By Amanda Guerriero
Looking at this season in comparison to last for the Pride softball team, the records match up close to perfection. But as far as similarities go between the teams, they pretty much end there.
The many new faces is one of the biggest differences, as numerous underclassmen have received significant playing time.
The most noticeable difference is, without question, the pitching staff.
Last year’s squad was packed with veteran starters, including Adrienne Clark, who was recognized as one of the nation’s best big-game pitchers. Clark pitched 13 games against nationally ranked teams, with Stanford University being the only team to score an earned run.
Clark, along with the rest of the pitching staff, were known stars and every team knew what to expect when it faced Hofstra, which may have actually been a disadvantage to the Pride. It was expected of the veteran pitchers to be superb in the playoffs, which put a lot of pressure on the team to make it very far.
This season is quite the opposite, as two of the starting pitchers are freshmen (Kayleigh Lotti and Melissa Hodge), and sophomore Courtney Oliver is the third starter who saw limited action in her freshmen year.
The only veteran pitcher in the circle this season is relief pitcher Amy Belonick. Unfortunately for Belonick, the young pitchers success has caused far fewer opportunities to close games this season. She has only pitched 26 innings, less than what was anticipated at the beginning of the season.
High expectations were held for last year’s team, but luckily for the present squad, the expectations for this season have already been exceeded. The Pride pitching staff has more than proven that even though it is young, it knows how to throw heat. Throughout the season, Hofstra’s pitchers have gained respect and, if anything, raised the expectations of this season.
As the popularity of last year’s pitching staff may have been a disadvantage, other teams’ limited knowledge of this years staff should prove to be a huge advantage in the post-season.
This will be especially true if the Pride wins the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and moves on to play teams it hasn’t faced this season. There is not too much information and focus placed on the Pride’s freshmen pitchers, which will cause other teams to have difficulty in figuring them out.
This season has an undeniable recipe for success. Combine the fresh and young pitching core with solid hitting and players who know how to generate runs by any means necessary, and there’s the perfect formula for success.
After adding in the heart and spirit of this Pride team, it is not unfathomable that Hofstra will have great success in the post-season.