Posted: 10/16/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball team finished a strong fall season last weekend with a pair of wins over Rutgers to push their record to 7-0-1. The Mountain Hawks followed their Patriot League Championship season in the spring with the stellar fall campaign that will help them prepare for a run at the 2013 league championship in the spring.
“The fall is really a time for us to get to know all of our players,” said head coach Fran Troyan. “While it's a good time for us to be competitive and win some games, it's much more about finding out what we need to improve and work on, as well as what we're already good at.”
The Mountain Hawks begin their spring season in February and will be focused on improving their entire team until then with an offseason workout program and practices.
“I think this fall we definitely did a lot of things right, but also were able to figure out what we need to spend the winter months trying to perfect so that we can be competitive in the spring and win games when it counts,” said Troyan.
In the spring, Lehigh will be pursuing its third straight Patriot League title. The team will look to replace a talented group of four seniors and welcome five freshmen to the roster: infielders Jessica Calvini, Morgan Decker, Alexis Watanabe and Carissa Zito and outfielder MacKenzie Velasquez.
Troyan previously announced that three seniors: pitcher Becca Bliss, catcher Liz Lucas, and outfielder Kristen Mitchell, will serve as captains for the 2012 season.
Individual workouts and practices during the next four months will help Troyan and his staff find the right replacements for the graduating seniors and give the Mountain Hawks the best chance of winning what would be their eighth Patriot League title in the last ten years.
“The team is looking forward to these workouts during the winter season because it gives us a chance to focus on each individual player and offer her what she needs in order to become the best player she can be by the spring time,” said Troyan.
Story by Cameron Omsberg ‘13