There comes a time when a team finally breaks through and puts together a run
A total of seven starters and 14 letterwinners are back as the Bryant University softball team returns to the field this spring after its most successful seasons in school history a year ago. For fifth year coach Lisa-Ann Wallace, the Bulldogs hope to carry the momentum of a school record 26-win season and the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament into the 2005 season.
The Bulldogs will be solid throughout the lineup this spring and while the team must find a replacement for the loss of Nicole Keene who graduates after posting a 12-8 record and 1.38 ERA in '04, the Bulldogs are confident that the returning veterans and addition of six newcomers can keep the Bulldogs competitive in conference and in the region this season.
Bryant returns it top two offensive weapons from a year ago in sophomore Amanda Wilbur (Lakeville, Mass.) and junior catcher Jordan Dargon (Trumbull, Conn.). Wilbur led the Bulldogs with a .382 batting average and started in all 43 games as a freshman in the outfield. Included in her team-best 52 hits on the season, 12 were doubles with four going for triples and three as home runs.
Dargon also had a productive year at the plate, finishing with a .333 batting average with 12 doubles and 23 RBIs. Defensively, Dargon proved to be a valuable leader behind the plate, orchestrating the Bulldog pitching staff to a team 1.55 ERA on the season and committing only two errors throughout the entire season.
Starters Lindsay Connor, Diane Cummings (Westwood, Mass.), Carly Muise (Hanson, Mass.), Deidre Kittredge (Worcester, Mass.), and Amanda Gagne (Wilbraham, Mass.) also return giving coach Wallace plenty of experience that should play a pivotal role in the team's push for returning the Northeast-10 Conference tournament for the second-straight year.
Connor, a leftfielder as a freshman last season, hit .281 with 41 base hits including four doubles. She also swiped nine stolen bases in the season and showed plenty of range defensively with a .939 fielding percentage.
Expected to start at second base, Muise brings the team valuable leadership both on and off the field. A key to the team's run to the playoffs last season, Muise is a valuable defensive player in the field who also has speed on the bases.
Rounding out the infield, watch for Holly McCarthy (Framingham, Mass.), Jess Valentini (Cliffside Park, N.J.) and Briana Durborow (Ringoes, N.J.) to compete for a starting position at first while Diana Getchell (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Lauren Friedrich (Brookfield, Conn.), Rebekah Provost (Warwick Mass.), and Lauren McNiff (Westford, Mass.) round out the Bulldog veterans who will look to give the team excellent depth this season.
Pitching-wise, the Bulldogs have two veterans back on the mound this season as both Cummings and Nikki Ingalls (Westford, Mass.) bring a combined total of 28 games of experience back this season. Cummings was second on the team with a 9-5 record overall in 2004 with a 1.69 ERA. She had 44 strikeouts in 95 plus innings of work. Ingalls was 5-4 in her first season with a 1.82 ERA. She made 12 appearances and struck out 18.
For Wallace, while experience will be a key, the Bulldogs hope the addition of six newcomers to the team this season will play just as much of a role in the team's success as they saw in 2004.
Four of this year's freshmen are pitchers while the team also adds excellent speed and defensively ability. The newcomers to the program looking to contribute right away are: Jennifer Bernier (Rehoboth, Mass.), Victoria Duane (West Haven, Conn.), Janine Enos (Wareham, Mass.), Stephanie Miller (Titusville, N.J.), Jennifer Serrano (Stoneham, Mass.), and Jessica Valentini (Cliffside Park, N.J.).
A total of seven starters and 14 letterwinners are back as the Bryant University softball team returns to the field this spring after its most successful seasons in school history a year ago. For fifth year coach Lisa-Ann Wallace, the Bulldogs hope to carry the momentum of a school record 26-win season and the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament into the 2005 season.
The Bulldogs will be solid throughout the lineup this spring and while the team must find a replacement for the loss of Nicole Keene who graduates after posting a 12-8 record and 1.38 ERA in '04, the Bulldogs are confident that the returning veterans and addition of six newcomers can keep the Bulldogs competitive in conference and in the region this season. Bryant returns it top two offensive weapons from a year ago in sophomore Amanda Wilbur (Lakeville, Mass.) and junior catcher Jordan Dargon (Trumbull, Conn.). Wilbur led the Bulldogs with a .382 batting average and started in all 43 games as a freshman in the outfield. Included in her team-best 52 hits on the season, 12 were doubles with four going for triples and three as home runs.
Dargon also had a productive year at the plate, finishing with a .333 batting average with 12 doubles and 23 RBIs. Defensively, Dargon proved to be a valuable leader behind the plate, orchestrating the Bulldog pitching staff to a team 1.55 ERA on the season and committing only two errors throughout the entire season.
Starters Lindsay Connor, Diane Cummings (Westwood, Mass.), Carly Muise (Hanson, Mass.), Deidre Kittredge (Worcester, Mass.), and Amanda Gagne (Wilbraham, Mass.) also return giving coach Wallace plenty of experience that should play a pivotal role in the team's push for returning the Northeast-10 Conference tournament for the second-straight year.
Connor, a leftfielder as a freshman last season, hit .281 with 41 base hits including four doubles. She also swiped nine stolen bases in the season and showed plenty of range defensively with a .939 fielding percentage.
Expected to start at second base, Muise brings the team valuable leadership both on and off the field. A key to the team's run to the playoffs last season, Muise is a valuable defensive player in the field who also has speed on the bases.
Rounding out the infield, watch for Holly McCarthy (Framingham, Mass.), Jess Valentini (Cliffside Park, N.J.) and Briana Durborow (Ringoes, N.J.) to compete for a starting position at first while Diana Getchell (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Lauren Friedrich (Brookfield, Conn.), Rebekah Provost (Warwick Mass.), and Lauren McNiff (Westford, Mass.) round out the Bulldog veterans who will look to give the team excellent depth this season.
Pitching-wise, the Bulldogs have two veterans back on the mound this season as both Cummings and Nikki Ingalls (Westford, Mass.) bring a combined total of 28 games of experience back this season. Cummings was second on the team with a 9-5 record overall in 2004 with a 1.69 ERA. She had 44 strikeouts in 95 plus innings of work. Ingalls was 5-4 in her first season with a 1.82 ERA. She made 12 appearances and struck out 18.
For Wallace, while experience will be a key, the Bulldogs hope the addition of six newcomers to the team this season will play just as much of a role in the team's success as they saw in 2004.
Four of this year's freshmen are pitchers while the team also adds excellent speed and defensively ability. The newcomers to the program looking to contribute right away are: Jennifer Bernier (Rehoboth, Mass.), Victoria Duane (West Haven, Conn.), Janine Enos (Wareham, Mass.), Stephanie Miller (Titusville, N.J.), Jennifer Serrano (Stoneham, Mass.), and Jessica Valentini (Cliffside Park, N.J.).
