Season Preview: Mountain Hawks look to make their own mark in 2018
2/21/2018 4:30:00 PM | Softball
The Lehigh softball program reclaimed its spot at the top of the Patriot League in 2017. A torrid run coming out of spring break lifted Lehigh to its sixth straight regular season title, and with their season on the line, the Mountain Hawks knocked off Boston University twice on the final day of the Patriot League Tournament to win their 14th title and ninth in the last 14 seasons as Lehigh returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus.
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While last year's senior class of Christine Campbell, Ashley Cole and Vicky Lattanzio played a key role in Lehigh's success, both on and off the field, 15 players return from last year's title team, including five All-Patriot League performers from a season ago. Add in four talented newcomers and the pieces are in place for the 2018 Mountain Hawks to craft their own successful season.
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"We have a group that's really eager to make their own mark," said head coach Fran Troyan, who enters his 23rd season. "They feel like last year's season came to fruition because of the great leadership from last year's senior class. Our current seniors are looking forward to stepping into their shoes and being a great leadership class as well. I'm confident that they're going to do that. We're going to try hard not to be bound by anything that the program has done in the past and go on this journey as our own journey. We're working hard on a daily basis to get a little better every day and that has always been our goal."
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Successful softball starts in the pitcher's circle. Lehigh loses Campbell, who pitched all 14 innings and posted two wins on the final day of last year's Patriot League Tournament, but returns two players from last year's title team plus a promising freshman.
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Junior Emily Sorem owns the most experience on the staff. A first team all-league performer last season, and the 2018 preseason Pitcher of the Year. Sorem went 11-9 with a 2.81 ERA last season but was dominant during the Patriot League regular season, going 7-0 with a 1.22 ERA. Sophomore Parker Boyd threw just 57.2 innings last year but has shown promise in the fall and in the preseason and should be primed for a larger role. Troyan has also brought in freshman Lainey Stephenson from Scottsdale, Arizona, whose role will likely expand as she works her way back from injury.
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"We have two pitchers with some experience and a newcomer who is obviously coming off an injury but has some talent," Troyan explains. "Parker is a student of the game and is really progressing. As long as they all progress we feel like we should be fine in the pitcher's circle."
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On the other end of the battery, Lehigh is deep at catcher, with the unit led by senior Carolyn Wright. A three-year starter behind the plate, Wright is a two-time first team All-Patriot League selection who last year tied for the league lead with 42 RBIs, and will be heavily relied upon both behind the plate and in the middle of Lehigh's lineup.
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Sophomore Emily Preble, an excellent defensive backstop, will provide depth behind Wright along with freshmen Allyson Dibsie and Payton Alsobrooks. Dibsie is a power hitter who will bid to work her way into Lehigh's lineup somewhere, while the versatile Alsobrooks could contribute behind the plate, at third base or in left field.
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"Carolyn is really important to our success," Troyan said. "It's important that she's in the lineup somewhere. The catching position is a real strength for us. Emily Preble has done a great job behind the plate and is coming along offensively. Allyson Dibsie is incredibly talented as is Payton Alsobrooks, who came in as a catcher/utility. We have a lot of depth at the catching position and that's an important place to have a lot of depth."
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The Mountain Hawks will enter the season with a wealth of speed and depth in the outfield, with the trio of expected starting outfielders to likely set the table in Lehigh's batting order. Senior Nicole Yozzo is a two-time all-league selection who will likely lead off and play left field. Yozzo batted .329 with 28 stolen bases last season after being limited due to injuries as a sophomore. First team All-Patriot League performer Ashley Rabago returns in center field after recording a .323 average, 53 hits and 17 steals. The third speedster is sophomore Hannah Edwards, a Pitt transfer who figures to play right field. Edwards had 32 hits, including a team-best three triples, plus 11 steals for the Panthers last season.
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"We've got a bunch of people who can play the outfield that are also very, very good at getting on base," Troyan said. "But we do need people to drive them in, and honestly, we have some people that are really stepping up that we feel like are going to be really good RBI people for us. We'll see how all that emerges."
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Lehigh also returns senior Katie Schultz, an all-league performer two seasons ago, but with the wealth of available outfield talent, Schultz has also worked at first base in the preseason.
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"We're asking Katie to learn first base and she's doing a great job with it so far," Troyan said. "We're not going to know how that's going to work out until we see her play in some games."
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Senior Cassie Lajeunesse will contribute left-handed power off the bench.
