Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Preview: Stephanie Pasquale

Steph Pasquale

After an absolutely dominating performance as a rookie, Temple's Stephanie Pasquale comes into 2012 as one of the favorites for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.

Pasquale had a stellar season last year both at the plate and behind it, catching for the Owls. Pasquale hit .363 with 6 HR and 35 RBI. Pasquale was also outstanding defensively for Coach Joe DiPietro throwing out 17 attempted basestealers, while allowing just 24 steals against her.

Pasquale was an absolute force for a Temple lineup that hit .271 in 2011. Pasquale was well protected in the lineup last and that will need to be the case once again if she is to have another monster year for the Owls.

As great as Pasquale's season was last year she has shown that she has the ability to be even better in 2012. Pasquale struck out just 5 times in 2011, but she only managed 10 walks. She has incredible hand eye coordination, but if she shows more of a willingness to take bad pitches this year it is our guess that those walk numbers will skyrocket. She can make contact with almost any pitch, but she should not even try to hit bad pitches.

Pasquale is poised for a big year, whether wins Atlantic 10 Player of the Year or not.