A10 Softball Blog

An Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Fan Blog written from a fan's perspective. It is not affiliated with the conference or any of the teams.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

A10 Standings 4/19

With conference play winding down, here is a look at the updated standings.


  1. Fordham 29-16 (9-1)
  2. La Salle 17-15 (9-3) 1 GB
  3. St. Joseph's 16-16 (6-4) 3 GB
  4. St. Louis 20-18 (6-5) 3.5 GB
  5. George Mason 19-16 (5-5) 4 GB
    UMass 11-18 (5-5) 4 GB

Update on Temple recruits

Previously we had posted about the unfortunate situation that Temple's recruits found themselves in. Thankfully all of the recruits have found new schools.

Shelby Stracher was the first commit in this class for Joe DiPietro and she hails from Massachusetts. Stracher plays travel ball for the East Coast Firecrackers, which are one of the top, up-and-coming travel teams in the country. Stracher swings a powerful bat and is a great catcher behind the plate. For her high school last year, Stracher hit .508 with 5 HR and 32 RBI. She showed off her power on the big stage by hitting a homerun at the Premier Nationals. 
Stracher will play for Towson next year.

Isabel Hansbury was a real steal for Coach DiPietro. Hansbury is a talented third baseman and shortstop from Tuff-N-Tuffer Gold, known as TNT. Hansbury's athleticism will make her a real asset to any team at any of the infield spots. Hansbury picked Temple over Wagner and Haverford originally, hopefully she will get wonderful options again this time around.
Hansbury will play for Hofstra next year.

Devon Steiner is a talented third baseman and shortstop from Delaware who swings a powerful bat. Steiner plays for the Delco Chaos, which is one of the top travel programs in the Mid-Atlantic Region. For her high school, Steiner put up gaudy numbers in 2012, hitting .484 with 4 HR and 35 RBI. Needless to say, she would have been a natural fit for Temple's high octane offense.
Steiner will play for Coastal Carolina next year.

Jessica Hallett was a Temple signee from Arizona, who comes from the storied Lil Saints travel ball team in Arizona. Hallett is another very powerful infielder who would have fit in nicely with Temple's powerful offense. She hit .363 with 33 hits, 6 HR, and 29 RBI for her high school team. In travel ball she really shined, hitting 15 HR this past season for the Lil Saints. Temple was counting on Hallett for power and defense at the hot corner.
Hallett will play for FIU next year.

Michele Sykora is a legacy at Temple with her sister Christina, having played for four years under Joe DiPietro from 2009-2012. Christina Sykora also went on to become Temple's first ever player in the National Pro Fastpitch League this summer. Sykora is a second baseman and outfielder from the Jersey Fusion. Sykora's tenacity and athleticism were tailor made for the Owls.
Sykora will play for Stony Brook next year.

The Owls also had a verbal commitment from Amanda Kulp, a 2015 recruit. Kulp will have a little more time to recover, but she must also deal with the fact that a lot of the recruiting money is off the table. Kulp is a speedy, left handed hitting second baseman and outfielder who figures to be a solid top of the order hitter at the next level.
Kulp has verballed to UConn.