Rochelle Draper verbals to George Washington

Rochelle Draper

George Washington continued its impressive recruiting by picking up a verbal from Rochelle Draper 2B/OF of the Worth Firecrackers 16U.

Since becoming the George Washington coach over a year ago Stacey Schramm has taken this program from an annual cellar dweller to a team that is on the rise both nationally and in the Atlantic 10. George Washington had a remarkable turnaround last year and they have elevated their game on the recruiting trails. George Washington signed one of the best recruiting classes in the conference this November and its 2013 and 2014 classes have already gotten off to excellent start.

Draper is the first 2014 verbal in the Atlantic 10 and she gets the 2014 class off to an excellent start. Draper will be an immediate impact player for the Colonials when she takes the field in 2015. Draper has performed well on a big stage including this past year at Premier Nationals, where she hit .500 with a HR. Draper helped the Firecrackers 16U win the entire tournament.

The Worth Firecrackers program is one of the best, if not the best travel program in the entire country. Firecracker alums have gone on to play for national champions and the USA national team, in addition to countless appearances at the WCWS. Draper is the first Firecracker alum to go to an Atlantic 10 school since Carrie Jeffries and Debbie Tomoguchi went on to play at UMass.

George Washington is clearly putting in the work on the recruiting trail and hopefully it will pay dividends in the seasons to come.

It is our hope that the rest of the schools in the Atlantic 10 can build off of this impressive start to the 2014 recruiting class.

Cyndi Wilson commits to St. Joseph's

Cyndi Wilson a 2012 infielder for the New Jersey Inferno has committed to St. Joseph's.

Wilson is the latest member of Coach Terri Adams' talented 2012 recruiting class, which also includes Anna Lauterbach, Sarah Yoos, Brandi Harkness, Liz Mendez, Christina Gonzalez, and Jacqueline Gheraldi. This recruiting class is poised to make a huge impact for the Hawks and this class could define the program moving forward.

Wilson comes from the excellent Inferno travel program, which has been nice to the A10 over the years, including Taylor Pirone, Sam Pellechio, and the late Nicole Ayres to Fordham, Jen Hrycyna and Amanda Holst to George Washington, Mary Pat Conville to La Salle, and teammate Christina Gonzalez who has also committed to St. Joseph's.

Wilson will be a valuable member of the Hawks, due to her versatility. She is able to play most infield position, though she will likely end up at one of the corner positions for the Hawks.

College Sports Madness' Atlantic 10 Preview

Lauren Nacke

College Sports Madness, a new college sports website has been doing previews for the upcoming softball season. This past week it released its picks for the Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors.

Field Player of the Year			Pitcher of the Year
Lauren Nacke, Dayton			Jen Mineau, Fordham
Freshman of the Year			Coach of the Year
Taylor Pirone, Fordham			Terri Adams, St. Joseph's

These are all worthy picks for the All-Conference honors, though we may have some different choices when our picks are announced in a couple weeks. We will not pick a Coach of the Year winner though. That award may be the most difficult to award, as it can be given to the coach with the best team or the coach whose teams shows the most improvement. It is frankly to subjective for our liking.

Here are the pre-season All-Conference teams (1st and 2nd) as selected by College Sports Madness:

First Team			Second Team
P	Jen Mineau, Fordham		P	Erin Gallagher, St. Joseph's
P	Sara Plourde, Massachusetts		P	Kara Clauss, George Washington
P/IF	Jamie LaBovic, Fordham		P	Alysha Isaacson, Dayton
IF	Brooke Frey, St. Bonaventure		IF	Sarah Prezioso, Temple
IF	Lauren Nacke, Dayton		IF	Kyllie Magill, Massachusetts
IF	Bernadette Moran, St. Joseph's		IF	Nicole Massoni, Rhode Island
IF	Monica Aguilar, St. Joseph's		IF	Gabby Luety, Fordham
IF	Rachel Knable, Temple		IF	Nicole Callahan, Fordham
OF	Briana Gwaltney, Charlotte		OF	Cyndil Matthew, Massachusetts
OF	Dana Parks, St. Joseph's		OF	Chelsea Lenhart, George Washington
OF	Kathleen Maloof, Dayton		OF	Lindsey Webster, Massachusetts
UTIL	Stephanie Pasquale, Temple		UTIL	Kalie Lang, Charlotte

Once again worthy selections all around, though our will be different in certain areas. It is also worth noting that this website lists catchers under the infielders position. We would opt to use a different formatting.

College Sports Madness also has been doing a preview of the teams that they think are the 44 best in the country and Fordham came in at #43.

As with all previews (including ours) take it with a grain of salt.

Though some of the previews on this site have raised a few eyebrows. Somehow Missouri, a participant at the last three WCWS got picked to finish 37th. This is despite returning both starting pitchers including USA national team member Chelsea Thomas. They should be listed in the top 10 if not the top 15, this is a perplexing pick. There are quite a few other questionable one as well, even though they are only 10 teams in to the top 44 (which is an absurdly arbitrary number in our opinion).

