Games 46 and 47: Mount St. Mary's (15-30, 6-8 NEC) at Monmouth (20-18, 8-8 NEC)
When: Sat, Apr. 28, 2011, p.m.
Where: Monmouth Softball Field, West Long Branch, N.J.
Series Information: Monmouth leads 36-5
Last Meeting: Mount (5-2) 5-7-11
First Meeting: Monmouth (5-2) 4-24-93
Last Monmouth Win: (5-1) 5-7-11
Opening Pitch: Saturday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth marks the 42nd and 43rd meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1993 season. The Hawks lead the series 36-5, but the two teams split the season series last season in Emmitsburg.
About the Hawks: Monmouth comes into the weekend 20-18 overall and 8-8 in Northeast Conference play after sweeping Rider on Wednesday. Kaitie Schumacher leads the team with a .388 batting average, 40 hits, 17 runs scored, six doubles, nine homers and 32 RBIs. Christine Scherr is second on the team with a .374 batting average, 46 hits, 28 runs scored, a triple, 10 homers and 22 RBIs while Vanessa Cardoza ranks third with a .321 batting average, 34 hits, 24 runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and 22 RBIs. Lauren Sulick paces the pitching staff with a an 11-6 record, a 2.94 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 95.1 innings pitched.
Last Time We Met: The senior battery of Amanda Hanson and Nicole Reeder helped spoil Monmouth season by leading Mount St. Mary's past the Hawks 5-2 in the nightcap of a softball doubleheader on May 7, 2011. Monmouth won the opener 5-1, but was eliminated from postseason contention after losing the second game of the twinbill. Hanson allowed two runs on seven hits with one strikeout to earn her first win of the season in her final game at Our Lady of the Meadows Field. Hanson also had a hit and two runs scored at the plate in the contest. Reeder had a two-run homer during the Mount's three-run third to help clinch the victory. Alexa Tuck got the Mountaineers off on the right foot in the nightcap with an RBI double in the second and made some stellar plays on defense at the hot corner. Chloe Mizianty had three hits and an RBI while Erin Leddy, Beth Everist and Courtney Zingle each had an RBI on the day. Emily deLong fueled the Hawks with three hits, including a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Alicia Desanto added three hits, a run scored and an RBI while Lauren Sulick went 1-1 on the afternoon, including holding the Mount to one run in the opener.
Games 46 and 47: Wagner (14-31, 4-12 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (15-30, 6-8 NEC)
When: Sun, Apr. 29, 2012, 12 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.
Series Information: Wagner leads 30-7
Last Meeting: Wagner (2-0) 4-10-11
First Meeting: Wagner (7-1) 4-20-90
Last Mount Win: (6-0) 4-10-10
Opening Pitch: Sunday's twinbill between Mount St. Mary's and Wagner marks the 38th and 39th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1990 season. The Seahawks lead the series 30-7, including sweeping the two games last season. The Mount's last win in the series was a 6-0 victory on Apr. 10, 2010.
About the Seahawks: Wagner comes into the weekend 15-31 overall and 4-12 in Northeast Conference play after being swept by LIU Brooklyn on Apr. 21. Brittany Huss leads the team with a .348 batting average, 47 hits, 21 runs scored, two doubles, a triple and 15 RBIs. Kelsey Parker is second with a .315 batting average, 45 hits, 26 runs scored, 13 doubles, six homers and 29 RBIs while MacKenzie Alfaro is batting .308 with 32 hits, five runs scored, four doubles and 13 RBIs. Olivia Zwick paces the pitching staff with a 4-10 record, a 3.65 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 81.1 innings pitched.
Last Time We Met: Wagner downed Mount St. Mary's twice in a softball doubleheader on Apr. 10, 2011. The Seahawks won the opener 4-2 and then took the nightcap, 2-0. Chloe Mizianty paced the Mount with three hits and a run scored while Courtney Mason went 2-for-2 in the second game. Judy Betz picked up a pair of wins on the afternoon for Wagner after not allowing an earned run (two unearned runs) with five strikeouts in two complete-game efforts. Amanda Garcia had two hits and three RBIs while Kristen Matteoni posted two hits and three runs scored on the day.
Last Time Out: Towson swept a non-conference softball doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday. The Tigers took the opener 3-0 and then won the nightcap, 8-4. Danni Cummings pitched seven scoreless innings of relief over the two games with five strikeouts for the Mount while Liz Christiansen posted three hits and an RBI in the two games.
Next On Tap: Mount St. Mary's will conclude the regular season at Howard on May 3 before hosting LIU Brooklyn on May 5.
Thank you, seniors… Mount St. Mary's will honor seniors Taylor Beebe, Liz Christiansen, Chloe Mizianty and Amanda Sadowl in between the first and second game against Wagner on Sunday. Mount St. Mary's would like to thank this quartet for their hard work and dedication to the Mount and the softball team over the last four years.
Leaders On Top Of The Mountain: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen leads the team in batting average (.312), hits (39), home runs (7) and RBIs (29) while ranking second in doubles (6) and third in runs (14). Sophomore Cat Clifford leads the team in homers (7), doubles (7) and runs scored while ranking second in RBIs (28) and hits (35). Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano is the squad's top hurler with a 10-9 record, a 1.79 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 132.2 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 22 career homers. The redshirt junior also ranks second in RBIs with 91, 11 behind the all-time leader. Christiansen has moved into fifth place for total bases with 198 and can move up a spot with 39 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 junior moved into 10 place in program history with 22 doubles and can move up a spot with one two bagger.
Taylor Made For Top-10: Senior Taylor Beebe ranks second in career doubles with 34 while former teammate Amanda Burk (39, 2006-09) is the program's all-time leader. The senior also ranks third in runs scored with 92, 12 away from second place. Beebe moved into seventh place in games played with 166 and can move into sixth place with two games played. She is also moving closer to the Top-10 in hits, sitting at 120 hits and five away from the Top-10.
Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10: Senior Amanda Sadowl ranks sixth in career wins (24), three away from fourth place. The senior also sits in third place for games pitched with 95, 21 away from the all-time leader. Sadowl is ninth in strikeouts with 177, trailing former teammate Amanda Hanson (192, 2008-11). She is also sixth in innings pitched with 423.1.
Here Comes Pagano Too: Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano has moved into fifth place in career strikeouts with 260 and can move ahead of Jess Miller (267, 1998-01) with seven 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. She also became the seventh pitcher in program history to win 10 games in a season in 2012.
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 29-60 overall and 11-23 in Northeast Conference play under the coach.