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On the infield, Lehigh returns experience up the middle with senior shortstop Rachel Timberman (.282 average) and sophomore second baseman Mary-Hannah Smith (28 RBIs) back in the fold along with senior Lindsay Phillips and sophomore Lexi van Ooyen. The Mountain Hawks have two quality options at third base, with strong-armed junior Brie Gerhardt, who ranked third on the team with a .318 batting average and sophomore Reva Alderman, who ranked second on the team with 30 RBIs, competing for time. Alderman could also figure in at first base or in a corner outfield spot.
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The biggest on-field question mark may be at first base, where Lehigh must replace Lattanzio's leadership and production. Junior Jennifer Stoll is the best defender of the group, while Katie Schultz continues to learn the position. Other possible options at first base include Reva Alderman, Carolyn Wright and Allyson Dibsie.
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"It could be a variety of people over there," Troyan said of the first base situation. "We're going to test out a lot of different options there and both Brie and Reva are doing a great job at third base right now. We have to figure out a way to not only put a great defense on the field but get our best offensive players at bats as well."
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This year's Lehigh team is a versatile one. Troyan should have plenty of options at his disposal to play matchups at a variety of positions and mold his lineups based on needs for defense, speed or power.
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"We don't have any superstars but if you look through our lineup, one through nine, any player is capable of being somebody that can bring a lot to the offense for the team," Troyan said.
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To prepare for the always challenging Patriot League slate, Lehigh has lined up a demanding early season schedule that includes four tournaments and features a pair of nationally-ranked opponents as well as four pre-Patriot League games against 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
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"The only way to get better is to play better teams," Troyan said. "That's why we schedule those teams, to see where we are and figure out what we have to work on, but to also see how stronger teams operate.
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"We're looking to make sure that when Patriot League play starts that we have a pretty good idea of what our best lineup is," Troyan continued. "One of our goals early in season is to sort all that out. Just like last year, we have a lot to sort out, but we'll get it all sorted out. We're playing for the Patriot League regular season, to do well in that and to make the tournament and hopefully we'll have a shot to host the tournament."
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The Mountain Hawks will open the 2018 season with five games in three days at the Citrus Classic, Feb. 23-25 in Orlando, Fla. Lehigh will open with Louisville (10 a.m.) and Savannah State (12:30 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 23 and will face No. 22 Minnesota on Saturday before wrapping up the opening weekend against No. 24/RV South Carolina and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday.
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While last year's senior class of Christine Campbell, Ashley Cole and Vicky Lattanzio played a key role in Lehigh's success, both on and off the field, 15 players return from last year's title team, including five All-Patriot League performers from a season ago. Add in four talented newcomers and the pieces are in place for the 2018 Mountain Hawks to craft their own successful season.
Â
"We have a group that's really eager to make their own mark," said head coach Fran Troyan, who enters his 23rd season. "They feel like last year's season came to fruition because of the great leadership from last year's senior class. Our current seniors are looking forward to stepping into their shoes and being a great leadership class as well. I'm confident that they're going to do that. We're going to try hard not to be bound by anything that the program has done in the past and go on this journey as our own journey. We're working hard on a daily basis to get a little better every day and that has always been our goal."
Â
Successful softball starts in the pitcher's circle. Lehigh loses Campbell, who pitched all 14 innings and posted two wins on the final day of last year's Patriot League Tournament, but returns two players from last year's title team plus a promising freshman.
Â
Junior Emily Sorem owns the most experience on the staff. A first team all-league performer last season, and the 2018 preseason Pitcher of the Year. Sorem went 11-9 with a 2.81 ERA last season but was dominant during the Patriot League regular season, going 7-0 with a 1.22 ERA. Sophomore Parker Boyd threw just 57.2 innings last year but has shown promise in the fall and in the preseason and should be primed for a larger role. Troyan has also brought in freshman Lainey Stephenson from Scottsdale, Arizona, whose role will likely expand as she works her way back from injury.
Â
"We have two pitchers with some experience and a newcomer who is obviously coming off an injury but has some talent," Troyan explains. "Parker is a student of the game and is really progressing. As long as they all progress we feel like we should be fine in the pitcher's circle."
Â
On the other end of the battery, Lehigh is deep at catcher, with the unit led by senior Carolyn Wright. A three-year starter behind the plate, Wright is a two-time first team All-Patriot League selection who last year tied for the league lead with 42 RBIs, and will be heavily relied upon both behind the plate and in the middle of Lehigh's lineup.
