Softball Outlook: Owls Look to Take Flight Under DiPietro

Feb. 9, 2009

PHILADELPHIA - The search for the fifth head coach in Temple softball history involved a nationwide search. Ironically, the right man for the job was sitting just four miles up the road.

Joe DiPietro was introduced as the fifth coach in Temple Softball history in July following a six-year stint as head coach of city-rival La Salle. While coach of the Explorers, DiPietro recorded 77 wins, including 22 last season, the most for La Salle since 1997.  He comes to North Broad Street hoping to turn the program into a perennial Atlantic 10 contender.

“I have nothing but good things to say about everyone at La Salle. They gave me a shot at Division I. But here, I’ve got more scholarships and resources to work with and I can coach full-time. The challenge will be to make Temple a conference contender year in and year out, something that is very possible.”

DiPietro’s first challenge will be turning around a team coming off a 15-24 injury-plagued season. While last year’s team toppled national powers such as nationally-ranked Oregon State in the early portion of the season, it struggled to find any consistency in conference play, dropping 15 conference games for the first time in program history.  For the program to move forward, DiPietro believes there needs to be a change in attitude.

“I really wanted to come in here and change the culture, get it back to the way things were when (the late) Rocci (Pignoli) was the coach. I want to get the girls playing hard, playing fundamentally sound softball. I also want to get our alumnae involved in the program again.”

DiPietro’s transition on the field will be aided by the return of some of the most prolific hitters in Temple history: Senior Courtney Norene, senior Katie Burbuex and junior Kyrsle Metzler. The trio provides a solid nucleus for DiPietro to work with in his first season, particularly on a team with many newcomers. On the Owls’ roster, only eight of the 20 players were members of the 2008 team.

Infield

The infield will be anchored by Norene at first base, with the rest of the positions to be filled by talented but inexperienced
players that will need to gel for the Owls to succeed this season.

Norene, a second team All-Atlantic 10 selection and  Temple’s all-time home run leader (22) , headlines the infield. She is expected to once again be one of the conference’s most feared hitters in the middle of the lineup.

“Having Courtney on our team is a tremendous asset. She is a player that all the girls look up to and someone that has really taken charge of this team,” said DiPietro.

Norene led the Owls in nearly every statistical category in 2008: home runs (10),  RBI (21), runs (22), slugging percentage (.607), total bases (65) and walks (13). With a flair for the dramatic, she broke the all-time home run record on a game-winning home in extra innings against Rhode Island. She also belted the winning home run in the upset of No. 25 Oregon State. While playing first base, she sported a stellar .975 fielding percentage.

“Her numbers are even more impressive when you consider that most teams in the conference pitched around her,” DiPietro said. “Hopefully, this season we’ll get some protection around her and that will change.”

Senior Nicole Lee looks to have solidifed the starting role at third. She returns to team after missing the 2008 season. In 2007, she batted .300 (18-for-60) while hitting two home runs, and driving in nine runs

The only other returning infielder for the Cherry and White is sophomore Chelsea Reicher. During her freshman campaign,Reicher started 33 games, batted .194 with two home runs and 14 hits.  She is expected to see time at both third base and shortstop.

Expecting to see significant playing time this season are newcomers Rachel Knable and sophomore Michelle Lerner.  Knable, a freshman from nearby Cherry Hill, N.J. comes to Temple afterearning first team all-conference and First Team All-South Jersey honors.

Lerner comes to North Broad Street via Eastern Kentucky, where she made 30 appearances and seven starts for the Colonels at second base last season. Both are expected to fight for starting middle infield positions.

Two other freshmen will compete for playing time in the infield. Jess Hirschbuhl, a local product from Central Bucks West, comes to Temple after being named First Team All-Suburban One Conference and First Team All-Intelligencer as a senior shortshop.

Meghan Weingard of Boca Raton, Fla., comes north after earning first team all-county honors as a catcher her senior season and all-county honors at third base as a junior selection. Weingard can also play first base.

Outfield

The outfield, while inexperienced, may prove to be one of the deepest parts of the team. The ample number of outfielders mix speed, power and defensive prowess will allow DiPietro to mix and match his lineups.

“We’ll be able to throw a few different lineups out there with the kind of depth we have in the outfield,” said DiPietro.

Returning to the are senior Chante’ Pleydle, senior Amanda Carver, sophomore Sam Dungan, and sophomore Sumer Ploskonka.

Burdeaux will find herself as the designated player when she is not on the mound. Providing power in the middle of the lineup, she batted a team-high .333 while hitting four home runs, 10 doubles, 10 RBI and scoring nine runs. She also led the team with 36 hits.

Carver returns to the Cherry and White after missing the 2008 season. In 2007, she started 31 games for the Owls in the outfield, batting .233 while hitting one home run, with one RBI and scoring 15 runs.

