2014 Temple Softball Team Takes The Field For The First Time This Weekend

TSU Tiger Classic Tournament Central | Tournament Notes

PHILADELPHIA (02/20/14) – On Friday, February 21, the 2014 version of the Temple softball team will take the field for the first time this season. The Owls head to Nashville, Tenn., to play in the TSU Tiger Classic, hosted by Tennessee State, February 21-23.

TU, playing in the newly formed American Athletic Conference this year, kicks off the season with a 12:30 p.m. EST game against former Atlantic 10 foe Dayton. The squad will then play Western Michigan at 5 p.m. on Friday, before returning to action Saturday with a 6 p.m. game against the Broncos again, and an 8 p.m. contest against the host team. The weekend wraps up with a 12:30 p.m. game against Indiana State on Sunday.

Admission to the tournament is $5 per day, or $12 for a weekend pass. Tennessee State and Indiana State will have free audio broadcasts available for its games. More information on the tournament can be found here.

Under sixth year head coach Joe DiPietro, the Owls look to improve on their record-setting season from last year when they set a school record for wins with a 32-26 mark. The team finished third in the A-10, going 15-7 and winning a pair of games at the conference championship.

DiPietro returns a large nucleus of the power-hitting team he fielded a year ago, a team that led the nation in homeruns for most of the year with 94 roundtrippers. Seniors Stephanie Pasquale and Sarah Prezioso return for their final campaign, coming off two of the most impressive seasons in school history.

Pasquale, a tri-captain this year, put together one of the most outstanding individual seasons in Temple softball history last year, becoming the first TU softball player to earn All-America honors with her selection to the 2013 NFCA Division I Third-Team. In 2013, she became just the third Temple player in school history to earn the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honor. Also a first-team all-conference and all-championship selection, she led the squad and the conference with a .465 overall average, hitting .552 in conference play. She set a Temple and Atlantic 10 single-season record for RBI with 80, and finished the season first in the country with 1.38 per game. The junior was also the toughest player in the nation to strikeout, doing so only three times in 187 at bats. Early in the season, she put together a 21-game hit streak and ended the year reaching base safely in the final 16 contests. Her record-setting campaign also included TU single-season marks for doubles (21), batting average (.465) and home runs (15).

Prezioso, another captain this season, also had an impressive year for the Owls, finishing just behind Pasquale in batting on the team and in the league with a .427 average. The shortstop also established her own school and conference records, scoring 65 runs, which was good for seventh in the country with a 1.12 average. Prezioso's batting average was the 25^th-best in the country and she finished in the top-50 of five other categories. The senior also set school single-season records for stolen bases (32) and homeruns (15). She was named to the Atlantic 10 First-Team, while also garnering NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team and ECAC All-Star honors.

Senior Brooklin White is the final of the three captains for 2014. White, who also serves as president of the Temple Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, has been a part of the Owls pitching rotation since her arrival as a freshman. Although last season was a disappointing one for the righty, she still sits just outside the top-10 list for career strikeouts at TU.

Other seniors on the squad are pitcher Kylie Kristovich, third baseman Devynne Nelons and outfielder Kate Roth. Nelons was the only full-time starter of the group a year ago, batting a career-best .208 in 52 games with 11 homeruns.

DiPietro will also be counting on a talented trio of juniors to provide leadership. Outfielders Julia Kastner and Lacey McKeon, along with pitcher Jessica Mahoney, all have great experience at their respective positions and will be vital to the teams' success.

McKeon, a speedy slap hitter, and Kastner are expected to see immediate time in the grass. McKeon comes off of an injury laden sophomore year in which she batted .277 in 27 games. Kastner was a .217 hitter in 52 games played

Mahoney is coming off a solid sophomore season, posting a 9-10 record and a 5.39 ERA with a team-high 98 strikeouts. The righthander is anticipated to be part of Temple's starting rotation.

An experienced corps of five sophomores return to the team this year. A-10 All-Rookie selections Kelsey Dominik and Annie Marcopolus, along with starting second baseman Leah Lucas, each look to build on impressive first-year campaigns.

Dominik, named to the 2014 College Sports Madness Preseason All-Conference Second-Team, presented a dual threat for Temple, pacing the team with a 15-8 record in the circle. The 15 wins are tied for seventh on the TU single-season list, and her .652 winning percentage is the sixth-best. Her 4.03 ERA led the squad, and she completed 15 of the 21 games she started. In addition to her performance on the mound, Dominik was also the top freshman at the plate with a .302 batting average, clubbing 14 homeruns, a TU freshman record.

Catcher Jess Mower and infielder Gina Pellechio round out the returning sophomore class.

Seven newcomers have been working to find their way into the starting lineup. Most likely to be immediate contributors are freshman pitcher Amanda Gatt, freshman catcher/first baseman Kaylyn Zierke and freshman outfielder Toni Santos.

Gatt is expected to be in the starting rotation for the Owls, bolstering what has shaped up to be a solid pitching unit. Zierke will be the back-up catcher to All-American Pasquale, and will also see time at first base. The rookie has power at the plate, and will also be utilized as the designated player. Santos will be competing for playing time in the outfield.

Also suiting up for the first time in a Temple uniform will be freshman catcher Erin Drennan, freshman infielder Jessica Haug, freshman second baseman/third baseman Cassiy Trause and sophomore transfer Tara Dunning, a utility player.

After the TSU Tiger Classic, the Cherry & White remain south for play in the USF Under Armour Invitational (2/28-3/2) in Clearwater, Fla. Games against Kennesaw State, Loyola Marymount, Central Arkansas, Mount St. Mary's and Saint Francis (Pa.) will challenge the Cherry & White at the event.

TU will play eight more games in Florida from March 4-8 before returning to Pennsylvania for the first home games of the season. The squad is home for six of its eight March dates, with the only road trip being for the first-ever American Athletic Conference games at Houston on March 22-23.

While the Owls enjoy being home for much of March, April is a different story. Temple will only be home for a series of conference games with Rutgers on April 12-13, playing the 11 other dates on the road.

Temple wraps up the regular season with three home dates in May, including a three-game series with USF on May 3-4. The doubleheader with the Bulls on May 3 will serve as Senior Day.

The inaugural American Athletic Conference Softball Championship will be held May 8-10 in Houston, Texas at the University of Houston.

For more information on Temple softball, visit www.facebook.com/Temple-University-Softball, and www.twitter.com/Temple_Softball.

Temple University Athletics

2014 Temple Softball Team Takes The Field For The First Time This Weekend

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