Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Softball Opens 2013 at Cleveland State Dome Tournament
2/15/2013 7:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 15, 2013
Bucknell Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 16
11 a.m.: vs. St. Bonaventure
3 p.m.: at Cleveland State (GameTracker 
)
Sunday, Feb. 17
10 a.m.: vs. Canisius
2 p.m.: at Cleveland State (GameTracker )
LEWISBURG, Pa. - With professional baseball starting its trek south for the beginning of its season, Bucknell softball is headed the opposite way to Cleveland, Ohio, to open its 2013 campaign at the CSU Dome Tournament at Krenzler Field this weekend. The Bison will take on the host Cleveland State as well as St. Bonaventure and Canisius as first-year head coach Bonnie Skrenta begins her run with the Orange & Blue. Bucknell will hit the field Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and continue play Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Live stats on GameTracker for games against Cleveland State will be available at cusvikings.com.
Meetings with this weekend's opponents have been rare for Bucknell. The Bison are 2-2 all-time vs. Canisius, 1-3 vs. Cleveland State and 3-0 vs. St. Bonaventure. It has been more than a decade since the Bison played either Canisius or St. Bonaventure. The Bucknell-Cleveland State series has been contested a bit more recently, however. The last time the two squads faced off, it was in a warmer climate. The Vikings took an 8-5 win at the 2006 Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. Bucknell's last win against the Vikings came one year earlier in Kissimmee, 4-3.
Bucknell's 2013 campaign also includes a dozen games at Charles & Karen Becker Field with the first being March 27 against Drexel. Just three days later, the Bison will begin their Patriot League schedule with Lehigh, which was selected first in the latest conference preseason poll, on March 30-31.
Below is a more in-depth look at the upcoming Bucknell softball season.
Three years out from its last Patriot League Championship, Bucknell softball has a new coach and a new approach. The Bison are hoping that's what it takes to get back on track and recapture that 2010 magic.
Bucknell has nine newcomers on its roster in 2013 and three of those are on the coaching staff. In July 2012 the Bison welcomed Bonnie Skrenta as the fifth head coach in program history. Shortly after, she brought in assistants Maya Ripecky and Lindsay Freitag to help lead the team. New to Bucknell but not to coaching - Skrenta registered a 280-127-2 (.687) record in 10 years in her previous post at DePauw University - the first-year staff has a clear strategy to get the Orange & Blue back in the Patriot League mix and in the hunt for another title.
"The philosophy will be to be offensive-minded. We want to score a lot of runs," said Skrenta ahead of the season's opening tournament at Cleveland State. "The top teams in the Patriot League have an average of scoring five runs a game or so, and we need to get our average up."
Bucknell averaged 2.0 runs per game, including 1.3 in conference matchups, last season. The squad's leader in runs scored Mary Horton returns this spring. For the Bison to be successful, however, they'll need more production up and down the lineup. That collective effort will be a key focus for Skrenta's Bison and a challenge as she begins to put her own stamp on the program.
"Everyone has bought in to the team objectives," explained Skrenta. "Our goal is to win every game we play. That means there will be players that have roles that are very supportive and that could be a challenge at times. I can see us honing in on 12 batters and really investing a lot of at bats to a small number of people. Staying focused on team goals and putting the team before the individual successes is the focus, day in and day out. The more the team has success, the more individuals have success."
Bucknell should have plenty of personnel options for obtaining that team success. The Bison lost just one player to graduation from a year ago and brought in six new faces to deepen the field in the pitchers' circle, behind the plate and in the outfield. Add that to seven returning starters and Bucknell boasts a solid mix of veteran experience and rejuvenating rookies that could be the perfect combination to get back to the top of the standings.
PITCHER
After posting a team ERA of 5.35 last spring, Bucknell's pitching staff is expected to be one of its strong suits. Joining seniors Alex MacLean and Bridget Gates on the pitching staff are freshmen Amanda Fazio, Dana Nielsen and Cindy Cherness. MacLean and Gates got the bulk of the work in 2012, pitching 238 of the team's 275 innings and the senior duo will be looked to for continued leadership in the circle.
"All winter long they've been working together as a team on how to tackle a seven-inning game. There's a nice mix of movement and speed," praised Skrenta.
