SU Prepares to Return to the Diamond
1/27/2006 2:59:53 PM | Softball
THE CHALLENGE
Coach Mary Jo Firnbach will rely on the leadership of the club’s four returning starters and top pitcher Erin Downey to lead the SU back to the league championship and achieve its goal of winning the conference tournament title.
Syracuse has award-winning performers at each of the three key position groups – infield, outfield and on the pitching staff. Senior shortstop Alexis Switenko, a two-time All-BIG EAST second-team honoree, returns to anchor the infield. Switenko hit better than .300 for the second straight season finishing the 2005 campaign at .317. She already owns a share of the SU career home record with 23 long balls and will likely finish her career as the Orange’s all-time leader in runs batted in. She currently has 88 RBI, three behind Tanya Rose for the career lead.
Senior outfielder Cassie Morales earned all-league first-team accolades last year and was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region First Team as the designated player. Morales led the team in doubles in each of the last two seasons and owns a share of the SU career lead with 40 two-baggers.
Downey, the reigning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, returns as the eldest member of the pitching staff after tying the Orange season record for wins (17) and striking out 198 hitters, the second-most team history. She will be counted on to mentor SU’s young hurlers as they adjust to the college level.
The roster features 11 talented newcomers and the challenge for the Orange coaching staff will be to replace five starters, including Rose, a four-time All-BIG EAST selection. Rose graduated owning or sharing 17 SU career records. Also gone is last season’s leading home run hitter Shawna Norris, and Tiffany Robinson, who ranked third in the conference in 2005 with a .349 batting average. SU will also have to replace pitcher Courtney Mosch, who paced the Orange last year with a 2.14 earned run average.
IN THE CIRCLE
Downey developed into SU’s ace last year, dominating opposing hitters from the moment she stepped on the field. The San Rafael, Calif. product won her first three decisions on her way to a 17-10 record. She set the school record with 38 appearances and pitched 188.1 innings. Downey averaged more than seven strikeouts per seven innings and tossed four shutouts. Against Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament, she fired a complete game, four-hitter to help SU its first postseason triumph.
"I look for Erin to add leadership both on and off the field this season," Firnbach said. "She had a great freshman year and really made a name for herself in the conference. Her biggest challenge will be adjusting to teams that have seen her pitching style."
Downey will be joined on the staff by freshman Keri Casas. Casas graduated from Davis High School in California early and enrolled at SU in time for the 2006 campaign. She earned All-Monticello Empire League accolades three times and finished her scholastic career with a 1.25 ERA.
"Keri will be thrown into the fire early, but I know she can handle it," Firnbach said. "She’s a great complement to Erin (Downey) and she can also hit, which will help us generate runs on offense."
The left side of the infield features two of SU’s most experienced players. Switenko, who has started all 146 games she has played in the last three seasons, ranks in the top five in almost every career offensive category. She is third in batting average at .297 and ranks fourth in hits with 129, in addition to her aforementioned home run and RBI numbers. She was one of four players to start all 50 games in 2005 and finished third on the team with 24 runs batted in.
"Alexis is one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached," Firnbach said. "She’s coming off her best season yet and her consistency and leadership will be essential to our success this year."
THE INFIELD
At third base is junior Erin Gray. Like Switenko, Gray started all 50 games for the Orange last year. She drove in 19 runs and ranked second on the team with 84 defensive assists, which ranks seventh on SU’s single-season list.
Freshman Dani Stuart will compete with Gray for the starting spot at third. Stuart was an all-state selection at Washington’s Centralia High School. She owns the school’s single-season RBI record and hit .400 in her junior season. As a senior, she batted. 347, and over the course of her career guided Centralia to three postseason appearances.
"Dani will see a lot of playing time," Firnbach said. "She is one of the most coachable players I’ve ever had and she’s a fierce competitor who thrives in tough situations.
The remaining two infield positions will be manned by two of SU’s newcomers. Freshmen Lindsay Wasek and Nicole Miller will each see time at second base. Wasek owned a batting average of .343 and launched six homers in her career at Council Rock North High School in Pennsylvania. She spent three years as Council Rock North’s starting shortstop and earned all-league recognition twice.
Miller led Simi Valley High School in California to a 19-7 mark and the league title as a sophomore. She was also a member of the Southern California Stealth and helped the squad to the 2005 AFA Fourth of July Tournament crown.
"Lindsay plays great defense," Firnbach said. "She has good hands and knows the game. Nicole is solid on both sides of the ball and can be one of the most consistent players on our team."
Miller will also likely back up Switenko at shortstop.
Freshmen Jorden Rosen and Heather Kim will compete for time at first base. Rosen, from Sugarland, Texas, clubbed five round-trippers and drove in 48 runs as a senior at Clements High School. She hit .367 as a senior and ended her career with a .330 batting average.
