MANCHESTER, N.H.—The Southern New Hampshire University softball team will rely on the experience of 12 returners to improve on last season's 18-22 overall record. The Penmen finished 15-15 in Northeast-10 Conference play and narrowly missed the playoffs. The 2011 edition has been selected to finish ninth in the preseason coaches' poll.
The Penmen with the top-five highest batting averages all return to the roster this season, including sophomore Kate Stanley (Kingston, Mass.) who hit a league-leading 12 homeruns and earned Northeast-10 All-Rookie and Third Team All-Conference accolades in her first season at SNHU.
Head Coach Deb Robitaille begins her sixth season at the helm of the softball program, and has chosen seniors Elena Anderson (Salem, Wisc.), Kelsey Griffin (Scarborough, Maine), and Melissa Vitagliano (Bedford, N.H.) to serve as tri-captains. She also welcomes nine newcomers to the Penmen dugout, some who will be called upon to make immediate contributions on the field and at the plate.
PITCHING
Mirroring the team as a whole, the 2011 pitching staff features a combination of experienced pitchers as well as young talent. Returning pitchers include Griffin, and juniors Jen Garloff (Lebanon, Pa.) and Amanda Barton (Franklin, N.H.)
Griffin appeared in the circle 30 times last season and pitched 15 complete games. Her 156 innings of work ranked her sixth in the NE-10 in innings pitched. On the season, Griffin posted a team-best ERA of 3.41 and recorded 91 strikeouts en route to the credit for 11 wins. At the plate, Griffin batted .192 in 78 at-bats, scored 6 runs and recorded 15 hits. She also added her first collegiate homerun in at LeMoyne.
After seeing limited time in the circle as a freshman, Garloff earned a starting position last season, making 22 appearances and starting 21 times. She finished the season with a 6-9 record and a 5.25 ERA after pitching 82 2/3 innings. Garloff allowed 62 earned runs while walking 48 and striking out 49. She threw five complete games in 2010, including a 7-1 win against Saint Rose in which she surrendered only two hits and posted three strikeouts.
Barton returns to the circle for the Penmen after suffering an early season-ending injury in her sophomore campaign. Prior to the injury, Barton made eight pitching appearances and two starts for the Penmen. In 24 innings of work, Barton gave up 13 earned runs, walked 12, and added 23 strikeouts to post an ERA of 3.79.
In addition to the veterans, the Penmen pitching staff also welcomes freshmen Dolores Mattice (Schenectady, N.Y.), Katie Raymond (Monson, Mass.), Natalie Metta (Norwood, Mass.) and Natalie Casey (Burlington, Mass.) to the rotation.
Mattice recorded 509 career strikeouts at Mohonasen HS and was a First Team All-Conference selection as a senior. In addition to her success in the circle, she also batted .397 as a senior and was a two-year team captain. Raymond was also a captain for two years at Monson HS where she helped the Mustangs to the Bi-County League East Championship and Western Massachusetts quarterfinals as a senior.
Metta was a three-sport athlete at Norwood HS and served as captain of the softball team as a senior. She was a two-time Bay State All-Star selection. Casey, a product of Arlington Catholic HS, led the Cougars to the MIAA Division 2 North finals and a 23-8 overall record as a senior.
CATCHING
There will be no lack of experience behind the plate in 2011, as last season's starting catcher, Anderson, returns for her final season with the Penmen. In addition, sophomore Jessica Douillette (Concord, N.H.) will also contend for time behind the plate.
Anderson appeared in all 40 games for the Penmen last season and did not make an error behind the plate. Offensively, Anderson batted .278 a season ago. In 126 at-bats, she scored 20 runs, connected for 35 hits including eight doubles and five home runs, and finished with 20 RBI on the season.
Douillette appeared in 16 games last season and started seven times, primarily in the designated hitter slot. In 28 plate appearances she scored one run, tallied four hits, and batted at .143.
