Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks seek return to NCAA Regionals
2/24/2010 11:30:00 AM | Softball
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The 2009 season proved to be another banner year for the Lehigh softball program. With a 38-18-1 final record, the Mountain Hawks posted their ninth straight season of at least 35 wins. Lehigh captured its eleventh straight Patriot League regular season championship and despite a spirited battle with rival Lafayette, the Mountain Hawks won their second straight tournament title and fifth crown in the last six years. The Mountain Hawks again made noise on the national stage, with two wins at the NCAA Gainesville regional, including eliminating Texas A&M for the second time in four years, before bowing to the host and eventual national runner-up Florida Gators. Lehigh said goodbye to one of its most successful senior classes ever, including four-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Lisa Sweeney, but the Mountain Hawks are entering 2010 with high expectations and are optimistic that another successful season lies ahead.
“We’re approaching the season as coaches with very open minds,” says Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. “We realize that we are a brand new team. The fact of the matter is we have a number of really good players back. I’m confident that through the leadership of our returning players and the additions made to our program that we will be able to play at a really high level by the end of the year.”
You cannot be successful in college softball without strong pitching, so Troyan will turn to a quartet of capable arms to try and fill the void left by the graduation of Sweeney, who holds the school and Patriot League career records for wins and strikeouts. Senior Tiffany Curtis will step up into the lead role after three seasons behind Sweeney. Curtis owns 39 career victories and 389 strikeouts in 429 innings of work, and is no stranger to the big stage as she fired a one-hit shutout versus Florida A&M in the NCAA Tournament and also threw just the third perfect game in Patriot League history versus St. Bonaventure last March. Junior Bri Gaumer continued to improve in the offseason and should see a larger role, along with freshman Rebecca Bliss, who impressed during the fall season. Sophomore Steffanie Guillermo, who missed all of last season with an injury, rounds out the quartet.
“We intend to try to utilize the pitching staff as a staff a little more than in the past,” explains Troyan, who is in his 15th season as head coach. “We have three pitchers who we know can do great work. We might have to a little more with specific matchups than we have in the past, but we have confidence in all three of those pitchers at this point in time.”
Aside from Curtis, Lehigh’s other two seniors reside behind the plate in Lauren Eichblatt and Brooke Lewis. Eichblatt emerged as a defensive force last year for the Mountain Hawks and should see more work with Curtis after serving as Sweeney’s personal catcher over the last three years.
“Lauren showed in the NCAA Regional that she is one of the better defensive catchers in the Northeast,” says Troyan. “We will look to Lauren to provide significant on-field leadership.”
Lewis caught Curtis for most of the last three seasons, and should see time behind the plate or at first base. Troyan also has brought in freshman Liz Lucas from Colorado. Lucas should bring some offensive pop to the catcher position and also has the versatility to play in the infield.
On the infield, the Mountain Hawks are solid on the left side with junior Alex Cueva at third base and sophomore Jen Colquhoun at shortstop. Both players enjoyed strong offensive seasons in 2009 and are coming off exceptional fall seasons and will be counted upon for more run production in the middle of the Lehigh lineup.
“Barring injuries we should have one of the better left sides of the infield in the Northeast,” notes Troyan. “Alex and Jen both have great work ethics and have the potential to be strong offensive players. They both also have great hands and strong arms defensively.”
On the right side, Lehigh returns sophomore Julie Fernandez at first base. The 2009 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Fernandez batted .382 with 31 RBI as a freshman, but must bounce back from a knee injury suffered in Lehigh’s NCAA loss to Florida. Troyan has a number of options as he looks to replace All-League performer Whitney Lowe at second base. Sophomore Tenley Halaquist has the most experience, but freshmen Jacqi Kennelly, Kristen Mitchell and Liz Lucas could all get opportunities as well.
“With Julie coming off an injury, it’s important to physically get her back and ready to play,” says Troyan. She’s a huge part of our team chemistry. She’s great offensively and she’s an outstanding defensive first baseman. Second base is more wide open. We will try a number of people and we feel like anyone in that group can give us solid play at that position.”
The Mountain Hawks return a pair of starting outfielders from a year ago in junior Carly Potock and sophomore Audra Wood. Potock has the ability to play all three outfield spots and should settle into one of the corner positions, while Wood was a first-team All-League performer as Lehigh’s centerfielder and leadoff hitter. Freshman Rosie Roessel has impressed with her speed and athleticism and should be a candidate for a spot in the outfield, as well as a spot near the top of the Mountain Hawks’ batting order with Wood. Sophomore Tenley Halaquist and freshman Kristen Mitchell should also vie for time in the outfield.
“The good news is we have two starters returning,” says Troyan. “Rosie has shown that she will be able to compete at a strong level right away. Kristen Mitchell is great athlete who will be able to play at a strong level too.
Troyan continues, “In terms of our lineup, Rosie should be in the top two as she possesses the same strong base running qualities that Audra Wood does. We expect players like Jen Colquhoun, Alex Cueva, Julie Fernandez and Liz Lucas to provide a steady presence in the middle of the lineup, while Carly Potock gives us some RBI potential as well.”
Lehigh should have several quality options for the designated player spot, including senior Brooke Lewis and junior Sam Miller.
Once again, Troyan has lined up a challenging schedule that includes early season tournaments in Virginia and at UMBC. The midweek schedule features regular regional rivals Penn, Niagara, Princeton, Rider, Monmouth, Delaware and La Salle in addition to the Patriot League schedule, in which every team is improving and trying to knock the Mountain Hawks off their perch.
“With this year’s schedule we tried to play as competitive a schedule as possible without losing confidence early in the season,” explains Troyan. “There are no easy games in the league and everybody is going to view this as the year to knock off Lehigh. We are excited about relishing the opportunity to remain on top.
Troyan concludes, “My goals for this year’s team are to push them along their learning curve as a team as effectively as possible. This team has the ability to be a strong team and is in the process of learning what it takes to be that sort of team. We demonstrated at the end of the fall that they can compete at a high level. They have the confidence to get there if they trust in each other and the coaches.
Lehigh will open its season on Saturday at the Lancer Spring Classic in Farmville, Va. The Mountain Hawks will face Longwood Saturday at 11 a.m. and Ohio Sunday at 1 p.m. before meeting the same two teams again on Sunday.
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