George Washington Colonials
2011 Record (A10 Play): 16-27-1 (6-14)
Returning Position Players: Chelsea Curcio C/IF, Chelsea Lenhart OF, Alexandra Del Prete OF, Kristi Saporito C/OF, Sandi Moynihan IF, Julie Orlandi IF, Autumn Taylor OF, Tara Fogarty IF/C, Lauren Wilson OF, Jillian Stanley C, Jordyn O'Donnell IF, Amanda Zakeri OF, Jamie Yaniga OF
Returning Pitchers: Kara Clauss P, Heidi Penna P, Courtney Martin P
Losses: Katie Terrazas SS, Ali Pardo P, Lacey Cook IF, Ali Waterman OF
Newcomers: Samantha Dos Santos C, Alex Thompson OF, Kaitlyn O'Shea IF, Victoria Valos SS, Chelsey Pedley P, Becca Garlinger IF, McKinley Tretler OF
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| Kara Clauss |
Pitching: One of the biggest reasons for George Washington's great improvement under Stacey Schramm was the stellar performance of pitcher Kara Clauss. Clauss was 5-21 with a 4.63 ERA in 2010, last year she improved to 12-13 with a 2.38 ERA. With the work Clauss has put in over the past few years, she is poised for her best season yet in her senior campaign. Clauss will have help this year from fellow senior Heidi Penna, sophomore Courtney Martin, and freshman Chelsey Pedley. Penna also had an impressive improvement from 2010 to 2011, as she went from 1-5 with 6.38 ERA to being 3-12 with a 4.30 ERA. Coach Stacey Schramm will once again count on Penna for some critical innings in 2012. Courtney Martin is George Washington's other returning pitcher from 2011 and she went 0-0 with a 4.87 ERA and 19 SO in 23 IP. Martin should see an even bigger chunk of innings in 2012, as she had an impressive fall season for the Colonials. Freshman Chelsey Pedley also figures to see innings, as she can give opponents a unique look as she is a southpaw. Coach Schramm will have number of options in the circle and this will be a big area of strength for the Colonials.
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| Heidi Penna |
Catching: This is another area of strength for George Washington and Coach Schramm as there are a number of different athletes who play behind the plate. Chelsea Curcio and Jillian Stanley saw the majority of innings last year, though Tara Fogarty also spent a fair amount of time behind the plate. Freshman Samantha Dos Santos joins the mix behind the plate in 2012 and she will push for playing time right away as well. Dos Santos had an excellent fall season for the Colonials and she has made a serious claim to that starting position.
Infielders: The Colonials bring most of their infield back from 2011, though infield captain and starting shortstop Katie Terrazas did graduate. Sandi Moynihan, Julie Orlandi, and Tara Fogarty are all back in 2012 and they will be looking stay in the lineup this season. Coach Schramm brought in a talented group of freshmen that is going to push for playing time all over the field. Freshmen Tori Valos is the early favorite for the shortstop position and her impact could on George Washington could end up be similar to Chelsea Lenhart's last year. Valos figures to anchor the shortstop position for the Colonials, in addition to holding down a spot in the heart of the order for George Washington. Freshmen Becca Garlinger and Kaitlyn O'Shea also figure to be in the mix for a position in the infield.
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| Chelsea Lenhart |
Outfielders: This is definitely the greatest area of strength for George Washington in 2012, as all of the starters return from 2011. Chelsea Lenhart returns after a sensational freshman campaign which saw her hit .316 with 49 hits, 1 HR, 27 RBI, and 7 steals. Lenhart will likely lead off for the Colonials once again in 2012 and George Washington will go as she goes. Autumn Taylor is also back after an impressive 2011 season, which saw her hit .282 with 35 hits, 3 HR, and 21 RBI all figures that were dramatically improved from her freshman year. Coach Schramm will be counting on her for even better power numbers this season. Lauren Wilson returns for her senior season after hitting .241 with 28 hits, 2 HR, 16 RBI, and 6 SB in 2011. Wilson will also be a big run producer for the Colonials this year and as with her other outfield counterparts, her numbers should increase in 2012. Amanda Zakeri also returns and she is one of the fastest players in the conference. Zakeri will be an impact performer for George Washington in one way or another either as a starter or the first pinch runner off the bench. Freshman Alex Thompson also figures to put forth a serious challenge for one of the outfield positions or the designated player slot after having an impressive fall.
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| Autumn Taylor |
Schedule: George Washington's schedule is very similar to the stage that the program is at right now, as it has been significantly upgraded, but it shows that Coach Schramm is willing to challenge this team and in the next few years I'd expect George Washington's schedule to be among the toughest in the conference. This schedule probably won't get George Washington an at large bid, but it will do an excellent job at preparing the Colonials for Atlantic 10 play. George Washington will have a number of tough games, including ones against Auburn, Pittsburgh, and South Carolina. The Colonials should be battle tested coming into conference play. George Washington has a very favorable conference schedule as they will play 12 home games vs. just 8 road games and they will get UMass, Fordham, Charlotte, and Dayton at home in 2012.
Postseason prognosis: The Colonials surprised many in the conference, including this blog in 2011 when they went 16-27-1 after going just 6-39 in 2010. George Washington showed improvements all across the board in 2011 from pitching and defense to offense. 2012 could be a year of even bigger growths for the Colonials, as they enter into the second year of the Stacey Schramm era. George Washington is going to be right in the mix for an Atlantic 10 Tournament bid in 2012 and the battle for those final two bids to the Atlantic 10 Championship should be one of the most competitive in conference history. The Colonials will be in the hunt this year and every single pitch, play, inning, and game of conference play is going to matter, so they will need to come to the field ready to play and the same can be said for every other team in the conference as well.
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