Season Preview: George Washington

George Washington Colonials
Last Year's Record (A10 Play): 6-39 (3-17)
Coach (Record): Stacey Schramm, 1st (113-119-2)
Returning Starters: Lauren Wilson OF, Jordyn O'Donnell SS, Sandi Moynihan 1B, Katie Terrazas SS, Autumn Taylor OF, Julie Orlandi 2B, Tara Fogarty C, Jillian Stanley C, Kristi Saporito C, Kara Clauss P, Heidi Penna P
Other Returnees: Ali Waterman OF, Jamie Yaniga OF, Amanda Zakeri OF, Ali Pardo P
Key Losses: Elisa Van Kirk DP, Amanda Holst OF, Elaine Nescio P
Newcomers: Lacey Cook IF, Chelsea Curcio C/UT, Chelsea Lenhart OF, Courtney Martin P, Alexandra Del Prete OF

Katie Terrazas

Outlook: Well for starters, it will be hard for the Colonials to be any worse than last year, when they went 6-39 overall and 3-17 in A10 play. Coach Kim Staehle left to pursue other interests and George Washington hired Stacey Schramm from Queens in Charlotte. Coach Schramm is going to have her work cut out for her, the Colonials have many issues in 2010, but first and foremost they struggled at the plate, hitting a paltry 0.175 BA with 9 HR, 48 RBI, and 22 SB. These power numbers were dwarfed by Erin Fisher and Beckah Wiggins of Fordham. Things were a little better in the circle, as Kara Clauss went 5-21 with a 4.63 ERA and 110.1 IP with 84 SO, but the Colonials still finished last in pitching, as well as hitting and defense.

Heidi Penna

Clauss (below on the left) should see the majority of innings in the circle, Heidi Penna and freshman Courtney Martin also figure to see starts. Ali Pardo may also see some action. Elaine Nescio is gone after one season, but I am expecting this Colonials' pitching to improve in spite of this. Clauss is a more than capable pitcher, but the success of the team may come down to how well Martin and Penna perform, as an offensive explosion is not likely from this squad.

The top returnees on offense are Lauren Wilson (0.226 BA) and Jordyn O'Donnell (0.198 BA). Wilson had the top BA of any Colonial last year, hopefully Coach Schramm can improve this offensive output. The Colonials do return 9 players who saw a significant number of starts in 2010. The experience is there, now the improvement needs to come. Lacey Cook, Chelsea Curcio, and Chelsea Lenhart figure to see some significant playing team. Playing time for the Colonials is going to come down to who gets it done at the plate. I fully expect GW to finish with a BA above 0.200 this year. This squad should not finish with the 2nd worst team batting average in the nation; there is definitely some talent on this team. I expect that we will see some of that come through this year.

Schedule:
The Colonials are not up against the toughest slate in 2011, which should result in a few more wins. Non conference highlights include match-ups against Cornell and Iona. In conference play, GW hosts St. Bonaventure, but must travel to La Salle, Dayton, and Rhode Island. If George Washington is going to improve its win total it will come from beating these teams. The Colonials should pick up more wins in 2011, but they may not pick up enough to escape the cellar of the A10.

Kara Clauss