The speedy Pleydle returns after starting 38 games in center field last season. She led the Owls with 11 steals in 2008, batting .149, with 13 hits. Pleydle was a gem on the defensive front, posting a .935 fielding percentage while patrolling center field.

Dungan put up impressive numbers during her freshman season. She batted .220 with 20 hits, eight RBI and two home runs. She finished fourth on the team in runs scored (13) and doubles (4). Another sophomore, Ploskonka, returns to outfield after appearing in 24 games in 2008.

The incoming freshmen outfielders include Alysse Pujol, Christine Schlichter, Samantha Schoell, and Christina Sykora. All are expected to fight for playing time and starting positions.

Pujol, a high school teammate of fellow newcomer Michelle Lerner at Cooper City, Fla., was an all-conference performer as sophomore, junior and senior. A hitter with power, she can also play first base.

Schlichter, from Glen Mills, Pa., was All-Delco Honorable Mention both her junior and senior seasons.

Schoell, from Lansdale, Pa., comes to North Broad Street after earning Second Team All-Suburban One Conference and Second Team All-Intelligencer honors.

Sykora, of Oxford, N.J., is another power-hitting freshman outfielder for the Cherry and White. She broke school records for home runs, triples, doubles and hits while at Warren Hills High School. She was also named Warren Reporter Athlete of the Year.

Pitchers

As is often the case in softball, the outcome of the season will likely depend on the pitching staff. Last season’s promising start went array when hurler Brianna Dairy was sidelined with an elbow injury. With Dairy, the team’s leader in wins and ERA, gone to graduation, it will be up to returning pitchers Burdeaux and sophomore Amanda Branco to shoulder the load.

Burdeaux, one of the biggest bats in lineup, is also expected to be one of the Cherry and White’s primary hurlers for the upcoming season. Last season, she started 17 games and led the team with 112 innings pitched, posting a 3.68 ERA . A power pitcher that led the team in strikeouts (90), Burdueax will be DiPietro’s ace on the hill this season.

“Katie is going to be our leader on the mound this season,” said DiPietro. “She throws with velocity.”

Branco was thrust into the rotation last season following the injury to Dairy. As a freshman, she started five games and tossed 51.2 innings, finishing with a 1-5 mark. With a full season under her belt, DiPietro expects better results from the young pitcher.

Rounding out the pitching staff are two talented hurlers that can expect to see time on the mound during their rookie campaigns. Freshman Sarah Reynolds hails from Reading, Pa., where she was an All-Berks III Pitcher in 2006 and 2007 for Exeter High School.

Spoo hails from Boynton Beach, Fla., where she was first team all-conference both her junior and senior seasons and was a key member of the Park Vista Community team that captured three consecutive district titles.

Catchers

The heart and soul of this Owl team resides behind the plate in junior Krystle Metzler. One of the hardest workers on the team according to her coach, Metzler will once again be asked to not only handle the pitching staff, but to provide a spark to the offense at the top of the order.

“She may be short in stature, but she is definitely one of our team leaders” said DiPietro. “She commands the respect of all the pitchers, and she does a good job of leading by example in the way that she plays and practices.  She calls the whole game by herself behind the plate, which is a burden off the coaches’ backs.”

Last season, Metzler was one of the national leaders in hit-by-pitches (16) and led the Owls in OBS (.403) and finished second in doubles (7) and home runs (5). Behind the plate,  she sported a .957 fielding percentage and caught four runners stealing.

A leader on and off the field, Metzler is also one of the team’s top student-athletes. She was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters and named one of Temple University’s “Trustee Ten,” which honors the school’s top ten student-athletes.

If the Owls are going to make a charge to top of the A-10 standings in 2009, it’s going to be with the help of their sparkplug Metzler.

Freshman Haley Gilles arrives at North Broad Street from Stonington, Conn., with impressive credentials. She was named first team all-state catcher, first team all-conference catcher and team MVP during senior season, helping Stonington High School to a 20-3 record.

Schedule

The Owls will get a taste of some of the nation’s elite competition to start the season, participating in the Florida International Tournament in Miami and the Cal Poly Tournament in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

In non-conference play, the Cherry and White will face nationally-ranked Fresno State, as well as regional powers such as Cal Poly and Florida International. It doesn’t get any easier in conference play, as the Owls will again be tested by nationally-ranked A-10 powerhouse UMass.

“The early tournaments provide a good measuring stick for how far along we are and what we need to do,” said DiPietro. “We are playing some very good teams far, far away from home. Our goal is to get all of the kinks out and know what kind of team we are when come back from California in March.”

The Owls open the season on Friday, Feb. 13 against Georgetown at the FIU Tournament in Miami.

Temple University Athletics

Softball Outlook: Owls Look to Take Flight Under DiPietro

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