Games 42 and 43: Monmouth (20-20, 9-9 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (12-28, 4-12 NEC)
When: Sat, May 7, 2011, 12 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.

Series Information: Monmouth leads 35-2
Last Meeting: Monmouth (3-2) 5-2-10
First Meeting: Monmouth (5-2) 4-24-93
Last Mount Win: (7-3) 4-30-06

Opening Pitch: Saturday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth marks the 38th and 39th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1993 season. The Hawks lead the series 35-2, including eight-straight wins in the series. The Mount's last win in the matchup was a 7-3 decision in 2006.

The Word On Monmouth: The Hawks come into the contest 20-20 overall and 9-9 in Northeast Conference play after sweeping Wagner on Sunday. Monmouth can clinch a spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament by sweeping Mount St. Mary's on Saturday to overtake Central Connecticut State for the final playoff spot, but a loss would eliminate the Hawks from playoff contention. Emily deLong leads the team with a .388 batting average, 40 hits, 23 runs scored, eight doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBIs. Christine Scherr is second on the team with a .337 batting average, 32 hits, 22 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 10 RBIs while Kayla Weiser is third with a .336 batting average, 40 hits, 12 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 27 RBIs. Lauren Sulick paces the pitching staff with an 18-12 record, a 2.07 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 206.0 innings pitched.

Last Time We Met: Monmouth used two walk-off victories to sweep a doubleheader on May 2, 2010. The Hawks downed the Mountaineers 6-5 in eight innings in the opener and 3-2 in the nightcap. Taylor Beebe paced the Mount with three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Lisa Curreri posted a hit and three RBIs and Amanda Buckel added two hits and two runs scored in the opener. Alexa Ferrara powered the Hawks with three hits, three runs scored and an RBI while Christine Scherr registered two hits and four homers in the two games.

Games 44 and 45: Mount St. Mary's (12-28, 4-12 NEC) at Robert Morris (23-24, 13-5 NEC)
When: Sun, Apr. 30, 2011, 12 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.

Series Information: Robert Morris leads 31-6
Last Meeting: Robert Morris (6-1) 4-24-10
First Meeting: Robert Morris (11-1) 4-12-92
Last Mount Win: (5-4) 4-6-07

Opening Pitch: Sunday's twinbill between Mount St. Mary's and Robert Morris marks the 38th and 39th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1992 season. The Colonials lead the series 31-6 including six-straight wins in the matchup. The Mount's last win in the series was a 5-4 decision in 2007.

The Word On Robert Morris: The Colonials come into the doubleheader 23-24 overall and 13-5 in Northeast Conference play after sweeping Saint Francis (Pa.) on Thursday. Robert Morris has clinched a spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament, but needs to sweep the Mountaineers in order to earn the top spot in the NEC Tournament. Allie Patton leads the team with a .359 batting average, 46 hits, 25 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and 11 RBIs. Annie Dubovec ranks second on the team with a .338 batting average, 51 hits, 19 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, six home runs and 28 RBIs while Jaci Timko is third with a .327 batting average with 32 hits, 25 runs scored, a double, a triple, seven home runs and 16 RBIs. Alexa Bryson is 11-8 with a 2.83 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched.

Last Time We Met: Robert Morris swept a doubleheader on Apr. 24, 2010. The Colonials won the opener 7-3 and then took the nightcap, 6-1. Taylor Beebe fueled the Mount with three hits on the afternoon while Courtney Zingle smacked a home run in the opener and Amanda Buckel drilled her first collegiate homer in the second game. Annie Dubovec paced the Colonials with four hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Megan Picinic added five hits, three RBIs and two runs scored while Jessica Calderone posted four hits and three runs scored on the afternoon.

Last Time Out: Central Connecticut State swept a doubleheader on Sunday. The Blue Devils won the opener 10-5 and then rallied in the nightcap, 8-7 on the Mount's senior day. Jenna Zimmerman paced the Mount with a 4-for-7 afternoon along with three RBIs and two runs scored while Chloe Mizianty went 5-for-9 in the two games with three RBIs and a run scored. Courtney Zingle added a 4-for-5 performance with three runs scored and an RBI.

Next On Tap: This weekend concludes the 2011 season for the softball team.  