Â
Sophomore Emily Preble, an excellent defensive backstop, will provide depth behind Wright along with freshmen Allyson Dibsie and Payton Alsobrooks. Dibsie is a power hitter who will bid to work her way into Lehigh's lineup somewhere, while the versatile Alsobrooks could contribute behind the plate, at third base or in left field.
Â
"Carolyn is really important to our success," Troyan said. "It's important that she's in the lineup somewhere. The catching position is a real strength for us. Emily Preble has done a great job behind the plate and is coming along offensively. Allyson Dibsie is incredibly talented as is Payton Alsobrooks, who came in as a catcher/utility. We have a lot of depth at the catching position and that's an important place to have a lot of depth."
Â
The Mountain Hawks will enter the season with a wealth of speed and depth in the outfield, with the trio of expected starting outfielders to likely set the table in Lehigh's batting order. Senior Nicole Yozzo is a two-time all-league selection who will likely lead off and play left field. Yozzo batted .329 with 28 stolen bases last season after being limited due to injuries as a sophomore. First team All-Patriot League performer Ashley Rabago returns in center field after recording a .323 average, 53 hits and 17 steals. The third speedster is sophomore Hannah Edwards, a Pitt transfer who figures to play right field. Edwards had 32 hits, including a team-best three triples, plus 11 steals for the Panthers last season.
Â
"We've got a bunch of people who can play the outfield that are also very, very good at getting on base," Troyan said. "But we do need people to drive them in, and honestly, we have some people that are really stepping up that we feel like are going to be really good RBI people for us. We'll see how all that emerges."
Â
Lehigh also returns senior Katie Schultz, an all-league performer two seasons ago, but with the wealth of available outfield talent, Schultz has also worked at first base in the preseason.
Â
"We're asking Katie to learn first base and she's doing a great job with it so far," Troyan said. "We're not going to know how that's going to work out until we see her play in some games."
Â
Senior Cassie Lajeunesse will contribute left-handed power off the bench.
Â
On the infield, Lehigh returns experience up the middle with senior shortstop Rachel Timberman (.282 average) and sophomore second baseman Mary-Hannah Smith (28 RBIs) back in the fold along with senior Lindsay Phillips and sophomore Lexi van Ooyen. The Mountain Hawks have two quality options at third base, with strong-armed junior Brie Gerhardt, who ranked third on the team with a .318 batting average and sophomore Reva Alderman, who ranked second on the team with 30 RBIs, competing for time. Alderman could also figure in at first base or in a corner outfield spot.
Â
The biggest on-field question mark may be at first base, where Lehigh must replace Lattanzio's leadership and production. Junior Jennifer Stoll is the best defender of the group, while Katie Schultz continues to learn the position. Other possible options at first base include Reva Alderman, Carolyn Wright and Allyson Dibsie.
Â
"It could be a variety of people over there," Troyan said of the first base situation. "We're going to test out a lot of different options there and both Brie and Reva are doing a great job at third base right now. We have to figure out a way to not only put a great defense on the field but get our best offensive players at bats as well."
Â
This year's Lehigh team is a versatile one. Troyan should have plenty of options at his disposal to play matchups at a variety of positions and mold his lineups based on needs for defense, speed or power.
Â
"We don't have any superstars but if you look through our lineup, one through nine, any player is capable of being somebody that can bring a lot to the offense for the team," Troyan said.
Â
To prepare for the always challenging Patriot League slate, Lehigh has lined up a demanding early season schedule that includes four tournaments and features a pair of nationally-ranked opponents as well as four pre-Patriot League games against 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
Â
"The only way to get better is to play better teams," Troyan said. "That's why we schedule those teams, to see where we are and figure out what we have to work on, but to also see how stronger teams operate.
Â
"We're looking to make sure that when Patriot League play starts that we have a pretty good idea of what our best lineup is," Troyan continued. "One of our goals early in season is to sort all that out. Just like last year, we have a lot to sort out, but we'll get it all sorted out. We're playing for the Patriot League regular season, to do well in that and to make the tournament and hopefully we'll have a shot to host the tournament."
Â
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2018 season with five games in three days at the Citrus Classic, Feb. 23-25 in Orlando, Fla. Lehigh will open with Louisville (10 a.m.) and Savannah State (12:30 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 23 and will face No. 22 Minnesota on Saturday before wrapping up the opening weekend against No. 24/RV South Carolina and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday.
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Players Mentioned
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C/OF
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P
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P
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OF
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C/UT
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OF
/ Softball
OF
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UT
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IF
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C
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OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
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P
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P/UT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF/UT
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
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