Mary Jo Firnbach Chat Transcript; Thursday, March 8
3/8/2001 1:07:18 PM | Softball
Chat Moderator Asks: Hello, Mary Jo. Thanks for joining us today. Let's begin.
Answer: OK. I'm ready.
Slapper McGhee Asks: How hard is it to get prepared for softball, a warm weather sport, in the cold, snowy and dreary city of Syracuse?
Answer: The Carrier Dome is our savior. It allows us to do full-team scrimmage situations. Everything is game-like except that we do not have dirt. Syracuse is like any other cold-climate location, like Michigan and a lot of other schools that have the same situation that we do with the weather. The fact that we have the Dome makes our situation OK. Syracuse is not dreary. As a matter of fact, the sun is shining right now!
Frank Woolfe Asks: Is there any added pressure on you to succeed quickly with the achievements of the two other new women's programs in such a short amount of time?
Answer: Yes, the pressure is there. However softball is a completely different sport than soccer or lacrosse. The season and preparation are different because we do have to practice indoors without dirt. Recruiting is a bit different, as well, because softball is played more nationally, whereas lacrosse is considered an East Coast sport. For people that know the difference between the numbers of teams involved (almost 300 softball programs compared to about 60 women's lacrosse schools), that is a factor, as well.
Jake Keys Asks: How difficult was it recruiting players to start a program, and will your recruiting philosophy change at all as the program becomes more established?
Answer: It was a challenging year that first year. The good factor was that Syracuse allowed me to have a year to make a lot of phone calls, to bring student-athletes on official visits, which gave me the time to see what kind of response we would get. Finding the proper fit of a student-athlete was the major challenge of recruiting that first class. I needed to find student-athletes who were committed academically and also toward the athletic mission of starting a brand new tradition here. My recruiting since then has changed in that each year my goal is to bring in stronger athletes than those who started the first year.
Mike Bertsch Asks: Has the weather in Syracuse and the inability to get onto the field except for games been a factor in the team's slow start?
Answer: I think it has a certain effect to it. But, basically our slow start is for other reasons. We have had some key season-ending injuries, which has forced us to move some people around and put them in situations that they may not have been prepared for at the start of the season. This is a problem that sometimes happens with new programs because there is a lack of depth early. A lot of players you have on the field are walk-ons and others who are in starting roles really do not have people pushing them for their spot.
Jennifer Rupp Asks: Do you have to do anything different from a coaching perspective with only 13 people able to play?
Answer: Yes, definitely. It really makes a coach be very creative with the philosophy, yet it also limits your options. Who is pitching and who is on relief really affects what you can do in the lineup, especially when one pitcher does not hit. Definitely a goal for any softball team is to have at least 16 players, and normally we would like to have about 18 players for the reasons that we have run into already this year. We did start with 17 on the roster, however two walk-ons decided to quit and then our two season-ending injuries have put us in this position.
Angela Myhrwold Asks: Was having a better than .500 record in your first season a surprise, and how did that success affect expectations for this season?
Answer: Our goal last season was to finish above .500 so I am very pleased that we were able to accomplish that task. There were some games last year that I felt we could have won and we played very close games against some teams that were ranked in the top-20. As for my expectations this year, obviously we would like to be above .500 overall. That goal is harder to reach because our schedule is tougher this year. In addition we have had some early setbacks with injuries. Our tougher schedule was put in place to get us prepared for our first season in The BIG EAST Conference, which has proven over the past three years to get stronger and stronger each year.
Sandy Hutchison Asks: What do you look for in a potential recruit?
Answer: Year to year our philosophy changes as far as our needs at certain positions. The consistent qualities that we look for in a student-athlete are students who are academically driven, physically talented, coachable and very passionate to do whatever it takes to make the team better.
Sally Jankens Asks: Hi Mary Jo, I really love following your team and I was wondering why it rains at every tournament you go to?
Answer: Hi Sally, thanks for following our team. That is a great question I have asked myself daily. It seems that our mascot has been changed to the rain clouds, as last year we had the same problem. We seem to be hit by every precipitation possible, snow, sleet and rain. It has become a standing joke, however I am not as amused as I was. The snow on our return did not cause any form of delay, however.
Coach Ed Asks: Hey Coach! When are you going to start playing some of the easy teams in your area? Are you in a conference yet? We miss you in Illinois!!
Answer: Hey, Ed. I was waiting for a question from you since you are the email guru. By the way, is this on the whine-line? As for your question, no teams in this area are easy opponents, plus we cannot play anyone in this area this early in the season due to weather. I am really looking forward to showing our players what is out there and how teams in the top-20 compete. I am hoping that this schedule is going to get us prepared for the BIG EAST Conference, which we are competing in this year. By the way, I too, miss Illinois, but I LOVE Syracuse!
