2008 Woodie Awards
Softball swings for improvement in 2005 season
By Adam Brewer
Issue date: 3/4/05 Section: Sports
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"Our goal is to win at least 25 games and to take another step closer to the PSAC playoffs," Johnson said. "Overall, we are looking to bring pride back into our program."
The Rock finished the 2004 season with a 15-27 record overall and 4-16 in the PSAC West, and did not qualify for the PSAC playoffs.
Throughout Johnson's first year as coach, he learned a lot about himself and his coaching methods.
"I'm more patient, and I will let the game come to me and just play the games out one by one," Johnson said. "I'm doing a better job of letting the team jell together and I'm being more open as a coach."
Last year, the Rock was ranked seventh in batting in the PSAC with a team batting average of .258. The Rock was fifth in doubles with 53 and second in the PSAC with 26 homeruns. The Rock also recorded 52 stolen bases as a team, which was second in the PSAC.
However, the Rock was in last place in pitching last year with a team ERA of 4.72. The Rock had 18 wild pitches, which is fifth in the conference, and was outside the top five in the rest of the pitching categories.
Johnson said some of the team's strengths this year include solid up-the-middle defense with quality depth off the bench, and a lot of offensive weapons.
"We are looking good with our offense, with our starters and players that will come off the bench to help us offensively," Johnson said.
Heading up the strong middle for the Rock are all three captains, senior catcher Jesse Gump, junior second basemen Niki Banner and senior centerfielder Kate Krochmal, who will anchor the Rock defense.
Gump hit seven homeruns, which is a Rock season record, with 19 RBI's while batting .287 on the season. Gump slugged a team high .548 on the season. Defensively, Gump had 95 putouts with a .931 fielding percentage.
Banner hit .308 with a team-high 10 doubles and two homeruns last season in 36 games. Banner was fifth in hits, 32, and RBI's, 19, last season. Those consistent numbers earned her first-team PSAC West honors last year for the Rock.
Krochmal will provide SRU with speed offensively and defensively. Krochmal is set to bat leadoff for the Rock this season and will set the tone for the team offensively. Krochmal batted .197 in 32 games and hit one homerun with 11 RBI's. Krochmal was solid defensively, as she only committed one error in her 28 starts for the Rock.
Sophomore pitcher Courtney Conron will secure the SRU pitching staff this year as a consistent threat on the mound. Conron is slated to be the top starter for the Rock this year. Last year, Conron's record was 7-14 with a 5.09 ERA. Conron was in 27 total games for the Rock with 13 complete games. Conron had 95 strikeouts compared to only 53 walks in 132 innings.
Johnson said some of the weaknesses on the squad appear to be the lack of arm strength from the outfield and the lack of experience in bunting and moving players over in good scoring positions.
The Rock will have 11 freshmen this season, and Johnson is looking for all of them to have an impact.
"We have four freshmen starters, and I'm looking for all of our freshmen to have an impact on the season," Johnson said. "We have a lot of quality and utility type players that if somebody isn't performing well, they will be inserted in the lineup to help the team out."
The four freshmen starters are Melissa Lowrey, Andrea Murdock, Stacey Rhoades and Alicia Dixon.
Dixon will be sharing time at first base with sophomore Kelly Wolfe. Wolfe batted .208 with 16 hits and 11 RBI's in 32 games last season.
"It's a friendly competition between Alicia and Kelly," Johnson said. "Both are supporting each other and hopefully that will bring out the best in both of them."
Freshmen Brittany Hahn and Kalee LoFaso will be on the Rock's pitching staff behind Conron and will be slated to start and relieve some games this season.
Johnson said he and the team are excited about the beginning of the season and he is ready to produce a new product out on the field.
The Rock will begin the season at Savannah, Ga. starting next week. The Rock's opponents Sunday through Tuesday are Georgia Southwestern, Bluefield State twice, Quincy and Savannah State.
The Rock will then travel to Fort Valley and Florence, S.C. In a span of three days, March 10-12, the Rock will play six games against Fort Valley State, Lander, Shaw, North Carolina Central, Coker and Barton.
The final pit stop on the road trip will be at Washington, D.C., against Howard and Columbia Union on March 18-19.
The Rock's first home game of the season will be against Juniata on March 23 at 3 p.m.
"We would like to start the season hot and win a couple of our first games so that our younger players will get that confidence and be on the right mind set," Johnson said. "I think we can be very successful this season and it should be a learning experience for our team."
