Opening Pitch: Mount St. Mary's will travel to the UMBC Dawg Pound Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The Mount battles Siena and host UMBC on Saturday and Niagara on Sunday at the UMBC Softball Complex. The Mountaineers will conclude the two-day event with a game against Coppin State at the Coppin State Softball Field.
Game 14: Mount St. Mary's (3-10) vs. Siena (1-3)
When: Sat, Mar. 10, 2012, 10:55 a.m.
Where: UMBC Softball Complex, Baltimore, Md.
Series Information: Series Tied 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
First Meeting: 3-10-12
Last Mount Win: N/A
About The Series: The game between Mount St. Mary's and Siena marks the first meeting between the two teams in program history. The Mount is 4-23 against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will also play Niagara in this tournament.
About the Saints: Siena comes into the contest 1-3 after falling 1-0 to George Washington on Sunday. Mandy Ferro leads the team after going 6-for-12 in the first four games of the year with a run scored and an RBI. Shannon Jones leads the team with two home runs and five RBIs along with four hits, two runs scored and a double. Amanda Filippazo is 1-1 with a 1.70 ERA and eight strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched.
Game 15: Mount St. Mary's (3-10) at UMBC (6-7)
When: Sat, Mar. 10, 2012, 1:05 p.m.
Where: UMBC Softball Complex, Baltimore, Md.
Series Information: UMBC leads 32-6
Last Meeting: Mount (6-5) 4-14-11
First Meeting: UMBC (22-0) 4-27-91
Last UMBC Win: (8-5) 3-21-10
About The Series: The contest between Mount St. Mary's and UMBC marks the 39th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1991 season. The Retrievers lead the series 32-6, but the Mount won all three games last season. Mount St. Mary's has posted five of its six wins in the last 11 meetings.
About The Retrievers: UMBC comes into the tournament 6-7 after defeating Towson 6-0 on Thursday. Jessica Warner leads the team with a .405 batting average, 15 hits, eight runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBIs. Taylor Hall is second on the team with a .350 batting average, 14 hits, five runs scored, four doubles, a homer and four RBIs. Katie Ferguson paces the pitching staff with a 3-4 record, a 3.05 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched.
Game 16: Mount St. Mary's (3-10) vs. Niagara (1-8)
When: Sun, Mar. 11, 2012, 9 a.m.
Where: UMBC Softball Complex, Baltimore, Md.
Series Information: Niagara leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Mount (15-7) 3-20-10
First Meeting: Niagara (5-2) 3-5-06
Last Niagara Win: (5-2) 3-22-08
About The Series: The game between Mount St. Mary's and Niagara marks the fifth meeting in the series dating back to the 2006 campaign. Niagara won the first three games in the matchup before the Mount took the last contest 15-7 on Mar. 20, 2010.
About The Purple Eagles: Niagara comes into the tournament 1-8 after falling 1-0 to UMBC on Sunday. Jen Hare leads the team with a .333 batting average, eight hits, two doubles and three RBIs. Becky Zill ranks second with a .286 batting average, eight hits, four runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs. Kim Bryson is 0-4 with 31 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched.
Game 17: Mount St. Mary's (3-10) at Coppin State (4-4)
When: Sun, Mar. 11, 2012, 1:35 p.m.
Where: Coppin State Field, Baltimore, Md.
Series Information: Mount leads 20-3
Last Meeting: Coppin State (3-1) 3-30-11
First Meeting: Mount (11-3) 5-1-93
Last Mount Win: (1-0) 3-30-11
About The Series: The contest between Mount St. Mary's and Coppin State marks the 24th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1993 season. The Mount leads the series 20-3, but the Eagles won the two out of three last season to end an 11-game losing streak against the Mountaineers.
About The Eagles: Coppin State comes into the weekend 4-4 after defeating Canisius 4-3 on Sunday. Paige Arnold leads the team with a .478 batting average, 11 hits, 11 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs. Heather Josker is hitting .375 with nine hits, three runs scored, a double, two triples and seven RBIs. Arnold is the team's top hurler with a 2-3 record, a 2.90 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched.
Last Time Out: The Mount St. Mary's softball team concluded its 13 games in Florida at the Osprey Invitational on Sunday. The Mount lost 7-0 in eight innings to North Florida and then dropped a 5-1 decision to Delaware State. Chloe Mizianty paced the Mount with three hits in the two games while Maria Santiago plated the Mountaineers lone run in the nightcap on a single.
Next On Tap: After the four games in the Dawg Pound Invitational, the Mount will travel to George Washington on Tuesday for a doubleheader. The Mountaineers will head back to UMBC next weekend to participate in the UMBC Spring Classic. Mount St. Mary's will open up its home slate with the start of Northeast Conference play against Quinnipiac on Mar. 24.
