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| Lorena Vela |
Charlotte will host Delaware and Presbyterian for a round robin tournament. This is our first look at the young 49ers and they will look to get off to a solid start. Delaware and Presbyterian should both be solid teams in 2012, so there will be no easy games this weekend. Delaware is an up and coming program behind Coach Jaime Wolbach and they are looking for a fast start too. Just to add to the intrigue of the opening weekend: 49er great Tenaya Tucker will be returning to the DL Phillips Complex as a part of the Blue Hens coaching staff. Presbyterian is the other team coming to Charlotte and they have a new coach and a new stud freshman pitcher. Kama Tucker is poised to do big things with the Blue Hose in her first year. Freshman pitcher Leslie Hensley is going to be a big part of that along with Kennesaw State transfer Catherine Tarvin. The 49ers will be tested and this will be a great first weekend for the freshmen to get their first taste of D1 softball.
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| Kara Clauss |
George Washington will head down to Conway, South Carolina to face off against George Mason, Georgia Southern, Marshall, and Coastal Carolina at the Kickin' Chicken Classic. This marks the beginning of Stacey Schramm's second year at the helm of the Colonials and it should go even better than the first. George Washington can win every one of its games this weekend. None of its opponents are incredibly overwhelming on paper, so it will all come down to how the Colonials play. Marshall is a huge threat on the bases, but not really in any other manner on offense. Georgia Southern will likely be the toughest test for George Washington, as they have some very talented players including pitcher Allie Miles, infielder Maria Fogle, and Tennessee transfer Kourtny Thomas. This is a big statement weekend for the Colonials, as a strong start could do them wonders moving forward.
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| Jordan Storro |
UMass heads to the FIU Combat Classic to face UAB, Illinois, FIU, Michigan State, and Louisville. This will be a tough opening weekend, as UAB and Louisville both advanced to regionals last year and Illinois narrowly missed out. Michigan State and FIU finished in the top 100 of the RPI as well, so they are no slouches either. We know Sara Plourde is going to come ready to play, but they big questions will be who else will step up in the circle and can then Minutewomen put runs on the board? If UMass can answer those questions they should have a very nice weekend down in Florida and an excellent start to its season. The Minutewomen will face a number of good pitchers, but not a single dominant one. UMass should be able to put hits and runs up on the board.
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| Jocelyn Mattison |
Rhode Island will head to the Coca Cola Classic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to face off against Southern Miss, Central Arkansas, and Tennessee State. This is URI's chance to put its tough 2011 season behind it. Southern Miss and Central Arkansas could be tough games for the Rams, but they are still winnable games. Southern Miss has a new coach this season so they will also be out to prove something. Central Arkansas is a program that appears to be on the rise and they may be the team to beat at this tournament. Tennessee State represents URI's best shot to pick up a victory, as they finished 11-43 last season. Rhode Island needs to come out of this weekend with at least one win.
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| Brooke Frey |
St. Bonaventure heads to Spartanburg, SC for the Upstate Classic to face USC Upstate, Ohio, and Detroit. This season opener is a little easier than the one the Bonnies had last year and it represents a great opportunity to pick up some wins. USC Upstate will be tough, but they are an extremely young team, as they have one of the largest freshmen classes in the country. St. Bonaventure needs to play on its experience and take it to them right away. Detroit went just 7-37 last year, under no circumstances can St. Bonaventure afford a loss to them. It would be absolutely catastrophic in terms of conference RPI. Ohio is another squad that suffered significant losses, so the Bonnies have a great shot of beating the Bobcats as well. If the Bonnies can keep up their hitting from last year, they should be fine this weekend.
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| Kelcie Matesa |
St. Louis will head to Jacksonville, FL to open up its season against Jacksonville, Buffalo, Virginia Tech, and UNC Greensboro. The Billikens will face an interesting mix of teams on opening weekend, from the challenging to that other end of the spectrum. Jacksonville should be the biggest test for St. Louis, as the Dolphins return a lot of key contributors from last year's squad, including ace pitcher Sarah Sigrest. Sigrest is one of the best and it will definitely help St. Louis hitters down the road. Virginia Tech is a program with a lot of freshmen and it is hard to get a read on them right now. That team could go in a few different directions, but it should be a competitive game with St. Louis. Buffalo and UNC Greensboro are two games that St. Louis should win. Both schools are capable of upsetting the Billikens, which is why they need to come to the field ready to play.
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