Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Continues Early-Season Run at Longwood Classic this Weekend
2/25/2011 7:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 25, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell softball will return to warmer weather when they head to the Longwood Classic at Lancer Field in Farmville, Va., on Saturday and Sunday. The Bison will open the weekend with Stony Brook, followed by a pair of contests with Quinnipiac and a final showdown with Longwood. Live stats for all games are available at the Longwood Classic Tournament Central.
LONGWOOD CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 26
9 a.m.: Stony Brook vs. Bucknell
11 a.m.: Bucknell vs. Quinnipiac
1 p.m.: Longwood vs. Stony Brook
3 pm.: Quinnipiac vs. Longwood
Sunday, Feb. 27
9 a.m.: Quinnipiac vs. Stony Brook
11 a.m.: Bucknell vs. Quinnipiac
1 p.m.: Stony Brook vs. Longwood
3 p.m.: Longwood vs. Bucknell
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell finished its first weekend of 2011 with a 1-4 record at the Coastal Carolina Kickin' Chicken Classic. The win came in the opener as Alex MacLean (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) pitched a 4-0 shutout against James Madison.
- Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) re-emerged as one of Bucknell's top hitters last weekend, going 5-for-16 (.313) at the plate. The senior has a six-game hitting streak going back to the NCAA Tournament last spring when she hit 1-for-3 against Ohio State.
- The only Bison other than Snyder to record more than two hits last weekend was Kathryn Wilkinson (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas). Wilkinson, who missed the end of the 2010 campaign with a knee injury, was 3-for-7 (.429) from the plate at Coastal Carolina.
- In three appearances at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, MacLean earned a 1-2 record in the pitchers' circle and held opponents to a .171 batting average. The sophomore struck out 15 batters in 19.0 innings pitched. MacLean allowed just two hits in her shutout against James Madison.
- When the Bison play Longwood in the fourth game of the tournament this weekend, Heather Rakosik will be coaching in the 300th game of her Bucknell career. Rakosik, who has a record of 117-177-2 in her six years at the helm for the Orange and Blue, is second in games coached behind Terrie Grieb's 633.
- Lauren Fry (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) and MacLean both have their eyes on the Bucknell record books. With 138 career hits, Fry needs just five more to tie Lauren Litts for 10th on the program list. MacLean is six strikeouts shy of tying Bucknell Hall of Famer Lisa Fink for 10th all-time.
- Fry is not the only current Bison with more than 100 career hits. Snyder is next on the list with 105, while Elyse Colmenero (Fresno, Calif./Central) and Alison Ford (Suisun City, Calif./Fairfield) each have 102.
- After a pair of come-from-behind wins in the Patriot League Championships last season, Bucknell made it clear that it had the power to make up ground late in the game. That trend has continued in 2011. In last weekend's four games, the Bison scored seven of their 10 runs in the seventh inning.
- Bucknell was voted first in the Patriot League Preseason Poll earlier this month. The Bison earned 44 points and six first-place votes, beating out Army and Lehigh, which tied with 40 points and three first-place votes each. It is the first time Bucknell had been picked first in the preseason poll since 1998.
- Snyder picked up one of the highest honors in recent program history when the second baseman was selected as a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalist last week. The award recognizes student-athletes for their achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition. Snyder is one of 30 finalists nationwide.
ABOUT THE LANCERS
- Longwood welcomes its trio of opponents after going 4-0 at its own Lancer Lead-Off Classic last weekend. The Lancers knocked of IUPUI twice (8-1 and 11-3), Army (7-2) and Quinnipiac (4-1) in that tournament. As a team, Longwood hit .331 in those four games and held its opponents to a .152 average.
- Brooke Short, who hit .436 with 13 home runs as a freshman last year, is again one of the team's top hitters. The pitcher/utility player is hitting .533 (8-15) with four home runs and 10 RBI already this season. The Lancers' top pitcher from a year ago, Briana Wells, is also back. The senior posted a 31-10 record and 2.69 ERA last season and is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 2011.
- Longwood was 36-16 overall last year competing as an independent school. Short was not the only Lancer hitting better than .400 as Kami Nuckols, who is one of seven returning starters, went .421 at the plate last year and stole 23 bases on 27 attempts.
- Bucknell is 0-2 all-time against Longwood. The team's last met at the Lancers' tournament in 2009, and Longwood walked away with a 16-3 victory. Ford hit 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the contest. Longwood's 16 runs came on just 12 hits.
ABOUT THE SEAWOLVES
- Stony Brook will be making its first appearance of the spring this weekend. The Seawolves finished the 2010 campaign with a 32-21-1 overall record and went 10-7 in the American East Conference.
- Stony Brook has lost nine letterwinners from a year ago, and only three of their top 10 hitters are back for another round. Leading the group of returners is sophomore Shannon O'Shea who hit .313 as a rookie.
- Bucknell hasn't played Stony Brook since 1992. The teams met twice in both 1991 and 1992, and the Bison swept the competition. The closest matchup came in 1991 with Bucknell winning 7-1. In the four matchups, the Bison outscored the Seawolves 52-7.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
- Quinnipiac will be making its second straight appearance at Longwood after the team went 1-3 at the Lancer Lead-Off Classic last weekend. The lone win came against Army, 6-5. They also lost to the Black Knights 5-3, IUPUI 5-3 and Longwood 4-1. The Bobcats struggled at the plate during their season-opening tournament, hitting .175. Once they were on base, however, the Bobcats did well to advance. They finished the weekend 10-for-12 in stolen bases.
- Quinnipiac was 28-24 overall and 15-5 in the Northeast Conference. Back for another turn is sophomore infielder Alejandra Alba, who hit a team-best .315. Junior pitcher Heather Schwarztburg also returns after earning a 20-8 record and a 1.51 ERA last season. Schwartzburg totaled 255 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .181 average.
- Bucknell is 2-1 all-time against Quinnipiac. They last met at the 2009 Longwood Tournament where the Bison came away with 13-1 (5 inn.) and 10-7 victories. Fry was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Kara Sullivan (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) tagged her first career home run in the first game. Sullivan's grand slam contributed to Bucknell's 11 total RBI. The Orange and Blue's only loss to Quinnipiac came in 2003.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next on Bucknell's early-season schedule is the George Mason Tournament. The Bison will head to Fairfax, Va., March 11-13 to take on the host Patriots, Cornell and Binghamton.