Leaders On Top Of The Mountain: Sophomore Alyssa Silipino leads the team with a .333 batting average with seven hits, a double and two RBIs. Senior Taylor Beebe fuels the team in hits (9) and runs scored (6). Sophomore Cat Coppler leads the team in RBIs (6) and total bases (10). Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano paces the pitching staff with a 3-2 record, a 1.97 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched.
Station To Station: The Mount has 65 hits this season, but only four extra base hits through the first 13 games. Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen, junior Erin Leddy and sophomores Cat Clifford and Alyssa Silipino are the only players on the team to have an extra base hit after each player recorded a double in Florida.
Pagano Honored: Nicole Pagano was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb. 20-26. It marked the second time the redshirt sophomore has received the league's weekly award. Pagano opened the season 1-1 with 11 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA in a pair of complete-game efforts against Stetson. The redshirt sophomore handed the Hatters its first loss of the season and controlled a Stetson offense that averaged 7.6 runs per game in its first six games. Pagano tossed a one-hit shutout with five strikeouts in a 1-0 win against the Hatters on Friday for the Mount's first win of the season. She then faced the Hatters again on Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in her second complete-game of the season in a 2-0 loss. Pagano started the campaign with 12 scoreless innings.
Preseason Poll: The Mount St. Mary's softball team has been picked 10th in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches Poll. Robert Morris, the defending NEC regular season champion, nabbed six first-place votes to be tabbed as the preseason favorite. Quinnipiac garnered three first-place nods to finish second in the poll while the defending NEC Tournament champions Sacred Heart received one first-place vote to place third. Bryant, LIU Brooklyn, Central Connecticut State, Monmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner, the Mount and Saint Francis (Pa.) rounded out the 11-team poll. Monmouth received the final first-place vote.
All-Conference Returners: While the Mount did not receive any All-Northeast Conference selections last season, redshirt junior Liz Christiansen returns in 2012 after missing the 2011 campaign due to an injury. 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 three seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and eight freshmen.
New To The Mountain: Head coach Anna Nagro has added eight newcomers to her team in 2012. Casey Beck, Holly Buckel, Danni Cummings, Kendra Hayward, Maria Santiago, Kayla Spataro, Hayley Stankan and Rachel Teti have joined the team in 2012.
Christiansen Powering Up On The All-Time Charts: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen returns for the 2012 season after missing the 2011 campaign due to injury. Christiansen sits in third place on the program's all-time career home run list with 15 home runs, three behind former teammate Beth Everist (18, 2008-11) and Danyale Goode (18, 2003-06). The redshirt junior also ranks 10th in RBIs with 65 and can move into the Top-5 with six RBIs. Christiansen is also creeping up on the career Top-10 list in doubles (17) and total bases. She needs six doubles and 23 total bases to crack the Top-10 in those categories.
Taylor Made For Top-10: Senior Taylor Beebe ranks third in career doubles with 30. Next on the list is former teammate Lisa Curreri (34, 2007-10) in second place while former teammate Amanda Burk (39, 2006-09) is the program's all-time leader. The senior also ranks fifth in runs scored with 85, three away from former teammate Courtney Zingle (88, 2008-11). She is also moving closer to the Top-10 in hits, sitting at 110 hits and 15 away from the Top-10.
Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10: Senior Amanda Sadowl ranks sixth in career wins (23), one win away from Reanna Tuczynski (24, 2009-11). The senior also sits in sixth place for games pitched with 82, two away from former teammate Amanda Hanson (84, 2008-11). Sadowl is ninth in strikeouts with 152, trailing teammate Nicole Pagano (170. She is also eighth in innings pitched with 369.0. Next on the list is Iris Haynie (396.1, 1992-95).
Here Comes Pagano Too... Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano has moved into eighth place in career strikeouts with 170. Next on the list is former teammate Amanda Hanson (192, 2008-11). She also moved into ninth place for career wins with 17. Next on the list are Allison Moraca (17, 2000-03) and Sue Merolla (22, 1985-88). With four wins, Pagano will become the eighth career 20-game winning in program history.
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.
Local Products: Freshman Holly Buckel, a 2011 graduate of North Carroll, and freshman Rachel Teti, a 2011 graduate of Linganore, have joined the team this season and hail from Carroll County and Frederick County, respectively.
Family Tradition Continued: Freshman Holly Buckel is the second Buckel to play at Mount St. Mary's. Holy's sister, Amanda, was a four-year letterwinner on the Mount softball team and a 2010 graduate of the Mount. Amanda Buckel was named to the All-NEC first team in her senior season.
Zingle Returns: Courtney Zingle, a 2011 graduate of the Mount, returns to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach in 2012. Zingle ranks in the Top-10 in program history in games played (190), at bats (571), runs scored (88), hits (165), runs batted in (88), doubles (27), home runs (10) and total bases (222).
About The Coach: Anna Nagro enters her second season as the head coach of the Mount softball team. The Mount went 19-40 overall and 5-115 in Northeast Conference play under the coach.
