchell will need to replace the production of two-time all-conference catcher Sara Krolikowski, who led the team in virtually every offensive category last season. While Macca doesn't expect one person to step up and fill those shoes, she does think sophomore Meghan Burke can make sizable contributions both at and behind the plate. After batting .297 with 27 RBI as a rookie, Burke returns to the position she played throughout high school and will be charged with handling the pitching staff and calling the game.
Juniors Stacey Suplicki and Nikki Hoxie return to starting roles in the middle of the infield. Suplicki started 25 games at shortstop last season despite battling illness and batted .325 with 22 RBI and 20 runs scored. Hoxie started all 36 games at second base and ranked second on the team with a career-best .369 batting average. She also scored a team-high 33 runs and finished with 22 RBI. Macca expects the pair to fuel the offense by batting them in the top third in the lineup.
Three players will rotate between the final two infield positions depending on the starting pitcher. When junior Marissa Thomas gets the starting nod, freshman Tricia Tomaselli will play the hot corner and classmate Chelsea Arpin will hold down first base. When Tomaselli takes the ball inside the circle, Thomas will move to first while Arpin shifts across the diamond to third. Tomaselli is a good all-round player and the best bunter on the team, and Arpin has the potential to give the Mariners some pop in the middle of the order with her power.
Junior left fielder Brittany Zaccaria, senior center fielder Jen Bordonaro and junior right fielder Shannen Pelletier resume starting roles in the outfield. Macca expects their defense to be better and hopes to get more out of the group offensively. Bordonaro may be the key to the offense if she can consistently get on base from the leadoff spot, as the same speed she uses to cover ground in the outfield helped her swipe a team-best 16 bases last season. Macca is looking for more power from Zaccaria (.260, 14 RBI)—who finished with 25 hits last season but none for extra bases—and more consistency from Pelletier (.244, 19 runs).
A number of players give the Mariners added depth off the bench. Junior Brittany O'Neil can play either of the corner outfield spots while sophomore Tiffany Person can play outfield and first base. Person and senior Marjorie Oliveira both have speed to burn and figure to see action as pinch runners. Senior Alix O'Neil could be a defensive substitution at first base in late-game situations, and freshman Alyssa Mallozzi is another option to patrol the outfield.
he Mitchell pitching staff will be led by Thomas, who assumes the No. 1 role following a strong sophomore campaign in which she went 11-5 overall with an earned-run average of 3.54. She ranked in the top five in the NECC in wins and ERA and struck out 63 batters while walking only four. Her pinpoint control is cemented by four pitches that she mixes in order to keep batters off balance.
The new addition to the staff is Tomaselli, who is slated to be the No. 2 starter in doubleheaders. Tomaselli has command of two solid pitches—a fastball and change-up—and is accurate in locating the strike zone. She is developing a drop pitch and will continue to work it into her repertoire as the season progresses.
With little to no outdoor practice time due to the long New England winter, Mitchell will take to the field for the first time at the Rebel Spring Games on March 7-10 in Kissimmee, FL. The Mariners will play 10 different teams from all over the country, but the focus will be on preparing for the rigors of conference play.
The 16-game NECC schedule begins with a home doubleheader against Wheelock College on Sunday, April 3. The Mariners will play two games against the other eight teams in the league with the hopes of qualifying for the 2011 NECC Softball Championship. For the first time in conference history, the winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