Kim, from Fairview High School in Colorado, earned all-state accolades from the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. She hit .659 as a senior and owned a batting average of .522 in her final two years of scholastic competition with a total of 56 hits and 18 steals in those two seasons.
"Jorden is a hard worker and gives us some power at the plate,"Firnbach said. "Heather is a student of the game. She picked things up quickly in the fall and is eager to improve her skills."
Casas adds depth to the position and could also see some action at first.
BEHIND THE PLATE
The Orange will have a new backstop this season. Freshmen Amy Kelley and Kim Weinstein both spent time working behind the plate in the fall and are locked in a duel for the starting spot. Kelley owned a career batting average of .476 and clubbed 13 home runs at Bend High School in Oregon. She hit .540 with eight homers as a senior.
Weinstein hit .341 in her senior season and was named team MVP at Chaminade College Prep in California. She was named the 2005 Mission League MVP and was named to the 2005 Los Angeles Daily News All-Area Team and the Los Angeles Times All-Region Team.
"Both players will get a lot of playing time," Firnbach said. "Amy improved every game in the fall and Kim has worked with some top pitchers in her travel ball career. They make a great combination."
THE OUTFIELD
In addition to Morales, who hit .297 in 2005 and paced the Orange with 30 RBI, Syracuse also returns sophomore centerfielder Chanel Roehner. Roehner hit .287 and started all 50 games as the leader of the Orange outfield. She was second on the team last year with 48 hits and 11 doubles. Her 48 base knocks were the ninth-most in team history. Roehner is also SU’s returning leader in stolen bases with two.
"Cassie had a good year last year and we will need her to continue to drive in runs in the three spot," Firnbach said. "Chanel brings speed to our lineup and with one season under her belt, I think she’s poised for a great year."
Joining the pair will be freshman Tonye McCorkle from Santa Ana Heights, Calif. and junior college transfer Rachel Tilford. McCorkle helped Mater Dei High School to four Sierra League championships and was a three-time member of the All-CIF First Team.
Tilford hails from Birch Hills, Saskatchewan and played for Galveston Junior College last year. In high school she was a two-time captain and earned second team all-region honors.
"Tonye will most likely be our leadoff hitter," Firnbach said. "She will be one of the keys to getting our offense started. Rachel fills some key hole for us. She comes in as a sophomore with college games under her belt. She’s athletic and versatile and I look for her to add consistentcy in the outfield."
THE SCHEDULE
SU’s schedule once again features some of the most elite teams in Division I softball. The Orange will meet at least 17 teams that reached the NCAA Regionals last season, including three teams that advanced to the eight-team College World Series. SU will face national runner-up UCLA, who Coach Firnbach’s team defeated last season. The Orange will also take on CWS participants DePaul and Texas. The Blue Demons, in their first year as a member of the BIG EAST, were the preseason pick to win the league and the Longhorns are always in the hunt for the national title.
The season begins on Feb. 12 at the Kajikawa Classic, hosted by Arizona State. During the three-day event the Orange will face five teams that qualified for the 2005 NCAA Softball Championship. SU will open the year against the host Sun Devils and also meet the aforementioned Longhorns, Texas A&M, Cal State Fullerton and Big Ten regular-season runner-up Northwestern.
After a week off, Syracuse resumes the 2006 campaign at the Middle Tennessee Breast Cancer Strikeout Classic, held in Murfreesboro, Tenn. from Feb. 24-26. The Orange will open the tournament against the host Blue Raiders and also compete against Loyola Chicago,
Tennessee-Martin and Lipscomb.
From there it’s off to Atlanta, Ga. for the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech on March 3-5. SU will be tested with games versus Eastern Michigan, Minnesota, Dartmouth and Winthrop.
SU begins play at the Long Beach State Invitational on March 10. The Orange opens the tournament versus Mississippi State and Mercer on the first day of competition. The following day SU tangles with the Bruins and the host Long Beach State 49ers. The Orange concludes play with another clash against Mercer on the final day of competition.
The Orange returns to California the following weekend to take part in the Capital Classic from March 17-19 in Sacramento. SU will duel against Southern Utah, the host Sacramento State Hornets and three Big Ten opponents in the form of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
The team’s return to the New York brings about the beginning of BIG EAST play on March 25 with a home twin bill versus 2005 league tournament champion Seton Hall. The following day the Orange meets St. John’s in a home doubleheader.
The month of April features non-conference doubleheaders at Binghamton and Cornell. SU’s home non-league slate includes twin bills versus Niagara, Hofstra and Canisius.
The road conference docket takes the Orange to Villanova, Rutgers, Louisville and South Florida for doubleheaders. The home BIG EAST slate has Notre Dame, DePaul, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Providence invading the SU Softball Stadium for twin bills before SU concludes the regular season with a home doubleheader against non-league foe Buffalo on May 1.
Four days of softball (May 11-14) will determine the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament champion, which will crowned once again at the Belleville Softball Complex in South Bend, Ind.
