Weekend Preview

North to South this weekend


Olean, NY   Bronx, NY

Well Fordham and La Salle were originally supposed to head to St. Bonaventure for this weekend's games, thanks to some genius scheduling by the A10. I am sorry, but it is just stupid to schedule games for Olean in March and that was something I thought of as soon as I saw the schedule. Thankfully, all the coaches and the conference worked out an agreement and St. Bonaventure will play at Fordham against the Rams on Saturday and against La Salle on Sunday.

Beckah Wiggins

Fordham comes in after a disappointing split and I feel that they are going to come out ready to play against St. Bonaventure. In the circle, Coach Orchard's pattern seems to be throwing Chelsea Plimpton in the 1st game and Jen Mineau in the 2nd and I think she will stick to that pattern. For St. Bonaventure, it is a little unclear how Coach Threehouse will use his pitching. Diana Phalon has seen the majority of the work lately, but that has been with Jen Sansano out the past two weekends. My guess is that they may each get a game to throw. If Chelsea Plimpton and Jen Sansano are matched up in the circle we could have a battle of two Western New Yorkers, which I am sure one of our readers would love to see. At the plate, the Bonnies must simplify the game against Mineau and Plimpton. Runs will be at a premium so St. Bonaventure must execute in key situations. For Fordham, I just want to see aggressive hacks at the plate. Fordham's mentality at the plate could be the difference between some run-rule victories for the Rams or some close losses. I am not sure how this one will turn out yet.

I really hate to say this on the 2nd weekend of conference play, but this might be a do or die doubleheader for both teams. Both teams could be coming into this doubleheader without a single win in conference play and if either wants to make the A10 tournament they need to get a sweep. La Salle will be counting on DJ Guinn in the circle to keep the Bonnies off the bases and hopefully she will get some help from Kristen Paoletti and Laura Beth McCreesh. At the plate, the Explorers must score more than 1 run at the plate and someone is going to need to step it up. The Bonnies had some offense last weekend against George Washington, but they will need to do it again this weekend. Jessenia Andujar is having a stellar year so far and La Salle will need to avoid giving her anything sweet to hit. Maureen Wells, Ashley Nowak, and Kara Morenus are also slamming the ball for this Bonnies squad which has hit the ball much better than last year. This is a crucial series for both teams.

Dayton, OH

George Washington is looking to remain the only undefeated team in the A10 this weekend and they will face a Dayton squad that has had an up and down year so far. The Colonials were the only A10 team that came away unscathed last weekend. I do have some questions about George Washington's pitching. Kara Clauss has been the star in the circle all year long, but she did not pitch in any of GW's midweek games, which raises a bit of a red flag. Heidi Penna has seen all of the action in the circle this week for the Colonials and I am expecting her to see the lion's share of work once again if Clauss is unable to go. On offense, Autumn Taylor and Chelsea Lenhart have led the way and I am very impressed with the way these two have hit the ball. Dayton has had some trouble keeping runs off the board so it will be important for George Washington to score early and often. Dayton will need its four pitchers Alysha Isaacson, Sarah Wedel, Amanda Daly, and Kelsi Seidlitz to have solid games. The Flyers need to tighten things up in the circle, especially when facing a gritty GW squad. On offense, the Flyers slammed the ball last weekend hitting 9 HR against Temple. Lauren Nacke has really heated up and she is seeing the ball very well right now and she forms a great 1-2 combo with Kathleen Maloof in Dayton's lineup.

 Philadelphia, PA

Caroline Raymond

Temple will host UMass in a doubleheader on Saturday and both teams come in with 1-1 records in conference play. Temple has gotten it done this year with the bats, including the 14 runs that they scored against Dayton last weekend. Kristen Marris has been heating up at the plate and she is a real triple threat for the Owls. Marris gets things going with her speed, behind her in the lineup Stephanie Pasquale and Christina Sykora have been hitting the ball very well. Coach DiPietro is going to need his entire lineup to be on top of its game against Sara Plourde. In the circle, Temple will look to Marris and Brooklin White to keep UMass off the board. The Minutewomen have struggled to hit the ball this year so Temple should not do them any favors by giving them free passes. Right now, Lindsey Webster is the only hitter in the UMass lineup who is hitting the ball well consistently and that needs to change. Kyllie Magill and Meg Carta really need to elevate their level of play and lead this squad. Sara Plourde has been very good in the circle, but I would like to see her only throw one game on Saturday. I think Lindsey Webster and Caroline Raymond have it in them to combine on the 2nd game and it would take a large weight off of Sara Plourde's shoulders.

