Softball | 2/6/2015 10:46:00 AM
CLEARWATER, Fla.—The Barry University softball team is set to open the 2015 season this weekend at the Eckerd College Triton Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.
"I have really high expectations this season," head coach Danielle Penner said. "I foresee us, not to be just a little bit stronger, but a lot stronger."
The Bucs, coming off a 27-20 campaign in 2014, look to be older, wiser and deeper in 2015.
"We were pretty young last season," Penner said. "We didn't lose any senior starters in either the infield or the outfield. Our two senior starters were both on the pitching."
Despite not losing any seniors, there are still position battles being waged as the team prepares to open the season, thanks to an outstanding recruit class.
"We brought in one of the best pitchers in the state as well as one of the best catchers in the history of the program," Penner said. "It's just a really nice core group of players."
The Bucs return all three outfield starters, six players who combined to make every start in the infield and a catcher who worked every inning behind the plate.
The top returning performers are all in the outfield. Kayla Ogle and Megan Copeland comprised two-third of the first-team outfield on the 2014 All-SSC team. Center fielder Ogle led the league in batting (.386) and stolen bases (45-of-51) and seventh in runs scored, while left fielder Copeland was eighth in hitting (.350), fifth in runs scored (39) and ninth in stolen bases (14-of-16). Right fielder Hunter Mars, a freshman in 2014, was fourth on the team in hitting at .326 and led the team with 10 sacrifices.
Newcomers Alyana Gallagher and Kristina Osorio could also push for outfield time. Gallagher is an extremely speedy player with great presence at the plate. Osorio might have the most raw power on the team.
On the infield, Kelly Martinez and Julie Brito have started, when healthy, at second and first base. Martinez, an All-American as a sophomore, is an exceptional fielder and has surprising pop at the plate. Brito, who was third on the team in hitting at .341, was among the team leaders last season with eight doubles, four homers and 32 RBI.
On the left side of the infield, Ashley Fernandez and Kristina Pazienza earned the bulk of the time at shortstop and third base respectively. Fernandez led the team with nine doubles, while Pazienza was tied with Brito with four homers. Cheyanne Head, who split her 30 starts on the infield between second and short, hit .296 and stole eight bases in eight attempts. Lexi Corrente, who mostly saw time at DP, also made seven starts at short.
Alexis Kent started all 47 games as year ago, but faces a big challenge from newcomer Dee Espinosa. Kent struggled early with the bat, but hit .318 in April. Espinosa was the top player at Embry-Riddle last season, hitting .392 with 12 doubles and 17 RBI.
The pitching staff lost Britney Pugh and Camille Czarnecki, who accounted for nearly 65 percent of the innings last season. The lone holdover is Taylor Sabol, who went 8-9 with three saves and a 3.07 ERA.
Help is on the way in the form of Haley Wiseman, one of the top prep pitchers in the state of Florida last year. Wiseman led her Lake Region High Thunder to the 6A state title game as a senior, going 16-3 with a 0.80 ERA in 132 innings. She struck out 220 and walked just 46, earning first-team All-State honors from the FACA.
A pair of position starters from 2014 will also bolster the rotation. Pazienza and Kent, both outstanding prep pitchers, will add their talents to the pitching staff. Pazienza went 31-9 with an 0.80 ERA for her career at Mount Dora Bible High. Kent, a true utility in high school, playing third base, catcher and pitching, went 6-1 as a senior with a 2.30 ERA.
The Bucs take on Chadron State on Friday at 4:30 pm for the season opener and also face Shorter at 7:00 pm. All games from the tournament are available live through the GameCentral portal.