"Dana, Amanda and Cindy will make a big impact on the mound. That's to complement two senior pitchers who I think needed some relief last year," Skrenta continued. "They're very strong. They throw very hard. They have command of the game, but they needed some other threats to help them trick batters."
MacLean enters her final campaign with the Bison with some program standards within her sights. After three complete seasons, the former Patriot League Rookie of the Year and Tournament MVP ranks second all-time at Bucknell in career appearances (96) and starts (76). She is also fourth in program annals in strikeouts with 299, needing 65 more to take over the record.
CATCHER
Whereas Bucknell has veterans MacLean and Gates to anchor its pitching staff, the Bison will rely on a younger contingent at catcher. Vying for a starting spot are sophomores Kristen Zahn and Alex Wells and freshman Cheyanna Young. The trio has combined for just 10 collegiate starts behind the plate, a position that was held down last year by then-senior Meredith Dickson.
"The catcher position will be an exciting, dynamic place. The only thing we can say is that our catchers call the game, and it will be the catcher that keeps our pitchers calm and under control," said Skrenta. "It's a big job. We need someone with confidence saying, `This is where I want it.'"
Also key to personnel choices at catcher will be offensive contribution. Zahn was one of Bucknell's top freshman hitters and led the team in stolen bases last spring. Wells saw most of her action coming off the bench as a pinch hitter.
INFIELD
Some of Bucknell's most experienced players will occupy the infield defensively. Anchoring the corners will be juniors Mallory Lyons and Courtney Conover, but four other Bison returners will be competing for a share of the playing time as well. Lyons made 25 of her 35 starts at third base and offensively led the team in extra-base hits a year ago. Conover looks to be the early favorite at first base having made a majority of her starts in 2012 at that spot.
"We're going to try to score runs this year and right now, Mallory and Courtney are managing their at bats in a really junior-like way," said Skrenta. "What they also bring on the corners is a vocal presence. We like the leadership at the anchor positions."
Also looking to get in the mix at the corners will be Erin Cox, Colie Escobar, who also saw time in the outfield last spring, Sophia Geraci and Kasey Segiel. Bucknell will likely turn to Horton and Cydnee Sanders in the middle infield. Neither is a stranger to their positions as Horton made 25 starts at second base and Sanders was among the starting nine at shortstop 30 times last spring. Horton became one of the most decorated Bison for her play last year as she was voted First Team All-Patriot League by the conference's coaches. She was recognized again this winter, earning a nod to the inaugural Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
"She is by far an offensive leader and we want to keep her as a threat," said Skrenta of Horton, who led the team in batting average (.313), runs scored (14) and slugging percentage (.374) in 2012. "She's a tremendous infielder and our leader on the field."
Joining Horton in the middle infield will be Sanders and veterans Laura Sandford and Caryn Connors. Although just a sophomore, Sanders is hardly untested, having played in 43 of the team's 45 games and finishing among Bucknell's leaders in runs scored and stolen bases in her rookie campaign. "Sanders had a tremendous start and will be in the mix with Laura and Caryn," said Skrenta.
Sandford missed being in the lineup just once last spring, making a majority of her appearances at second base. Connors played exclusively in the outfield a year ago.
OUTFIELD
Every class will be represented in the outfield pool thanks to senior Cassie Greenhawk, junior Caryn Connors, sophomore Tori Robinson and freshmen Mariah Midyette and Lauren Swindell. Greenhawk and Robinson are expected to be stalwarts again this year after making more outfield starts than any other Bison last spring. Robinson's duties came exclusively in center field where she made 32 starts. Greenhawk, who has also spent a good portion of her career as one of Bucknell's go-to pinch runners, made 30 starts in the outfield, primarily in left and right.
Escobar, Sanders and Zahn also combined for 33 outfield starts last spring, but the trio is expected to spend their time elsewhere in the field this season. As the three remaining returning outfielders, Robinson, Greenhawk and Connors will be looked to to step up their offense to continue contributing to the team's efforts.
"We will see some freshmen making an impact in the outfield," predicted Skrenta. "You'll see Cassie and Tori, and we're excited about both players and what they bring to the team. Mariah Midyette and Lauren Swindell are very aggressive on the base paths. They're solid in the outfield and they're both very strong offensive threats. We are very excited about them as their transition to collegiate softball has been strong both on offense and in the outfield."
