Feb. 19, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. -
After celebrating its 25th anniversary season a year ago, the 2010 Fordham softball team has a renewed vigor and sharp mental focus to challenge Massachusetts and Charlotte for the Atlantic 10 Championship this season.
Opening Tournament: Due to the weather that hit the Virginia area in the past two weeks, the opening weekend schedule has changed. The games have now been moved to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. The Rams will play Morehead State and Longwood on Saturday at 11:00 and 1:00 PM, and at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Sunday. Further updates will be available on the Longwood Athletics website.
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Jen Mineau (RHP, 0-0)
Jamie LaBovick (RHP, 0-0)
Chelsea Plimpton (RHP, 0-0)
Links To Atlantic 10 Preview:
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
Fordham Season Preview: With a renewed vigor and sharp mental focus on 2010, the Fordham softball team is ready to roll behind a talented offensive line-up and an excellent pitching rotation.
Plenty of excitement surrounds the 2010 Rams, guided by ninth-year head coach Bridget Orchard, who has possibly put together the best collection of players in her tenure at Rose Hill. Fordham returns six starters from a year ago, as well as the vast majority of the pitching staff, giving the Rams a great opportunity to take home their first Atlantic 10 Championship title.
Fordham's biggest strength is on the left side of the infield, as juniors Jocelyn Dearborn and Samantha Pellechio look to improve on a 2009 campaign, where they combined for 27 doubles, 18 home runs, and 85 RBI. Fordham will also rely on the steady duo of sophomore Jen Mineau and junior Chelsea Plimpton in the pitching circle, as both finished 2009 with earned run averages below two and reached double figures in wins.
Here's a look at the 2010 Rams:
PITCHING
As with any team, the 2010 Rams will depend on the strength and depth of their pitching staff. The Rams appear to have both with two upperclassmen, sophomore Jen Mineau and junior Chelsea Plimpton, leading the way.
Mineau was one of the Atlantic 10's breakthrough stories in 2009, earning Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors, as well as a spot on the All-Rookie Team. She received a total of seven weekly honors in her first season at Fordham, highlighted in early March by a National Player of the Week award from the NFCA, when she pitched two no-hitters in the same week with one being a perfect game. Mineau led the Rams in wins, saves, complete games, strikeouts, innings pitched, and shutouts, and should only be better in 2010.
Plimpton finished last season as the Rams' leader in ERA, while racking up 12 wins in over 140 innings of work. Giving opponents a different look from Mineau, Plimpton excelled in conference play, posting a 6-2 record with a 1.10 ERA in just over 57 innings of work. With both Mineau and Plimpton back, Fordham has a solid foundation for the pitching rotation.
The rotation only gets stronger as Fordham should get solid contributions from freshman Jamie LaBovick. LaBovick was a two-time 5A All-State Performer from Arizona, who will see plenty of action in the circle or in the field. She was a two-time First Team All-Region selection as a pitcher, but brings a very good bat with her to Rose Hill that could be featured in the designated player role.
Junior Beckah Wiggins, who won seven games last season, and freshman Jamie Pollak, will also see time in the circle.
DESIGNATED PLAYER
With the graduation of three-year starter Mary Beth Puccio, Fordham should have plenty of flexibility in the designated player spot. In addtion to LaBovick, any number of players could fill the spot, depending upon Fordham's opponent, including sophomores Nicole Callahan, Jo Krasnisky, and Erica Borgeest.
CATCHER
Junior Meghan Shager will be at the back end of the Rams' starting battery in her second year as a starter. She started 55 games in her first season as a starter, managing a young pitching staff very well. Predominantly a slap-hitter during her first two seasons, Shager can also drive the ball very well as a pure left-handed hitter, and should contend for All-Atlantic 10 honors by season's end.
Backing up Shager are a pair of freshmen, Brittany Longo and Phoebe Johnson, but don't be surprised if Callahan also gears up behind the plate.
INFIELD
The Rams could possibly have their best combination of infielders in team history, rivaling the 2006 group, which combined for over 150 RBI. On the left side on the infield, juniors Jocelyn Dearborn and Samantha Pellechio will be at third and shortstop, respectively, to lead the group.
Besides Mineau in the circle, it was Pellechio who had the best overall campaign in 2009, earning team MVP honors as well as First Team NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region and First Team All-Atlantic 10 accolades. Pellechio started all 59 games at shortstop last season, leading the Rams with a .360 batting average, 10 home runs, and 45 runs batted in, all career-highs. Alongside her was Dearborn, who rebounded from a slow start to post eight home runs, 40 RBI, and a team-best 16 doubles, en route to being named Second Team All-Atlantic 10.
To go with Pellechio and Dearborn, Fordham will have either junior Beckah Wiggins or Callahan at second base, while first base will be occupied by Wiggins, senior Erin Fisher, or Pollak.
Wiggins is a versatile player, who played four different positions a year ago, including pitcher, first base, second base, and outfield. With her role well defined this season as an infielder, the Rams expect Wiggins to continue to improve at the plate after hitting .260 with a pair of home runs and 13 RBI as a sophomore. After playing ten games as a freshman, the left-handed hitting Callahan has put in a lot of work in the offseason, improving her all-around game and giving the coaching staff more line-up options in 2010.
In addition to Wiggins, Ram fans will also see Fisher at first base, while Pollak, a three-time All-Central Region performer and Honorable Mention All-State selection in Arizona, will also get playing time at first.
Fordham will also have Krasnisky and freshmen Chelsea Palumbo and K.D. Rohlander in the infield mix.
OUTFIELD
Though the Rams lost three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer Melissa Andrews to graduation, the Rams still have a very quick and offensive outfield, led by Fisher and sophomore Lindsey Kay Bright.
Entering her final season at Fordham, Fisher looks to end her career with a bang, and forget a 2009 season, which saw her miss almost a month of action due to injury. Even with the injury however, she still managed to hit a career-high .276 to go with five home runs, 20 RBI, and seven stolen bases last season.
Along with Fisher in the outfield, Bright will move over from left field to center, taking over for Andrews. Bringing speed, grit, and natural centerfielder instincts, Bright is a perfect fit for Fordham's outfield. As a freshman, she was named Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10 as well as to the All-Rookie Team after hitting .346 with 41 runs scored and a school record 29 stolen bases. She ranked 33rd in the NCAA in stolen bases, and will look for plenty more in her second season at Rose Hill.
Filling in the final outfield spot should be sophomore Jessica Richards, who had a very strong fall. Richards, who was primarily a pinch runner as a freshman, scored 17 runs and added a pair of stolen bases in 44 games. In addition to Richards, Fordham also has freshmen Katherine VanBenschoten, Jessica Crowley, and Rohlander in the outfield rotation.
