Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Softball Squad Opens 2013 Season This Weekend
2.21.13 | Softball
PHILADELPHIA – The Temple Softball team will kick-off the 2013 season this weekend in Elon, N.C., at the Phoenix Clash Tournament. The Owls face Elon as their first opponent on Saturday, February 23 at 10 a.m.
Under fifth year head coach Joe DiPietro, the Owls look to improve their record from last year when they were 27-22 overall and 12-6 in conference play. The Cherry and White had a brief showcase at the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament a year ago, with losses to both Saint Joseph's and Charlotte on the first day of play. The team is predicted to finish fifth in the conference, out of what is now a 12 team league with the addition of Butler.
DiPietro looks to his two co-captains, seniors Kayla Cook and Ali Robinson, for leadership amongst the team. The two will be key for the success of the team in the 2013 season.
Cook returned from an injury laden sophomore season to play in 33 games in her junior campaign, making 27 starts last year at first base (15), catcher (8) or designated player (4). A player who continues to excel every year, Robinson returns for her final year after being 16th in the nation for runs per game a season ago. The New Jersey native had an impressive junior season, setting a Temple single-season runs scored record, crossing the plate 47 times.
DiPietro will also be looking to a very talented junior class, three of whom have been voted to preseason all conference teams. Among them is pitcher Brooklin White, who is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign. An Atlantic 10 preseason all conference second team selection by CollegeSportsMadness.com, White led the team with a 14-11 record with three shutouts. The win total put White on the Temple single-season top-ten list and with 98 strikeouts, she finished eighth on the list for best single-season total in school history.
White is one of five players vying for time on the mound. Sophomore Jessica Mahoney, junior Kylie Kristovich, and freshmen Jessica Tolmie and Kelsey Dominik will all be competing for the position as well.
Mahoney is coming off a decent freshman year and will challenge for the mound. The Virginia native appeared in 18 games last season, starting in seven and posting a 5-3 record. Kristovich, in her third year, will look to contest with Tolmie and Dominik, who can look to make an impact this season.
Behind the plate, junior Stephanie Pasquale is returning from an off season injury. A two-time all conference selection, including a first-team selection a year ago, Pasquale's 14 doubles last season tied for the single season record for TU. A CollegeSportsMadness.com Atlantic 10 preseason all conference first team selection, she boasted the second-best batting average on the squad at .319. The catching position will be bolstered by the experience of Cook and addition of freshman Jess Mower.
One of the top returners for this year, junior Sarah Prezioso will once again be taking on the vital role as shortstop. Prezioso, a first team all league player, led the team in batting last year with a .351 average, which was also third best in the conference. Picked as a preseason first team all conference selection, Prezioso's hit total (54) tied for sixth on TU's single season list, while her RBI total (39) tied for second-best all-time in a campaign. Behind Prezioso is freshman walk-on Gina Pellechio, who will compete for the position
The corners will be defended by senior Gina Sciarrone, junior Devynne Nelons and Dominik. Sciarrone is solid in the field, returning from an error free junior season. Nelons returns this season after redshirting last year due to injury. The Washington native will look to get back to her freshman form at third base. Dominik, the Gatorade Player of the Year for New Jersey last year, will also be a factor on the corners. Sophomore Alex Stermel will vie for time at first base.
Freshman California native Leah Lucas has her knowledge of the game to offer while playing second base. In addition to her strong defense, Lucas will be expected to contribute at the plate with some power.
The outfield will have much depth behind Robinson. Sophomores Lacey McKeon and Julia Kastner will be conducive to the outfield rotation. Last season, Kastner, who is a natural outfielder, filled in at second base for the Owls, making 29 of her 38 starts at the infield position. McKeon also made an impact her freshman year, leading her class in hitting. The slapper is joined by another slap-hitter in freshman Annie Marcopolus, who will also be looking for time in the grass.
Juniors Daniele Raneri and Kate Roth, and Stermel will all compete with the deep roster of outfielders. Raneri and Roth are also DiPietro's go-to players for pinch-running situations throughout the season.
Competing for a spot for multiple positions is freshman utility player Liz Bauer.
Though the team is a mixture of young and experienced talent, the squad looks forward to the challenges that will come its way early in the season.
With the season getting underway, the team looks ahead to a tough tournament schedule over the next month. The Owls head to North Carolina for the first weekend of play, facing host Elon, Hampton twice, and Saint Peter's.
