Rutgers Softball Season Preview
Feb 16 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Feb. 16, 2010) – Head coach Jay Nelson and his staff, assistant coaches Misty Beaver and Diana Consolmagno return for their fourth season “On the Banks.” The group is prepared for the upcoming 2010 campaign and they are armed with the same determination and commitment as when they arrived in 2006.
Losing five positional starters and 53.6 percent of its offensive production, the Scarlet Knights will have a young, talented lineup in 2010. Leading RU will be senior ace Nicole Lindley and junior first baseman Mandy Craig.
For the first time since 2002-04, Rutgers earned its third-consecutive 20-win season. The Scarlet Knights tallied a 22-33 record, going 6-18 in a competitive BIG EAST conference.
INFIELD: Rutgers returns the infield corners for the 2010 season, with Craig and sophomore Brittney Lindley at first and third, respectively. Craig, a BIG EAST Second Team honoree, started all 56 games at first base with a batting average of .314. The Manassas, Va. native picked it up during conference play, batting .343 with nine RBI and 31 total bases.
As a freshman, Lindley saw action in all 56 games at third. The Cicero, N.Y. native totaled 34 hits, including a team-best nine doubles – six in BIG EAST action.
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CRAIG
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The middle infield will be comprised of two very young, talented players. At second will be Jennifer Harabedian, the 2009 Courier News Player of the Year. A Flemington, N.J. local, Harabedian hit .438 with 21 RBI and 12 stolen bases at Hunterdon Central, earning First Team All-State honors.
Rookie Ashley Bragg will handle the responsibilities at shortstop. A four-year All-State honoree in Delaware, Bragg took Caravel Academy to four-straight State Championships and earned First Team All-State at short last season.
Backing up the middle infielders will be two more rookies – Kelsey Peretti and Katie Berman. Berman, a great short-game hitter, could be used as a pinch hitter as well. Utility players Mikelyn Messina and Mickenzie Alden may also be used in the infield. Alden spent 36 games at shortstop last year, while Messina appeared in 31 games, splitting time between outfield, catcher and shortstop.
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BRITNEY LINDLEY
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Starting in left will be Alden, a sophomore that made the switch from shortstop for the 2010 campaign. Alden boasted a .314 slugging percentage in 49 games last season, stealing 10 bases on 13 attempts.
There will be a battle for a starting spot in centerfield between junior Jen Meinheit and sophomore Lindsey Curran. Meinheit, who played 47 games in the outfield last season, is coming off minor foot surgery that slowed her during the preseason. Curran appeared in 43 games in 2009, making 21 starts. The Monroe Twp., N.J. native played 18 games in the outfield last season – batting at a .367 clip while playing defensively.
While junior Danielle Procopio’s primary position will be right field, the two centerfielders could challenge her starting job in 2010. Procopio mainly appeared in pinch running roles last season, and her quickness will help her in chasing down fly balls and backing up throws to first base.
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ALDEN
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CATCHERS: With the loss of Kim Hodges, rookie Kaci Madden and sophomore Kylee Bishop will split time behind the plate.
Madden earned the edge in preseason, as the freshman from Saratoga, N.Y. possess a cannon of an arm and is able to frame pitchers well. Last season, Madden was selected by ADIDAS Futures as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Eligible Recruits”
Bishop made appearances in 14 games last season, making four starts at catcher. A two-time First Team All-League for Washington High School in Tacoma, Wash., Bishop maintained a .238 on-base percentage in 2009.
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NICOLE LINDLEY
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Lindley led the team in wins, strikeouts, starts and innings pitched last season. Throwing a total of 142.0 innings, the hurler fanned 103 batters and amassed 12 wins in 2009. Lindley also earned the only no-hitter of the season, notching six strikeouts against Louisiana Tech.
“Lindley is our ace,” said Nelson. “Even when she doesn’t have her best stuff, she will go out and battle. She will always give us a good game and right now, she is No. 1 on the depth chart.”
Fresh off a strong rookie campaign, Holly Johnson will be the number two pitcher on the depth chart. Johnson appeared in 32 games last season, making 18 starts. The Cheektowaga, N.Y. native logged 99 strikeouts in 134.1 innings and has worked on her control in the offseason.
“Holly is capable of pitching against the best,” said Nelson. “She does a good job of holding down good teams like Syracuse last season and we are looking for more of that from her this year.”
Noelle Sisco has improved her velocity immensely from a year ago, when she struck out 21 batters in 43.2 innings. The sophomore made 18 appearances last season, including four starts, and looks to play a bigger role in the 2010 depth chart.
Freshman Abbey Houston, coming off an extremely successful travel career, will be asked to immediately contribute for the Scarlet Knights. The New Egypt, N.J. product has strong velocity and a good moving pitch, but will have to work on her spots in her collegiate career.
SCHEDULE: Rutgers will face nine squads that played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and seven teams in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Poll, including No. 5 Arizona State, a participant in the Women’s College World Series.
RU starts off in Tempe, Az. for the three-day Arizona State Tournament from Feb. 19-21. Rutgers will face Arizona State twice over the weekend, as well as NCAA Tournament qualifiers Iowa and Texas State, along with Illinois State.
The following weekend, the Scarlet Knights travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the UT Chattanooga Tournament. Highlighting the tournament will be games against Miami of Ohio and Chattanooga – an NCAA Tournament participant – on the first day.
The third tournament brings RU to Tampa, Fla. for the USF Tournament. The Scarlet Knights close out their tournament schedule with the Oklahoma State Mizuno Classic over Spring Break in a playoff style tournament.
Rutgers stays on the road to take on Wichita State on Monday, March 15. That Thursday, the Scarlet Knights face Missouri State in a doubleheader at Springfield, Mo.
RU comes back to the northeast for doubleheaders at Stony Brook (March 24), Princeton (March 27) and Long Island University (March 30).
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JOHNSON
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BIG EAST play starts in the month of April, as Rutgers travels to Notre Dame for a three-game series against the BIG EAST Champion Irish. The Scarlet Knights play one game on Thursday, April 1 at 6 p.m. and back-to-back contests on Saturday, April 3, starting at noon.
Rutgers finally unpacks their bags on April 7 for a home doubleheader against Hofstra. The Scarlet Knights stay at the RU Softball Complex for three games against Connecticut, with back-to-back games on April 10 and a single game the following day. Rutgers plays another two against Louisville on April 14, before stepping out of conference play to take on Army in back-to-back games on April 15.
RU hits the road again for a three game series in Chicago against DePaul on April 17-18. The squad will play one game “On the Banks” on April 21 against Monmouth.
Over the weekend of April 24-25, the Scarlet Knights compete against Providence in a weekend series. RU then travels to Georgetown (April 28) for a doubleheader and St. John’s for a three-game series on May 1-2.
Rutgers closes out the regular season at home against Pittsburgh on May 8-9.
The BIG'?EAST'?Tournament starts Thursday, May 13 with the Championship on Saturday, May 15.
“My goal is to make the BIG'?EAST'?Tournament, and then compete there,” said Nelson. “In a one-game elimination tournament, anything can happen. Its only three games to the championship.”
