Weekend Preview

Charlotte: The 49ers are in the midst of their road swing and this weekend they are headed to nearby Rock Hill, SC to Winthrop University’s Adidas Invitational. The 49ers will be facing Cleveland State, Providence, Towson, and UNC Wilmington this weekend and I think this is a recipe for wins. Cleveland State will be a tough game, but with Katy Hackett in the circle the 49ers can take the Vikings down. The best sign from the 49ers over the past few games is the emergence of Katie Watkins. Watkins was finally able break the 49ers 5 inning curse and that is a very good sign moving forward. Charlotte needs to take it pitch by pitch this weekend, but it may come down to game management.

Dayton: The Flyers will be off this weekend after playing for three straight weekends and they will return to action on Tuesday against IUPUI.

Fordham: The Rams’ schedule finally eases up just a tiny bit this weekend. Fordham heads down to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the Cavaliers, as well as Syracuse and Princeton. The best team coming into this tournament is the Syracuse Orange. The Orange have built off their finish from last year and they are currently ranked or on the fringes of being ranked in all three polls. Virginia is no slouch either, as the Cavaliers are coming off two 3-2 weekends in a row at the Cathedral City Classic and the Citrus Classic, which is no easy feat. Jen Mineau and Chelsea Plimpton will need to stay on their game against the Cavs and Orange, as I am not expecting many runs to be scored. I am still looking for this offense to awake, but I’m just not sure when it will happen.

George Washington: The Colonials, like the 49ers will also be headed down to Rock Hill, SC for the Adidas Invitational. George Washington will have games against Winthrop, Providence, Gardner-Webb, and Wright State. The Colonials are having a pretty good year so far and they have already matched last year's win total. Kara Clauss has been gritty in the circle and it is clear that her team fights for her. The Colonials unlike some of the other A10 teams have done pretty well in 1-run games and the fight in this team could go a long way for this team, which did not look good last year.

La Salle: The Explorers are in action at Clearwater, FL at the Under Armour Showcase. The Explorers will be up against some tough competition including Radford, Boston University, Nebraska, as well as UConn and Central Connecticut State. This is going to be a tough weekend for La Salle, but I like the fact that Coach Brown is scheduling tough this year. The Explorers have stated how making the A10 tournament this year is one of their goals and scheduling tough games now will get this squad ready for the rigors of A10 play.  La Salle has the ability to keep these games close, but it will come down to the Explorers doing the little things right in these games.

UMass: The Minutewomen are off to their worst start in a long time, currently sitting at 2-10. The good news is that Sara Plourde was back on her game last weekend, allowing just 2 hits in 14 innings with 25 SO. It is unacceptable that the offense could not manage a single run for her. Kyllie Magill is leading UMass at the plate and she is having a solid year, but she needs some help from the rest of the team. I think it starts for UMass with Katie Bettencourt and Meg Carta coming through with some clutch hits behind Magill. The Minutewomen have the talent, but right now they need to find that swagger that has been a staple of past squads. Honestly, right now it doesn’t matter who the opponent is for UMass; it is all about what’s going happening on their side of the field.

Rhode Island: The Rams will take a weekend off after recording their 1^st win of the year. Hopefully they will record many more after this week off.

St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies need to bounce back after a rough 0-4 opening in Hawaii, as they will head down to Johnson City, TN to face East Tennessee State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina State, and North Carolina A&T. St. Bonaventure will have some tough games especially against a solid Pittsburgh team. I am really looking forward towards Jen Sansano’s second weekend of play. She had a solid debut weekend and it will be interesting to see how she builds off that performance, especially now that the scouting report is out on her. The Bonnies will need better plate appearances this weekend and I want to see them put up some runs. (What does St. Bonaventure cheer after a HR…?)

St. Joseph’s: The Hawks continue their stay in Clearwater with another 5 games at the USF Under Armour Showcase. The Hawks will have games against St. John’s, Robert Morris, Quinnipiac, and Ball State, as well as a crucial game against Maryland. That matchup with Maryland could have some serious postseason implications and with the way St. Joe’s is playing I am confident they can take this game. Erin Gallagher has been on her game and if her dropball and changeup are effective she can go toe to toe with just about anyone. The Hawks have some good momentum and my hope is that they can keep it up.

St. Louis: The Billikens are heading west this weekend, all the way to Riverside, California for a weekend tournament, after which they will play a couple games in San Diego. St. Louis is in a very good spot right now with a 12-6 record and if they are able to go at least 5-2 over these 7 games things will be looking very good for this squad. St. Louis will be facing some okay teams, but besides San Diego State they are facing very beatable teams. St. Louis need to avoid walking batters in the circle and committing errors behind the pitchers and if they can do those two things, I believe they will come away with wins.

Temple: Is currently in action at the Rebel Games in Florida and the Owls will continue playing there until Friday. This weekend (including Thursday) the Owls will go up against Holy Cross, Loyola, Lafayette, and Columbia. Loyola will be a tough game, but the other three games are very winnable and dare I say ones that the Owls need to have. Temple needs this week to be a confidence boosting one, especially in the circle. Last weekend was almost a bit overwhelming for Temple, but this weekend is going to set the tone for the rest of the Owls’ year. The pitchers need to command the zone and throw quality innings to avoid putting unnecessary stress on the offense.