INFIELD
Southern New Hampshire returns Vitagliano, and sophomores Kelsea Cheney (Abington, Mass.) and Jessica Berardi (Raynham, Mass.) to the infield.
Vitagliano will look to resume her stay at shortstop, where she made a majority of her 40 starts from a season ago. She made only seven errors on the season in the infield, and fielded at .951. Offensively, Vitagliano finished with 30 hits and five homeruns in 110 at-bats.
Cheney also started all 40 games for the Penmen in her rookie season, primarily at second base, where she made only four errors and fielded at .969. At the plate, Cheney finished 2010 with 31 hits, including eight doubles and two homeruns, scored 15 runs and batted in 14 runs to round out the season with a .263 batting average.
Berardi made 27 appearances for the Penmen last season including 18 starts, which primarily were all in the outfield. She looks to make the switch to third base in order to fill the empty slot formerly held by 2010 graduate Andrea Clausi. In addition to her role in the outfield, Berardi also made 42 appearances at the plate as a rookie, recording three hits and scoring eight runs.
Five freshmen will also vie for time in the infield this season, including Cara Daly (Plainville, Mass.) who is expected to make immediate contributions at first base following the 2010 graduation of Melissa Pessotti. A product of King Philip Regional HS, Daly posted a .471 batting average, a .505 on base percentage and a .979 fielding percentage as a senior to help the Warriors to a 26-1 record and the MIAA 2010 Division 1 State Championship.
Tesia Stanasek (Blackstone, Mass.), Morgan Farmer (Kingston, N.H.), Brittany Young (Merrimack, N.H.), and Courtney Trumble (Manchester, N.H.) round out the infield for the Penmen. Stanasek, a graduate of Blackstone Valley Technical HS, batted .465 over her four years with the Beavers and had a league-leading batting average as a senior en route to All-State honors. Farmer batted .526 with nine homeruns as a senior at Sanborn Regional HS. She was also a three-time All-State selection. Young comes to SNHU from Merrimack HS, where she was a four-year member of the softball team and served as a team captain as a senior. Trumble is a product of Manchester Memorial HS, where she also served as a team captain during her senior campaign.
OUTFIELD
The outfield will also consist of a mix of veterans and newcomers, as Griffin, Stanley, Barton, and sophomores Cristy Jenkins (Hudson, N.H.), Nicole Newell (Abington, Mass.) and Danielle Watts (Chelmsford, Mass.) all return to the outfield this season. In addition, Mattice and Metta will also vie for time in the outfield.
Stanley started all 40 games at centerfield last season where she posted a .915 fielding percentage. In addition to her league-leading 12 homeruns, she also led the Penmen in RBI with 24. Stanley batted .276 in her rookie campaign with 37 hits in 134 at-bats.
Jenkins rounded out her freshman season with a team-leading .338 batting average. She started all 40 games at left field for the Penmen, and connected for 44 hits in 130 at-bats. She hit eight doubles, a triple, and four homeruns while also adding 10 RBI.
Newell appeared in a 24 games as a freshman and made 16 starts in right field. She wrapped up her first season with SNHU with a .195 batting average and five runs batted in. She recorded her first collegiate homerun in an 8-5 win at Post.
Watts made a limited number of appearances for the Penmen. She drew a walk in her first at-bat against Saint Anselm last season, and made an appearance as a defensive replacement against New Haven.
SEASON
Southern New Hampshire opens up the 2011 campaign with a 12-game schedule at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The Penmen will face three regional opponents (Georgian Court, Saint Rose, Post) as well as five opponents from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. They will then travel to Long Island for a regional doubleheader against Dowling on March 17, before hosting Molloy on March 26 to kick off home action.
The Penmen will open NE-10 conference play on the road this year, traveling to Bentley for 3:00 p.m. doubleheader on March 29.
For the third straight season, Southern New Hampshire will play a night doubleheader under temporary lights placed at Penmen Field. This year's night twinbill comes during the week, as the Penmen host intrastate rival Franklin Pierce on Wednesday, April 20, in a doubleheader starting at 5:00.