After the Phoenix Clash Tournament, the squad heads to Florida three consecutive weekends where it will face two nationally ranked opponents, #18 Louisville (March 1 at the Citrus Classic) and #9 Oregon (March 2 at the Citrus Classic), and two other teams who advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago in Maryland (at City of Clearwater Spring Invitational) and Georgia Tech (at Citrus Classic).
Fairfield and Georgetown round out the five opponents at the Citrus Classic (March 1-3). The Owls will hit the USF Under Armour Showcase on March 8-10, squaring off against Quinnipiac, Youngstown State, SIU-Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech and UT-Chattanooga. The final Florida tournament, the City of Clearwater Spring Invitational, takes place on March 15-17 and, in addition to Maryland, TU will face Boston College, Valparaiso, Liberty and Iowa State.
In between trips to Florida, the Cherry and White will host Lehigh for a home-opening doubleheader on March 6.
After nearly a month spent mostly on the road, the Owls will take on Iona, another NCAA team from last season, for a midweek doubleheader in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 20. The squad will have little rest, opening up conference play at city and conference rival La Salle two days later on March 22 and 23.
The Cherry and White will then host Delaware State in a doubleheader on March 26. That weekend, Temple welcomes the Charlotte 49ers on March 28 and 29 for the first home conference games of the season. At the beginning of April, TU steps out of conference play to host a doubleheader with Lafayette on April 2, before heading out on the road again for doubleheaders against Wagner and A-10 opponent St. Bonaventure.
The Owls return home for four A-10 games, facing Saint Joseph's on April 9 in a doubleheader, before the Dayton Flyers take the field at Ambler on April 12 and 13.
The team will head to West Long Branch, N.J., for another doubleheader against Monmouth on April 17. With a short turnaround, the Cherry and White will then head to Missouri to face the Saint Louis Billikens on April 19 and 20, before heading to conference newcomer Butler for a doubleheader on the 21st.
The squad then returns to Pennsylvania to play at Villanova on April 23 and at Penn on the 24th.
After a couple weekends on the road, the Owls finally return to Ambler on April 26 to face the A-10's Rhode Island in a doubleheader, and the reigning Atlantic 10 conference champion UMass in a doubleheader on the 27th.
The Cherry and White finish up conference play when they travel to George Washington for their final road games on May 3-4, before closing out the regular season with a doubleheader against Fordham on May 5.
The 2013 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship will be held May 8-11 in Amherst, Massachusetts at the University of Massachusetts Softball Complex.
For more information on Temple softball, visit www.facebook.com/Temple-University-Softball and www.twitter.com/Temple_Softball.
Under fifth year head coach Joe DiPietro, the Owls look to improve their record from last year when they were 27-22 overall and 12-6 in conference play. The Cherry and White had a brief showcase at the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament a year ago, with losses to both Saint Joseph's and Charlotte on the first day of play. The team is predicted to finish fifth in the conference, out of what is now a 12 team league with the addition of Butler.
DiPietro looks to his two co-captains, seniors Kayla Cook and Ali Robinson, for leadership amongst the team. The two will be key for the success of the team in the 2013 season.
Cook returned from an injury laden sophomore season to play in 33 games in her junior campaign, making 27 starts last year at first base (15), catcher (8) or designated player (4). A player who continues to excel every year, Robinson returns for her final year after being 16th in the nation for runs per game a season ago. The New Jersey native had an impressive junior season, setting a Temple single-season runs scored record, crossing the plate 47 times.
DiPietro will also be looking to a very talented junior class, three of whom have been voted to preseason all conference teams. Among them is pitcher Brooklin White, who is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign. An Atlantic 10 preseason all conference second team selection by CollegeSportsMadness.com, White led the team with a 14-11 record with three shutouts. The win total put White on the Temple single-season top-ten list and with 98 strikeouts, she finished eighth on the list for best single-season total in school history.
White is one of five players vying for time on the mound. Sophomore Jessica Mahoney, junior Kylie Kristovich, and freshmen Jessica Tolmie and Kelsey Dominik will all be competing for the position as well.
Mahoney is coming off a decent freshman year and will challenge for the mound. The Virginia native appeared in 18 games last season, starting in seven and posting a 5-3 record. Kristovich, in her third year, will look to contest with Tolmie and Dominik, who can look to make an impact this season.
Behind the plate, junior Stephanie Pasquale is returning from an off season injury. A two-time all conference selection, including a first-team selection a year ago, Pasquale's 14 doubles last season tied for the single season record for TU. A CollegeSportsMadness.com Atlantic 10 preseason all conference first team selection, she boasted the second-best batting average on the squad at .319. The catching position will be bolstered by the experience of Cook and addition of freshman Jess Mower.
