Season Preview: St. Joseph's

St. Joseph's Hawks
Record (A10 Play): 29-18 (11-7)
Coach (Record): Terri Adams, 5th (88-86)
Returning Starters: Bernadette Moran 2B/SS, Dana Parks OF, Monica Aguilar 3B, Laura Cardone OF, Deanna Stinner IF, Rochelle Christman C/UT, Alaina Loguidice 1B/3B, Erin Gallagher P, Taryn Ashway P
Other Returnees: Taylor Korpita OF/C, Juliette D'Ambrosio C/DP, Annabelle Cunningham UT, Christine Bednar OF, Dana Bieniek SS/IF, Lauren Pembleton P
Key Losses: Brooke Darreff C
Newcomers: Maria Ficca OF/C, Morgan Earling IF/C, Briana Sasala OF, Lindsey Williams IF/OF

Outlook:

Erin Gallagher

The St. Joseph's Hawks may be the most intriguing team in the conference in 2011. Everyone around the country knows about Sara Plourde and UMass and Jen Mineau and Fordham, now it's time for them to learn about that other junior pitcher in the A10, Erin Gallagher of St. Joe's. She does not throw as hard as Plourde or Mineau and her movement does not compare either, but she is a battler and she wins. Gallagher throws a heavy drop ball and she relies on that and her changeup to force ground balls and record strikeouts. Gallagher finished 2010 with a 1.42 ERA and a school record win total of 24 to go with 9 losses, and 242 SO in 236 IP. Gallagher kept the Hawks in most ballgames, as her offense hit only 0.245 last season, fortunately she held opponents to a 0.182 clip. As Erin Gallagher goes in 2011, so do the Hawks and if my hunch is correct that could be pretty far.


Gallagher will once again see the lion's share of work in the circle, but she will once again have some help. Taryn Ashway is back for her Sophomore season and if she can develop like Gallagher did, watch out A10. Ashway is a hard thrower with a wonderful changeup and I think another year with Coach Adams will make her an even better pitcher. If St. Joe's can count on Ashway for wins, it will result in a much fresher Gallagher. Gallagher and Ashway will get some more help in the circle, as Lauren Pembleton is back from an injury in 2010. Pempleton provides a much different look in the circle, as she does not have quite the same speed, but she does possess a nice changeup. She will be brought in to give opponents a different look.

Bernadette Moran

Monica Aguilar

If the Hawks want to see their season go beyond the A10 tournament, it will come down to the offense. The good news is that the Hawks lose only one starter from last year, but it was a pretty important one in former A10 player of the year Brooke Darreff. Darreff's 0.313 BA with 9 HR and 31 RBI are gone so the rest of the lineup will need to step it up. St. Joe's returns Bernadette Moran at the top of the lineup and she is very versatile at the plate and is capable of slapping or hitting away. Moran, along with Dana Parks and Laura Cardone are a fast trio of lefties who can create havoc for opposing defenses. It would be nice to see Coach Adams run them a little more, if you have the speed you might as well use it.The power in the lineup is provided by Monica Aguilar, but the Hawks are going to need some more pop. I see no reason why the Hawks should hit 0.245 again with just 25 HR.

St. Joe's may have lost one starter from 2010, but they gained another back from 2009 in Dana Bienek. The Hawks will have experience all around the field except for behind the plate, where they may have to rely on a couple of freshmen. Maria Ficca and Morgan Earling should challenge for playing time behind the plate and they will hopefully add some pop to the lineup. The Hawks are a solid fielding team with good pitching, this season will all come down to the bats.
Schedule:
The Hawks will open down at Coastal Carolina, before heading to UNC for matchups with the Tar Heels and NC State. After that St. Joe's will head down to Clearwater for a 10-day stretch and they will face some quality teams in Maryland, ECU, and FIU. If they can manage a decent record through non conference play an at-large bid might not be unreasonable. In conference play, the Hawks will host UMass and Charlotte, but they will have to hit the road to face Fordham and St. Louis. Even better for the Hawks is that the games against UMass and Fordham will be DHs, meaning they may not have to deal with two games against Sara Plourde or Jen Mineau.

The best news for the Hawks is that they will finally have their own field after this year.