The site has also released its All-American picks and national award winners. Those leave something to be desired as well. Jen Mineau earned 4th team honors and Sara Plourde was not recognized at all. Frankly, that is insulting to the Atlantic 10, as both pitchers are among the best nationally. It is our hope that both of them can go out and prove this website wrong, along with the entire conference as a whole. This website clearly believes that the A10 will be a one-bid league in 2012 and that is flat out incorrect. The A10 will most likely get two bids, but there is also a very strong possibility for three bids and an outside shot at four.

From the point of view of this blog, they tried to provide a comprehensive preview, but they it looks as though they stretched their resources too thin and failed to put forth the necessary research required. It is not hard to find errors and omissions when looking over the site, but we wish them well and are interested in seeing future material they have on the Atlantic 10.

Lauren Quense verbals to Fordham

Lauren Quense

Fordham has received a verbal from Lauren Quense a 2013 pitcher from the Delco Chaos.

Quense is an athletic pitcher who will add more depth to a Fordham pitching staff that is already looking very deep for 2014 (Taylor Pirone, Michelle Daubman, Morgan Eisenga, and Patti Maloney). The Rams are going to be very tough to beat with so many quality arms in the circle.

Quense is coming off an impressive high school season with Neshaminy HS (PA) where she led her team to the state semifinals. Quense had impressive numbers on offense and in the circle. At the plate she hit .506 with 39 hits, 3 HR, and 27 RBI. In the circle, she was 11-3 with a 1.07 ERA and 104 SO in 91.1 IP. The most impressive part about those numbers is that this was Quense's first full HS season at the varsity level.

Lauren Quense

Quense is the latest member of the Delco Chaos to verbal to an Atlantic 10 school, joining current teammates Tara Klee (UMass) and Sarah Yoos (St. Joseph's) and past Chaos players Jackie McBride (LaSalle), Bernadette Moran (St. Joseph's), Emily Moran (LaSalle), Melissa Robbins (Temple), Melissa Ruf (St. Joseph's), and Christine Schlicter (Temple).

Victoria 'Tori' Valos

Tori Valos

Tori Valos of George Washington is the next freshman that we will profile as a contender for the Rookie of the Year award.

Coach Stacey Schramm led to Colonials to a remarkable improvement in her first season at Mount Vernon and in 2011 the Colonials are poised to be even better. A big part of the Colonials success in 2011 will depend on a large and talented freshmen class, including the talented Tori Valos. Valos comes with an impressive pedigree having played for the California Jets travel ball program.

Valos figures to start right away for the Colonials at shortstop and hit in the heart of the order. She got off to an impressive start this fall putting up impressive numbers for George Washington. Valos has great pop in her bat and she should provide some solid power to the Colonials' lineup.

Valos is also an excellent defensive shortstop and she should step right into the starting role for George Washington. Valos will counted on to step in and fill the shoes of Katie Terrazas both on offense and defense.

Taylor Pirone

Taylor Pirone

The next player we will look at in our Rookie of the Year preview is Taylor Pirone of Fordham.

Pirone is a talented athlete who has the ability to make an impact for Fordham both in the circle and at the plate. Pirone played travel ball for the New Jersey Inferno, one of the top teams in the northeast and the nation.

Pirone has performed well on a national stage over the past two years at Premier Nationals. In 2010, she went 1-0 with a 0.89 ERA and 6 SO in 16.2 IP and she also led the team in hitting, finishing with a .412 BA with 7 hits, 2 HR, and 6 RBI. She will definitely see some time at the plate and in the circle for the Rams.

Coach Bridget Orchard will be counting on Pirone for some big innings, as Chelsea Plimpton graduated and the Rams are looking for a number two pitcher behind Mineau. Pirone has all of the tools to be successful at this level.

Construction continues on St. Joseph's new field!

Hawks' logo in the outfield

View of the Infield and Dugouts

St. Joseph's has been one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10 over the past three years, finishing as the runner up twice and finishing fourth the other year. The most extraordinary thing about St. Joseph's in this stretch is that they have not played a single game at their own home field. That will all change on March 21st when the Hawks will open up their new home field against Rider.

Here are some interesting numbers and dates:

1424: the number of days from the last game at East Norriton Field to the first scheduled game at the Hawks new field
7: the number of fields that St. Joseph's has either played games or had games scheduled at
19-9: the Hawks record in 'home games'
4: non-conference 'home games' over the past three seasons
87-52: St. Joseph's record over the past three seasons
0: excuses made by the Hawks over not having a field

New Dugouts and Stands

Outfield and Infield

Here are some wonderful pictures of the gorgeous new complex which will feature a turf playing surface, brand new dugouts, new bleachers for fans, a press box, and a proud Hawks' logo in the center of the outfield.

Quianna Diaz-Patterson

UMass comes into 2012, after a disappointing 2011 season, but Coach Elaine Sortino brought in an excellent recruiting class, including Quianna Diaz-Patterson.

