MOUNT ST. MARY'S SOFTBALL
Jacksonville University Tournament
Pruitt Softball Complex | Jacksonville, Fla.
Friday, Feb. 21, 2014
at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
vs. Illinois Chicago, 11:15 a.m.
vs. Savannah State, 3:45 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014
vs. Bethune-Cookman, 11:15 a.m.
LIVE STATS
MOUNT UPDATE: The Mount St. Mary's softball team embarks on its 34th season with four games in a three-day span in sunny Jacksonville, Fla. The Mountaineers went 16-30 last year and bring back seven starters, including the team's top pitcher, Nicole Pagano. Two players who hit .300 or better in Cat Clifford and Rachel Gavigan are also back in the fold for Head Coach Anna Nagro's fourth season at the helm.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE: The Dolphins already have 10 games under their belt with five wins and five losses. Jacksonville, which went 30-22 last year, has secured wins over DePaul and two apiece over Maryland and North Carolina in 2014. Codi Kelly leads Jacksonville with a .387 batting average, while Victoria Brown has hit three home runs in 10 games.
ABOUT ILLINOIS CHICAGO: Bridget Boyle was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 17 after posting a 1.47 ERA at the UCF/Holiday Inn Classic. After winning the season opener over Eastern Illinois on Feb. 7, the Flames have lost nine in a row for a 1-9 record. Offensively, Jacki Fletcher has 14 hits in just 30 at bats for a .467 batting average.
ABOUT SAVANNAH STATE: The Tigers are 3-6 with losses in their last five entering the weekend. Coming off a 26-24 season, Savannah State has five batters in the lineup who are hitting .313 or better. Amanda Hallman leads the pitching staff with four complete games in the early going.
ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN: The 1-9 Bethune-Cookman squad beat Campbell for its first win of the season. The Wildcats have faced a challenging schedule that included Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida in their first week of action. Celesha Shelley leads Bethune-Cookman in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.400), hits (12) and runs (5).
MOUNT VS. TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS: The Mount will be facing Jacksonville, Illinois Chicago and Savannah State for the first time in program history. The Mountaineers are 0-2 against Bethune-Cookman, including a 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats in 2012.
VETERAN PITCHING STAFF: The program's all-time leader with 453 career strikeouts, Nicole Pagano looks to lead the pitching staff again in her final season. Last season, she set a new school record with 173 strikeouts while posting the fifth-best ERA in school history of 2.39. Veterans Danni Cummings and Hayley Stankan are back for their junior seasons, while freshman Sam Lichtner will look to gain valuable experience early in the season.
CLIFFORD RETURNS TO THE HOT CORNER: A Second Team All-NEC selection last season, senior Cat Clifford is 10 home runs away from tying the program's career home run record of 25 set in 2013 by Liz Christiansen. The slick-fielding third basemen committed just five errors and had a .955 fielding percentage a year ago.
OTHER RETURNERS: Rachel Gavigan, who returns for her sophomore season, burst onto the scene as a freshman with a .308 batting average to go with a team-best 44 hits and 12 steals. Junior shortstop Holly Buckel and sophomore second baseman Marisa Mayes give the Mount a middle infield that remains intact. Junior Rachel Teti is also back after hitting .254 with 16 hits last season.
PRESEASON POLL: In the Feb. 12 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Mount was selected to finish eighth out of nine teams according to the conferences coaches. Defending champion Central Connecticut was picked to repeat with five first-place votes, followed by LIU Brooklyn in second with four top votes.