Meghan Delehanty Asks: Hey. Do you know any of the history of Syracuse Softball before it turned Varsity last year? I am one of the players who was on the club team from 1995 - 1998. Boy do I have stories. I was also involved in the lawsuit against the university in violation of Title IX. I have been thrilled to watch your team come together. I can't tell you how much it means to the players who struggled through playing a club sport that should have been varsity years ago. But I was wondering if you got history when you were hired?
Answer: Yes, I did receive a little history about the club team here at Syracuse. Actually, I went and viewed a few practices that the club team had and had contact with the gentleman who I believe was in charge of running the program. He was very helpful and informative about some of his players and who could tryout for this team. Currently I have two former club players in the program and last year we had two others who decided to concentrate on their academics this year. The players who I have and had that were members of the club team have been wonderful additions to the program and are always giving everything they have to form a Syracuse tradition. As far as Title IX, I was aware of the battle that took place as it seems to be a battle that goes on around the country. We are very lucky and proud to finally be competing on a softball field for Syracuse.
Samantha Link Asks: Can you give an overview of the top teams in the BIG EAST and what are your expectations for your first year in the league?
Answer: The BIG EAST has become a stronger conference from top to bottom. The known powerhouses of the conference have been Notre Dame, Connecticut and Boston College. The fourth team on that list has changed from year to year, which shows the on-going battle of all of the universities. In order for us to make it to the BIG EAST Tournament, we must finish in the top four, which, ultimately, is our team goal. That will be a very challenging feat for us to accomplish, but nevertheless, we are strong competitors and do not want to settle for less.
Your Local Coca-Cola Distributor Asks: Question:I heard recently that you gave up sweets for lent. How are you adjusting to that? Has your diet coke consumption increased because of this?
Answer: Being an avid Diet Coke drinker I had to choose the one thing that would get me through the season so I opted to give up sweets for lent. It has been very challenging considering our team has not been very supportive of me. However, it has been easier this season because in the past I gave up both Diet Coke and sweets at the same time, which did not help my temperament. If you have any words of wisdom as to how to make it to Easter, I would appreciate it.
Mo Donovan Asks: How do you see your team finishing this year in the Big East and why do only four teams go to the BIG EAST Tournament?
Answer: As I mentioned earlier, our goal is to finish in the top four to make it to the BIG EAST Tournament. Realistically I do believe we have the potential to be one of those four teams. We have had a couple of setbacks due to injury which makes that goal a little harder to attain, but my players are working hard to take on the challenge and keep the same goal in site. There are only four teams that go on to the BIG EAST Tournament, I believe, for a couple of reasons. One is that in the past there have only been one or two teams that have shown to be competitive throughout the country. Second I hope that this philosophy will change because of the addition of us and Pittsburgh, which makes a total of 11 teams that compete in The BIG EAST Conference for softball.
Snookums Asks: Were your loss of players, due to injury, key positions in your starting line up?? Are they expected to return next year, if not sooner?
Answer: Our injuries, unfortunately, have been season-ending injuries. Rachel Park, our starting second-baseman and number-three hitter, tore her ACL and is having surgery next week. The other, Cheryl Julicher, our number-four or five hitter and catcher/utility player, broke her foot leaving her apartment. Both are expected to return 100 percent, however, Rachel Park will probably not be back until our Spring season in January 2002. Cheryl Julicher was told she will be out for eight weeks, which pretty much consititutes our Spring season. We expect her to return at full strength by the Fall.
Snookums Asks: What do you think your relationship is between yourself and your players? Do you have a close/friendly relationship?
Answer: I think I have a great relationship with my players. I believe they are comfortable to come to speak with me if they have any concerns or suggestions for the program. I believe we have an established respect for what we are all trying to accomplish here at the University and I believe that my staff is one of the most important factors to the success of this program. My team seems to enjoy coming to practice every day and they seem to be very close knit off the field, which has kept problems off the field.
Erika Hock Asks: What do you look for and what do you want to see on tapes that are sent to you from prospective players?
Answer: The videos do not have to be done by a video company and do not have to have music involved. The primary importance of the video is that it is clear and that your talents and skills are shown consistently. The tapes do not have to be very long in duration and should have approximately three or four minutes of hitting, three or four minutes of flyballs or groundballs, depending on your position, and also a minute or two of baserunning. If you have a specialized position, such as pitcher or catcher, I would suggest that you videotape at an angle where we can see ball movement of your pitches and your technique. If you are catcher show your blocking skills, footwork, framing and arm strength.
Chat Moderator Asks: Thanks for joining us today, Mary Jo. All the best this season.