Diaz-Patterson is a dynamic offensive player who will almost certainly anchor the top of the Minutewomen's order. She is lightning fast and possesses outstanding bat control from the left side of the plate, but she can also hit away for power in addition to the short game. She will bring an explosive bat to a lineup that struggled at times, to put runs on the board.

In addition to being a dangerous offensive threat, Diaz-Patterson is an excellent defender. She can play almost any position on the field due to her sheer athleticism, but she will most likely end up at shortstop for the Minutewomen.

Diaz-Patterson had an excellent high school career for Amherst Regional HS, finishing with a .561 BA, 144 hits, 114 runs, 17 HR, 61 RBI, and an astonishing 107-107 in SB. She will bring blistering speed to a team that is already chock full of it.

Lauren Rendon

Our next preview series will be for the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. This is probably the hardest award to preview, but we will do our best.

The first player we will profile is Lauren Rendon of St. Joseph's.

Rendon is a catcher/outfielder from Cypress, California and she has the ability to make an impact on the Hawks lineup right away. Rendon played travel ball for the Mizuno Pride in California, one of the better travel ball programs on the west coast.

In high school play, Rendon was stellar, hitting .418 with 28 hits, 3 HR, and 28 RBI to go along with 8 steals.

Rendon figures to play right away for the Hawks, though it remains to be seen where exactly she will play on the field. Rendon joins a veteran St. Joe's team that has finished as the A10 runner up two of the past three seasons and she along with the rest of the Hawks' freshmen class could help propel St. Joseph's to its first Atlantic 10 title.

Sara Plourde

Finishing up our series of Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year contenders we have the two-time Pitcher of the Year Sara Plourde of UMass.

Plourde already holds numerous A10 and UMass pitching records thanks to one of the best riseballs in conference history, but she enters 2012 with one thing on her mind: redemption. UMass did not win the Atlantic 10 for the first time in six years and failed to make NCAA Regionals for the first time in 17 years.

Of course Plourde is not the reason they didn't make it back. She went 27-15 with a 1.30 ERA and 498 SO in 295.1 IP. Plourde also finished with a 1.30 ERA in 2010, but she had a 40-8 record. The difference between those two seasons can be found in UMass' offensive production: the Minutewomen hit .292 with 58 HR in 2010, but just .238 with 32 HR in 2011. If that production can return anywhere close to 2010, Plourde will once again put up scary numbers in the circle.

Plourde also carried a tremendous load last year in the circle, throwing 295.1 of UMass' 339.1 innings on the year. At the end of the season, she was the Minutewomen's only available pitcher and had to throw the final 20 games of the season. If the Minutewomen can get production from both Caroline Raymond and Lindsey Webster, the A10 could be seeing a sharp well-rested Sara Plourde for Atlantic 10 play.

Renovations continue on Fordham's Bahoshy Field

Bahoshy Field

Press Box

Dugout

Coach Bridget Orchard has led Fordham Rams softball to new heights since taking over the program in 2002. She has led the Rams to the A10 tournament every season since 2003 and the past two seasons Fordham has advanced to NCAA Regionals, including an Atlantic 10 title last season.

All of the success has been even more remarkable when considering the facility Coach Orchard had to recruit with. Bahoshy Field was never a bad homefield, however it was a bit outdated and underwhelming when compared to the schools that they were going up against in recruiting.

Now, Fordham will finally have a gorgeous renovated facility to match its great play on the field. In 2012, Bahoshy Field will have a new grandstand, press box, and dugouts. Fordham will have one of the best facilities in the conference to go with one of the best teams. The newly renovated Bahoshy Field will be an excellent home for Atlantic 10 Tournaments and possibly NCAA Regionals.

Press Box and Dugout

Jen Mineau

Jen Mineau has been a force for Fordham and last season she led the Rams to new heights, as they won both the regular season and tournament titles, earning the first automatic berth to regionals in school history.

Mineau got a off to a slower start in 2011, than in 2010 due to a lingering injury, but when she got in the zone at the end of the year she was almost unstoppable. Mineau did not allow a single run during the A10 tournament, part of a long scoreless stretch for the Rams' ace. Mineau will look to build on her 2011 numbers which saw her go 24-9 with a 1.22 ERA and 300 SO in 224.2 IP.

Mineau may see more innings in 2012, as Chelsea Plimpton has graduated. Plimpton helped limit Mineau's innings early in the year, keeping her fresh for the stretch run. Mineau's will likely be impacted in one way or another by how successful the other Rams pitchers are in 2012: freshmen Taylor Pirone and Michelle Daubman and junior Jamie LaBovick.

Mineau does have excellent movement and speed, but perhaps her greatest strength is her pinpoint location. Mineau can place the ball to any point in the strike zone and she knows her strike zone, which is a deadly combination for opposing hitters.

Mineau has gotten the honors nationally and regionally, earning All Region, All-America honors, and being invited to tryout for the US national team, however one thing is missing from her impressive resume: Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year.