Games 42 and 43: Coppin State (15-17) at Mount St. Mary's (13-28)
When: Tues, Apr. 24, 2011, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Coppin State Field, Baltimore, Md.
Series Information: Mount leads 20-4
Last Meeting: Coppin State (4-3) 3-11-12
First Meeting: Mount (11-3) 5-1-93
Last Mount Win: (1-0) 3-17-11
Opening Pitch: Tuesday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and Coppin State marks the 25th and 26th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1993 season. The Mount leads the series 20-4, but the Eagles have won the last three meetings in the series including a 4-3 decision on Mar. 11
About the Eagles: Coppin State comes into the contest 15-17 after defeating Delaware State 2-1 on Sunday. Paige Arnold leads the team with a .409 batting average, 36 hits, 30 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples, five homers and 21 RBIs. Emily DeJesus is batting .303 with 27 hits, 15 runs scored, three doubles, three triples, a homer and six RBIs while Patrice Williams is third on the team with a .302 batting average, 19 hits, eight runs scored, a double and five RBIs. Arnold leads the pitching staff with a 13-11 record, a 1.92 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 146.0 innings pitched.
Last Time We Met: Coppin State defeated Mount St. Mary's 4-3 on Mar. 11, 2012. Erin Leddy went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Holly Buckel also had a hit and knocked in a run. Samantha Deninger, Paige Arnold and Tiffani Whaley each had a hit and an RBI for the Eagles.
Games 44 and 45: Towson (23-23) at Mount St. Mary's (13-28)
When: Wed, Apr. 25, 2011, 3 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.
Series Information: Towson leads 32-6-1
Last Meeting: Towson (3-0) 4-26-11
First Meeting: Mount (4-1) 3-27-85
Last Mount Win: (8-5) 4-10-07
Opening Pitch: Wednesday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and Towson University marks the 39th and 40th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1985 season. Towson leads the series 32-6-1.
About the Tigers: Towson comes into the contest 23-23 after defeating George Mason 4-2 on Saturday. Hailey Balk leads the team with a .386 batting average, 51 hits, 22 runs scored, fourteen doubles, one triple and 21 RBIs. Erika Stasch is batting .323 with 43 hits, 23 runs scored, twelve doubles, three triples, 7 homeruns and 33 RBIs while Andrea Stevenson is third on the team with a .307 batting average, 43 hits, 25 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, and eleven RBIs. Katie Lingmai leads the pitching staff with a 13-10 record, a 2.16 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 165.2 innings pitched.
Last Time We Met: Towson used a pair of shutouts to sweep a non-conference softball doubleheader on Tuesday. The Tigers took the opener 12-0 in five innings and then won the nightcap, 3-0. Chloe Mizianty paced the Mount with two hits in the opener while Taylor Beebe, Courtney Zingle and Nicole Reeder each had two base hits in the nightcap. Brianna Jones paced the Tigers with two hits, six RBIs and two runs scored in the opener while Andrea Stevenson added a hit and three runs scored in the two games.
Last Time Out: The Mount swept Farleigh Dickinson on Saturday. Nicole Pagano picked up a pair of victories after allowing one run in 11 innings and Cat Clifford smacked the decisive home run in both games to lead Mount St. Mary's to its first doubleheader sweep of the season in Northeast Conference (NEC) softball action.
Next On Tap: Mount St. Mary's will play six of its final 16 games at Our Lady of the Meadows Field. After the games this weekend, the Mount will travel to Monmouth on Saturday and host Wagner on Sunday.
Leaders On Top Of The Mountain: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen leads the team in batting average (.306), hits (34), doubles (4), home runs (7), RBIs (26) while ranking third in runs (11). Sophomore Cat Clifford runs scored (14) and doubles (5) while ranking second in hits (27), home runs (7) and RBIs (22). Senior Taylor Beebe is tied for the team lead in runs scored with (12). Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano is the squad's top hurler with a 10-8 record, a 1.69 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched.
The New Home Run Queen: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen smacked four home runs at the Dawg Pound Invitational to establish a new program record at the Mount for career home runs with 19 and now stands at 22 bombs.
Perfect No-No Pagano: Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano became the first Mount player in Division I history to toss a perfect game against Rhode Island on Mar. 16 in an 8-0 five inning win. She faced 15 batters in five innings and had eight strikeouts. Pagano is the first Mount player to toss two no-hitters in her career in Mount Division I history after tossing a five-inning no-hitter in an 11-0 win against UMBC on Mar. 10. It was the squad's first no-hitter since Amanda Hanson had a five inning no-hitter in a 30-0 win against Coppin State on Mar. 27, 2008. Mount St. Mary's has recorded five no-no's in its Division I era.
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.
Pagano Honored Again: Nicole Pagano was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Pitcher of the Week for the week of Mar. 19-25. It is the second time this season the redshirt sophomore has earned the honor and the third time in her career.Pagano went 1-2 in the week with a 0.36 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. She tossed one-hitter in an eight-inning 1-0 win against Quinnipiac on Mar. 23 with six strikeouts. The redshirt sophomore stayed on the mound in the nightcap and held the Bobcats to one unearned run over four innings with one strikeout in a 2-0 loss. She held Quinnipiac off the scoreboard for 11 innings before it scored an unearned run in the fourth and threw 171 pitches on the day. Pagano allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts in a 1-0 loss against Sacred Heart on Mar. 25.
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 became the program's all-time career leader in home runs after hitting a solo shot against Niagara on Mar. 11 and now stands at 23 career homers. The redshirt junior also ranks third in RBIs with 88 tying her former teammate Courtney Zingle. Christiansen can move into second place with one RBI. Christiansen has moved into sixth place for total bases with 191 and can move up a spot with three total bases. She also cracked the Top-10 in walks with 41 and can move into ninth place with one base on balls. The redshirt sophomore is also creeping up on the Top-10 for doubles with 21 and needs three to move into the 10th spot in the category.
Taylor Made For Top-10: Senior Taylor Beebe ranks third in career doubles with 32. 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 third in runs scored with 91, 13 away from second place. Beebe moved into seventh place in games played with 162 and can move into sixth place with six games played. She is also moving closer to the Top-10 in hits, sitting at 118 hits and seven 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 fourth place for games pitched with 93, two away from Reanna Tuczynski (95, 2004-07). Sadowl is ninth in strikeouts with 170, trailing former teammate Amanda Hanson (192, 2008-11). She is also seventh in innings pitched with 412.1. Next on the list is Jess Miller (416.1, 1998-01).
Here Comes Pagano Too: Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano has moved into fifth place in career strikeouts with 255 and can move ahead of Jess Miller (267, 1998-01) with 12 strikeouts. She also moved into eighth place for career wins with 23. Pagano became the eighth 20-game winner in program history with her 3-1 win against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 1.
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 is 29-58 overall and 11-23 in Northeast Conference play under the coach.
