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2007
Softball
Outlook
The
Lake Erie College softball team is looking to improve
upon the most successful season in program history,
in which the Storm went 26-16-1 overall, finished
in third place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference (AMCC) with a record of 14-4, made it to
the semifinals in the AMCC Tournament and earned a
bid to the ECAC Tournament during the 2006 season.
In
2007, Lake Erie returns eight players from last year's
starting lineup, including five all-conference selections,
and is in prime position to not only repeat the success
of '06, but to surpass it entirely. Fifth-year head
coach Gary VanCauwenberge is already pleased with
his team's progress in the preseason and is confident
the team will only continue to increase its intensity
level as the season progresses.
The
Storm's offensive capabilities are endless considering
the players who are able to fill the nine spots. LEC
has four or five players able to put the ball over
the fence on any given pitch, while also having another
four or five able to slap and run. The mix of power
and speed will keep opponents on their toes at all
times, while allowing Lake Erie to consistently put
numbers on the board.
Defensively,
Lake Erie is extremely solid at every position with
the left side of the field boasting an all-conference
duo of sophomore short stop Jessica Hedrick (Geneva,
Ohio/Geneva) and sophomore third baseman Brittney
Binko (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy). All-conference
first baseman Sarah Miller (Covington, Kentucky/Holmes)
returns, but this time in the role of number one pitcher.
The
outfield will be anchored by all-conference selection
senior Jen Dodge (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) and
junior Loni Sargent (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard). The two
combined for a .949 fielding percentage last season,
while recording 67 putouts. As a team, LEC had a fielding
percentage of .937 in 2006 with several freshmen in
the lineup. Now with another year of experience under
their belts, VanCauwenberge expects that percentage
to improve.
The
only area resembling any sort of weakness is the Storm
battery and that's only because the team lost its
top pitcher from last season due to graduation. LEC
has several hurlers able to step in and take on the
responsibility, but Miller is the only one with any
collegiate experience. She earned 10 wins on the hill
last season in 104 innings of work. Several freshmen
will be counted on to pick up the slack and once they
find their groove, Lake Erie will be a tough team
to beat.
The
Storm schedule this season is the toughest yet as
LEC takes on Division III Mount Union College, who
finished in the top 25 last year. Lake Erie also faces
off with noted powerhouse Baldwin-Wallace College,
as well as John Carroll University for the first time
in program history. The team returns to the Sun West
Tournament hosted by Chapman University in California
for the third time, with an eight-game slate against
competitive teams from across the country.
As
far as conference competition is concerned, each opponent
will be challenging with the AMCC being one of the
most competitive softball leagues in the nation. Three
of its 10 teams made it to the postseason last year,
including Penn State-Behrend and Pitt-Bradford who
made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Lake Erie
made a trip to the ECAC Tournament. This season, Lake
Erie is picked to finish fifth in the conference according
to the preseason coaches' poll.
The
regular season kicks off in sunny California on March
5 and continues through April 25. The AMCC Tournament
runs from April 28 through May 6, with the league's
top six teams competing for the right to advance to
the NCAA Tournament later in May.
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