Feb. 9, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Georgetown Softball team has continued to show improvement each season under fourth-year head coach Pat Conlan, as she has built the Hoyas Division I program from scratch.
Players: The Hoyas' return a strong core of upperclassmen that helped the squad win 21 games a year ago, the most wins in a season in program history. Junior shortstop Samantha Peters (Suwanee, Ga./Collins Hill) (.380, 16 HR, 50 RBI) is coming off being named the All Independent Player of the Year, while junior utility Demetria Cipriano (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs Charter) (.337, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 21 2B) earned All Independent First Team honors after providing a spark to the top of the lineup for the young Hoyas squad, as well as a strong glove at the corner infield positions. Junior RHP Jennifer Connell (Roswell, Ga./Roswell) (14-24, 3.81 ERA, 167 K's) earned All Independent honorable mention honors anchoring GU's rotation. In her second collegiate season Connell tossed 231.2 innings including 32 starts and 26 complete games.
Pitchers and Catchers: In all, Georgetown has seven players returning who have started at least 40 games a year ago. This Hoyas battery will be in strong shape as junior catcher Suria Bahadue (Miami, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace) will handle duties behind the plate for her third year. The Miami, Fla. native has started 105 games over her first two years, while showing great improvement a year ago by throwing out 12 of 45 attempted base stealers. Sophomore catcher Jillian Webb (Hemet, Calif./Hemet) will give Bahadue a break at catcher, when she is not in the Hoyas lineup as the designated player. In her first season on the Hilltop, Webb played in 40 games and tied for third on the team batting .250 (19-for-76).
For the first time in program history Georgetown will have depth in its pitching staff. Connell will once again be asked to anchor the staff, but may not be asked to log 231.2 innings as she did a year ago. Sophomore LHP Melissa Conners (Wellington, Fla./Wellington) (7-11, 5.14 ERA, 80 K's) is looking to follow a promising freshman season, where she started 24 games, finishing 10 with two complete-game shutouts. Freshman RHP Mackensey Carter (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) will join the rotation, while freshman RHP/OF Ryan Crowe (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) may be called on to provide help out of the bullpen.
Infield: Peters will once again captain the infield at shortstop after leading the team with 125 assists a year ago. Peters has started every game at shortstop since arriving on the Hilltop and has proved as vital to the team's defense as she has been to the middle of the lineup. Cipriano and sophomore IF/OF McKinley Cooper (McLean, Va./Langley)(.250, 7 2B, 9 RBI) will likely fill out the left side of the infield. The right side of the infield will likely have a new look, as junior Kelsie Hanson (Katy, Texas/Katy), a transfer from Akron, slots in at second base with freshman Cara Savarese (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) taking over at first base and providing another bat to the middle of the lineup. Junior Jadig Garcia (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) and sophomore Kristi Preuss (LaPlata, Md./LaPlata) will also see time in the infield.
Outfield: The loss of sophomore centerfielders Aimee Moffat (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) to injury will open up opportunities in the outfield. Preuss, Cooper and Garcia all figure into the outfield picture with senior Christina Gallinari (Crestwood, N.Y./Loyola School), the club's lone senior and last remaining member from the Hoyas inaugural squad. Juniors Olivia Newhouse (Weston, Conn./Green Farms Academy) and Sarah Kamenski (Mountainview, Calif./St. Francis), as well as freshman Regan Page (Atlanta, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian) will all see time in the outfield.
Schedule The 2009 season will be one of transition for the Georgetown softball team. The Hoyas enter the BIG EAST Conference, among the most competitive softball conference in the country, in its fourth year as varsity program. GU got a sneak preview of BIG EAST competition in 2008, splitting two games with their future conference foes. On March 21 the blue and gray defeated Rutgers, 4-2 behind two RBI's from Peters. On March 15 they fell to Seton Hall, 3-1 at the Hoya Invitational. Georgetown's first conference matchup comes in the first weekend of the season when they meet St. John's (Feb. 15) at the Florida International Tournament in Miami, Fla.
Within conference play the Hoyas will meet four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, including South Florida (March 22), Notre Dame (March 28), Louisville (April 25) before closing the season with defending BIG EAST Champion DePaul (May 3) who opens the season ranked No. 15 by the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll. Georgetown will open regular conference play at Pittsburgh with a doubleheader on March 20, playing 24 of their final 32 games against the BIG EAST.
The Hoyas open their season on February 13 in the program's first trip to the FIU Tournament. While there they will meet Temple, Florida Gulf Coast, St. John's and the host Golden Panthers for the first time. Georgetown will also travel to the Georgia State Tournament, UNC-Greensboro Tournament, UNC-Chapel Hill Tournament, and the East Carolina Pirate Clash all firsts in team history. At the UNC-Chapel Hill Tournament, the Hoyas will take on preseason No. 18 North Carolina. GU will also host preseason No. 9 Northwestern at Guy Mason Field on March 26, during a stretch where they play eight home games in five days.
Along with the firsts, the Hoyas will have plenty of familiar names on the schedule for 2009. GU will renew local rivalries with Longwood (March 29), UMBC (April 16), George Washington (April 21), James Madison (April 22) and Towson (April 28).