St. Joseph's will host Rhode Island on Friday and Saturday at Villanova. The Hawks need to bounce from a somewhat disappointing split against Dayton last weekend and sweep both of these games. It is especially important for St. Joe's to take both games vs. Rhode Island because they will close the weekend with a doubleheader against UMass. Since this is in fact a doubleheader, I am curious how the pitching duties will be spread out. Erin Gallagher will definitely see a start, though I am not sure they need to start her. From what I have seen of Taryn Ashway and Lauren Pembleton either one would be fine against this lineup. I like the fact that the Hawks use all three pitchers and I think this is a great opportunity to get all three action before facing UMass on Sunday. For Rhode Island, things are not looking so hot all the way around. In the circle, the walks have to be cut down especially when up against a speedy time like St. Joe's. On offense, Nicole Massoni has hit 4 HR, but it has been a bit of a hit or miss, as she only has 8 hits total. Freshmen Charlotte Conaway and Jocelyn Mattison have done a nice job in their first seasons of college ball, but they should not have this much pressure placed on them to produce. If Rhode Island can come away with a win it would provide a big lift for this squad, but I don't think that's going to happen.

St. Joseph's will host UMass on Sunday at Villanova. I am really interested in seeing how this doubleheader turns out. Both teams have great pitching and I am not expecting to see a lot of runs on the board. UMass has struggled mightily this year at the plate and they have looked very uncomfortable against pitchers who mix speeds, which is exactly what St. Joe's pitching staff does. On the other hand, the Hawks have also struggled against Sara Plourde, in fact they have never even scored a run against her. St. Joe's is going to have to get runners on and they will need to put pressure on UMass' defense. The key for the Hawks will be getting runners on in front of Monica Aguilar, as she has been the only consistent run producer for St. Joe's so far. For UMass it all comes down to consistency at the plate, which is something that hasn't happened yet. This team needs a leader and it is really just a matter of someone stepping up and leading by example. Sara Plourde is doing a good job of that in the circle, perhaps she should also be doing it at the plate. This doubleheader should be a good one, my only wish for this series is that I wish it had streaming video.

Kristen Marris

Temple will host Rhode Island on Sunday in a doubleheader. This is another one of those doubleheader's that will have huge postseason implications and a sweep by either team could do some serious damage to the other's postseason aspirations. Most importantly, they may need to salvage the weekend after going up against two of the better teams in conference play on Saturday. Both teams have had similar problems in the circle giving up free passes and my guess is that we may see a bunch of runs on the board. Temple and URI both have four pitchers and this may be one of those days where each one needs to see some action. I do have some questions abut the health of Crystal Nyman since she has not thrown in over two weeks, but I am hoping that she will return soon. Right now the Owls need every arm that they have. The difference between these two teams might be that Temple has been a bit more productive at the plate than URI has. Temple is hitting almost .100 points higher than Rhode Island. With a sweep, Temple could do wonders for its postseason chances and at the same time place Rhode Island in a huge hole moving forward.

Charlotte, NC

St. Louis heads down to Charlotte, NC for its annual series with old Conference USA rival Charlotte and ever since these two teams joined the A10, this matchup has always had playoff implications. St. Louis comes in after a big weekend at home, which saw them sweep La Salle and split with Fordham. Charlotte also enters after a successful weekend, in which the 49ers swept Rhode Island and split with UMass. The two teams have very different make-ups and styles and it will be fun to see which comes out on top. St. Louis relies on three pitchers in the circle who have all shown flashes of brilliance this year. Based on the way last weekend turned out, my guess is that Kelcie Matesa and Hannah Huebbe will get the starts. Matesa throws the ball hard, while Huebbe is more of a movement and offspeed pitcher and they will definitely give St. Louis two distinct styles against Charlotte. For the 49ers, it is going to come down to Katy Hackett once again. Hackett was huge for the 49ers last weekend pitching both games vs. UMass and Charlotte is going to need her to do the same this weekend. She really kept the UMass hitters off balance and she will look to her changeup and rise ball to do the same against the Billikens. On offense, Charlotte is going to look to Whitney Williams and Kendra McCall to have big weekends. If these two can get on base it means Tenaya Tucker will get to see much better pitches, if not the Billikens will be able to throw around her. Equally important is the way Bri Gwaltney hits behind Tucker, Tucker must be protected otherwise I would just walk her and let someone else beat me. In other words, Charlotte needs a big weekend from the top of the order; because they are not getting much from the bottom of the order right now. St. Louis is going to rely on its speed and that starts with Kristin Nicoletti who can wreak havoc on the bases. Behind Nicoletti, Rachel Faletto and Aly Brand have been driving in the most runs and Coach Connoyer is going to be counting on them once again. I know that I am going to be tuned in to watch this one, especially since a sweep by either team would create separation in the standings.

Whitney Williams