One of the top returners for this year, junior Sarah Prezioso will once again be taking on the vital role as shortstop. Prezioso, a first team all league player, led the team in batting last year with a .351 average, which was also third best in the conference. Picked as a preseason first team all conference selection, Prezioso's hit total (54) tied for sixth on TU's single season list, while her RBI total (39) tied for second-best all-time in a campaign. Behind Prezioso is freshman walk-on Gina Pellechio, who will compete for the position
The corners will be defended by senior Gina Sciarrone, junior Devynne Nelons and Dominik. Sciarrone is solid in the field, returning from an error free junior season. Nelons returns this season after redshirting last year due to injury. The Washington native will look to get back to her freshman form at third base. Dominik, the Gatorade Player of the Year for New Jersey last year, will also be a factor on the corners. Sophomore Alex Stermel will vie for time at first base.
Freshman California native Leah Lucas has her knowledge of the game to offer while playing second base. In addition to her strong defense, Lucas will be expected to contribute at the plate with some power.
The outfield will have much depth behind Robinson. Sophomores Lacey McKeon and Julia Kastner will be conducive to the outfield rotation. Last season, Kastner, who is a natural outfielder, filled in at second base for the Owls, making 29 of her 38 starts at the infield position. McKeon also made an impact her freshman year, leading her class in hitting. The slapper is joined by another slap-hitter in freshman Annie Marcopolus, who will also be looking for time in the grass.
Juniors Daniele Raneri and Kate Roth, and Stermel will all compete with the deep roster of outfielders. Raneri and Roth are also DiPietro's go-to players for pinch-running situations throughout the season.
Competing for a spot for multiple positions is freshman utility player Liz Bauer.
Though the team is a mixture of young and experienced talent, the squad looks forward to the challenges that will come its way early in the season.
With the season getting underway, the team looks ahead to a tough tournament schedule over the next month. The Owls head to North Carolina for the first weekend of play, facing host Elon, Hampton twice, and Saint Peter's.
After the Phoenix Clash Tournament, the squad heads to Florida three consecutive weekends where it will face two nationally ranked opponents, #18 Louisville (March 1 at the Citrus Classic) and #9 Oregon (March 2 at the Citrus Classic), and two other teams who advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago in Maryland (at City of Clearwater Spring Invitational) and Georgia Tech (at Citrus Classic).
Fairfield and Georgetown round out the five opponents at the Citrus Classic (March 1-3). The Owls will hit the USF Under Armour Showcase on March 8-10, squaring off against Quinnipiac, Youngstown State, SIU-Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech and UT-Chattanooga. The final Florida tournament, the City of Clearwater Spring Invitational, takes place on March 15-17 and, in addition to Maryland, TU will face Boston College, Valparaiso, Liberty and Iowa State.
In between trips to Florida, the Cherry and White will host Lehigh for a home-opening doubleheader on March 6.
After nearly a month spent mostly on the road, the Owls will take on Iona, another NCAA team from last season, for a midweek doubleheader in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 20. The squad will have little rest, opening up conference play at city and conference rival La Salle two days later on March 22 and 23.
The Cherry and White will then host Delaware State in a doubleheader on March 26. That weekend, Temple welcomes the Charlotte 49ers on March 28 and 29 for the first home conference games of the season. At the beginning of April, TU steps out of conference play to host a doubleheader with Lafayette on April 2, before heading out on the road again for doubleheaders against Wagner and A-10 opponent St. Bonaventure.
The Owls return home for four A-10 games, facing Saint Joseph's on April 9 in a doubleheader, before the Dayton Flyers take the field at Ambler on April 12 and 13.
The team will head to West Long Branch, N.J., for another doubleheader against Monmouth on April 17. With a short turnaround, the Cherry and White will then head to Missouri to face the Saint Louis Billikens on April 19 and 20, before heading to conference newcomer Butler for a doubleheader on the 21st.
The squad then returns to Pennsylvania to play at Villanova on April 23 and at Penn on the 24th.
After a couple weekends on the road, the Owls finally return to Ambler on April 26 to face the A-10's Rhode Island in a doubleheader, and the reigning Atlantic 10 conference champion UMass in a doubleheader on the 27th.
The Cherry and White finish up conference play when they travel to George Washington for their final road games on May 3-4, before closing out the regular season with a doubleheader against Fordham on May 5.
The 2013 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship will be held May 8-11 in Amherst, Massachusetts at the University of Massachusetts Softball Complex.
For more information on Temple softball, visit www.facebook.com/Temple-University-Softball and www.twitter.com/Temple_Softball.
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