Season Preview: St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Record (A10 Play): 13-27 (7-11)
Coach (Record): Mike Threehouse, 15th (213-355)
Returning Starters: Brooke Frey C, Kara Morenus C/3B, Jessenia Andujar OF, Maureen Wells 1B, Kristin Sullivan OF, Hali Enderby OF, Ashley Nowak 3B, Erin Nargi P
Other Returnees: Diana Phalon P/UT, Danielle Frye SS/3B, Brittany Storch C/2B, Jill Murphy 1B/P, Katie Taylor 2B/OF, Shelly Seeger OF
Key Losses: Sherri Thompson P, Stephanie Narde SS
Newcomers: Jen Sansano P, Ashley Snider SS, Christine Watson OF, Lindsay Stowell OF, Kaci Strong IF/P

Outlook:

Hali Enderby

From 2006-2009 the A10 was dominated by a tall pitcher from western New York, this season St. Bonaventure has brought in a tall pitcher with quite a bit of hype from western New York and she will be tested right away. St. Bonaventure's last two ace pitchers (Sherri Thompson and Christine Kelleher) have shattered the Bonnies' record book, it will be interesting to see if the trend can continue with Jen Sansano. She is going to have her work cut out for her as the A10 is going to be very strong in 2011. Two big keys for the Bonnies in the circle will be how many innings she sees and how well the other Bonnie pitchers perform. Sherri Thompson did enough by herself to get the Bonnies into the A10 tournament, but the support from the rest of the team wasn't always there and the Bonnies finished a game shy. In 2011, Coach Threehouse will need to count on Erin Nargi and Diana Phalon, and Kaci Strong for quality innings in the circle. If that happens, all the pieces are in place for an A10 tournament appearance.

One of the positives for St. Bonaventure in 2011, is that all but one starter returns from last year. They will however need to step up their offensive performance, as the Bonnies hit just 0.218 as a team with 17 HR that BA was 266th out of 279 teams in Division 1. I think the Bonnies have been working hard and will be much improved at the plate. It says a lot about the resiliency of the team that despite the offensive struggles they came within a game of the A10 tournament. Brooke Frey leads the way at the plate hitting a respectable 0.292 in 2010 with 8 HR and 30 RBI. I think sophomore Jessenia Andujar is going to build on a solid freshman campaign and provide a solid bat in the Bonnies' order. If she can get some help at the plate the Bonnies are in a good spot for an A10 tournament berth. Freshman Ashley Snider will be tested right away as a starting freshman SS, thankfully she has some experience around her in the infield.

Brooke Frey

The Bonnies, despite hitting only 0.218 showed a great deal of patience at the plate drawing 135 BB compared to the 101 that they allowed. I would like to see the strikeout total drop a little a the plate, as St. Bonaventure struck out a little over once per inning. The defense of the Bonnies was definitely a strong point in 2010, which is a credit to the team and coaching staff considering the weather conditions in Olean. Brooke Frey did a solid job of cutting down runners trying to run, but she may be able to do better. I think 2011 will be a much better season than 2010 was.

Schedule:
I give a lot of credit to the players of St. Bonaventure and Coach Threehouse for heading to Hawaii this year. The Bonnies are towards the bottom of the A10 in terms of funding, but it is nice to see the team work really hard for a once in a lifetime trip. Last year's schedule wasn't tough enough, but this year St. Bonaventure will go up against Hawaii a WCWS team from last season. It will definitely be a learning experience for the Bonnies, but it will also give them a good idea of what to expect against UMass and Fordham. I want to see SBU to schedule like this every year (not to Hawaii, but in terms of seeing quality opponents). The A10 schedule is interesting to say the least, I have no idea why the A10 scheduled four home games in March for SBU, not the smartest idea especially with the weather of western NY. If the games are played as scheduled St. Bonaventure will host crucial series against La Salle, Dayton, and Temple and will hit the road to take on George Washington and Rhode Island. Depending on the offense's output and Jen Sansano's effectiveness the Bonnies could finish anywhere from 5th to 9th. I am leaning more towards that final A10 tournament berth.