Mizianty Honored By The League: Chloe Mizianty was named the Akadema/Northeast Conference Player of the Week for the week of Apr. 11-17. It is the junior's first conference honor. Mizianty helped the Mount to four-straight victories for the squad's longest winning streak of the year after batting .500 (6-for-12) with six hits, seven runs scored, eight RBIs and two home runs with a slugging percentage of 1.000 and an on-base percentage of .600. Mizianty's big contribution came during the Mountaineers sweep against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday. The junior went 5-for-6 with two home runs, six runs scored and seven RBIs in the twinbill and posted a 1.833 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .875. In a 17-3 win against the Red Flash, the junior went 4-for-4 with two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored.

Reeder Playing The The Top-10 Tune: Senior Nicole Reeder ranks in the Top-10 in six categories for her career and its knocking on the Top-10 in two categories. The senior is second in games played (193) with former teammate Amanda Burk (195, 2006-09) holding the top spot. Reeder also ranks eighth in RBIs (68) with Heather Macready (69, 1998-01) and Amanda Blizzard (69, 1998-01) one RBI ahead of her in sixth place. With four walks against UMBC on Apr. 14, the senior became the program's all-time career bases on balls leader and now stands at 62. Reeder ranks fourth in plate appearances (517) with former teammate Lisa Curreri (556, 2007-10) directly ahead of Reeder. The senior moved into seventh place for doubles (25) with teammate Courtney Zingle (26) and Nicki Trumpler (27, 1996-99) next on the list. She cracked the Top-10 in total bases with 165 and ranks ninth with teammate Beth Everist (183) next on the list. Reeder is also three hits and three home runs from jumping into the Top-10 in each of those categories.

Top-10 Has A Nice Zing For Courtney: Senior Courtney Zingle ranks in the Top-10 in eight offensive career categories. Zingle is third in games played (186) with teammate Nicole Reeder (193) next on the line.  The senior is also second in at-bats (559) with former teammate Amanda Burk (601, 2006-09) the all-time leader in the category. She also ranks fourth for runs scored (86), needing five to pass Patti Schaefer (90, 1983-86). Zingle stands second in hits (161) with Burk (193) the only player ahead of her in the category. The senior is third in RBIs (85) with teammate Beth Everist (88) sitting in second place. Zingle also stands fourth in total bases (217) with Danyale Goode (237, 2003-06) next in line. Zingle also recently moved into sixth place for career homer runs with 10, needing three long balls to tie Amanda Blizzard (13, 1999-02) for fifth place. She also jumped into sixth place for career doubles (26) with Nicki Trumpler (27, 1996-99) in fifth place.

Mounting The Top-10 For Everist: Senior Beth Everist ranks in the Top-10 in home runs, RBIs, total bases and doubles and is climbing toward the Top-10 in one other category. The senior tied Danyale Goode's (18, 2003-06) all-time career record  for home runs with a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap against Bryant on Apr. 18 and can establish a new mark with her next home run. She also sits second in RBIs (88) with former teammate Amanda Burk (102, 2006-09) the only person ahead of her. The senior just joined the Top-10 in total bases with 183 with Nicki Trumpler (185) next up. The senior cracked the Top-10 for doubles and sits in 10th place with 22 twobaggers. Next on the list is Amanda Blizzard (23, 1999-02). Everist can move into the Top-10 with 18 hits.

Taylor Made For Top-10: Junior Taylor Beebe is third with 30 career doubles with former teammate Lisa Curreri (34, 2007-10) in second place. The junior posted 14 doubles in her freshman year, which was the second most in program history for a single season. The junior moved into second place for walks (56) with teammate Nicole Reeder (62) the all-time leader in the category. Beebe moved into seventh place for runs scored (78) with Tonia Bruno (79, 1994-97) next on the list. She can also join the Top-10 with 26 hits, four home runs and 18 total bases.

Zimmerman A Gamer: Senior Jenna Zimmerman moved into seventh place for games played with a 157 games. Next on the list is former teammate Jess Burke (168, 2005-08) in sixth place.

All Hanson On Top-10: Senior Amanda Hanson ranks in the Top-10 for her career in games pitched, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. The senior is fifth in games pitched (82) with Alicia Moraca (88, 2000-03) next on the list. Hanson ranks 10th in wins (14), two behind Haynie in ninth place. She also stands in 10th place for innings pitched (345.2) with teammate Amanda Sadowl (347.0) and Jamie Mataldi (356.0) next on the list. Hanson is also seventh in strikeouts and can become the sixth pitcher in program history with 200 punchouts with 10 strikeouts. Next on the list in strikeouts is Allison Moraca (212, 2000-03).

Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10 Too: Junior Amanda Sadowl ranks sixth in program history in games pitched (77). Next on the list is teammate Amanda Hanson (82). She also sits in sixth place in wins (23). Sadowl became the seventh player in program history to become a 20-game winner and needs two wins to move ahead of Reanna Tuczynski (24, 2004-07) for fifth place. Sadowl is eighth in strikeouts (150) with Hanson (186) next on the list in seventh place. The junior moved into ninth place for innings pitched (347.0) with Jamie Mataldi (356.0) next on the list.

Here Comes Pagano Too... Sophomore Nicole Pagano has moved into 10th place in program history for career strikeouts with 133. Iris Haynie (141, 1992-95) is next on the list with 141 Ks. The sophomore is also one win away from teammate Amanda Hanson (14) for 10th place for career wins at the Mount.

UMBC All-Tournament Team: Beth Everist, Erin Leddy and Amanda Sadowl were named to the UMBC Tournament All-Tournament team. Everist batted .500 (5-for-10) in the three games with two runs scored a double and four RBIs. The senior went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in a 9-0 win against UMBC on Friday. Everist also smacked her first home run of the season in the second inning against Iona to help the Mountaineers rally to a 4-3 victory against the Gaels. Leddy hit .375 (3-for-8) in the tournament with two runs scored, a homer and four RBIs. The sophomore propelled the Mount to the win against Iona with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and hand the Mountaineers the lead for good. Leddy coaxed a bases loaded RBI walk against the Retrievers and registered two hits in a 2-1 loss against Liberty on Friday. Sadowl tossed a three-hit complete-game shutout with four strikeouts in the win against UMBC. The right-hander scattered three hits and did not allow a runner past second base in the victory.

For Openers: Mount St. Mary's won its season open for the second-straight season and the third time in the last five years. Head coach Anna Nagro became the first coach in program history to win in her first game as a Mount head coach.

In Their Debut: Freshmen Katy Bobbitt and Cat Clifford both made their collegiate debut in the starting lineup against George Mason on Mar. 2. Bobbitt picked up her first collegiate hit in the seventh inning of the first game against the Patriots. Clifford notched her first collegiate hit against UMBC on Mar. 4. Fellow freshmen Courtney Mason and Lindsay Ruhle saw their first collegiate action as pinch runners in the second game against George Mason while Bre Lohman and Alyssa Silipino were used as pinch hitters against the Retrievers for their first college appearance.

Preseason Poll: The Mount St. Mary's softball team has been picked eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. Long Island, who has won the NEC championship seven times in the last 10 years, nabbed nine of the 11 first-place votes to be selected as the preseason favorite. Monmouth garnered the other two first-place nods to finish second in the poll while Robert Morris, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Wagner, the Mount, Bryant, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the 11-team poll.

All-Conference Returners: Mount St. Mary's returns junior 2010 All-NEC second-team selection Taylor Beebe for the 2011 season. Fellow junior Liz Christiansen was named to the 2010 All-NEC first team and the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, but will miss the season due to an injury.

The Roster: The 2011 softball roster is composed of five seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen. Junior Liz Christiansen will sit out the year and red shirt due to an injury.

New To The Mountain: Along with first-year head coach Anna Nagro, freshmen Katy Bobbitt, Cat Clifford, Bre Lohman, Courtney Mason, Lindsey Ruhle and Alyssa Silipino join the softball team this season.

Local Products: Senior Jenna Zimmerman, a 2007 graduate of Walkersville High School, registered 54 hits, 32 runs scored, six doubles, a homer and 25 RBIs in her first two seasons at the Mount. Sophomore Emily Wilson joins the team after graduating from Tuscarora in 2009.

About The Coach: Anna Nagro enters her first season as the head coach of the Mount softball team. She comes the Mount from D'Youville College, a Division III program in Buffalo, N.Y.  In three seasons with the Spartans, Nagro led the team to 42 victories. She took over a team that was coming off a 5-21 season in 2007 and guided the team to a 15-22 overall mark and 11-7 in conference for a 10-game improvement in her first season. D'Youville then went 17-17 overall and 13-3 in league play in her second season and the squad's final year in the Northeastern Athletic Conference.

Wivell Returns To The Field: Former Mount softball standout Jen (Sansevero) Wivell will be in her first season as an assistant coach at the Mount. Wivell garnered All-Northeast Conference second-team honors as a designated player in 2003 after batting .362 with five runs, 17 hits, seven doubles and eight RBI in NEC action. A two-year captain, Wivell left the Mount as the all-time leader in bases on balls (48) and currently sits in third place in the category.