By Ed Morrone

When asked to describe the 2004 softball season in one word, head coach Bill Edwards instead offered three: “A year early.” Those around to see it understand Edwards’ reasoning for choosing this phrase.

The Pride had a stellar year that included a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Conference Championship, a 38-21 overall record, and a remarkable run through the NCAA Tournament that left them one win away from reaching the College World Series (CWS). It truly was a Cinderella story, but it fell one glass slipper short, as the Pride lost to seventh-ranked Stanford in the Region VII championship game.

“What happened last year is what we hoped would happen this year because we didn’t have a lot of experienced players then, but the fact that it happened at all is pretty special,” Edwards said.

Despite the team’s successes last year, don’t expect Edwards or any of the players to come out arrogant in 2005. There are no inflated egos or cocky dispositions with this team. It’s a brand new season, and everybody starts over again with an unblemished record.

“We don’t set goals other than to play every pitch, game, and situation as best as we can,” Edwards said. “If we start setting goals and don’t live up to them then everybody gets disappointed. We don’t want to put any more importance on this season than last season or the season before that. It’s a whole new year and a whole new ballgame and we just need to focus on the present rather than the past.”

Favored to win the CAA for the fourth consecutive year and ranked No. 25 in the preseason USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Coaches poll, nothing will come easy this year for the Pride. One advantage that the Pride does have is returning with most of its key players from the 2004 roster. Aside from losing catcher Meaghan Almon (.275, 25 RBI) and pitcher Alexis Alcantara (11-3, 2.12 ERA) to graduation, the Pride brings back all of the players that came within a few outs of the first CWS in school history.

Keeping that in mind, here is a position-by-position look at the 2005 Pride:

Pitchers

Despite losing Alcantara, the Pride can still turn to two experienced pitchers, either of whom could be the staff ace. Callie Osborne, who transferred from Briarcliffe Junior College before last season, went 12-3 with a school record ERA of 0.79. She also had 10 complete games and seven shutouts. The Pride brings back Adrienne Clark who, despite having a 13-13 record, posted a 1.52 ERA and led the team in strikeouts with 108. Clark won three one-run games in the NCAA Tournament, so her experience will be a tremendous advantage to the Pride. Junior Amy Belonick will most likely be given the difficult task of replacing Alcantara as the team’s third starter. The Pride also has some newcomers that could eat up innings on the mound. Freshman Courtney Oliver, a Boston Globe Player of the Year recipient, and sophomore transfer Jennifer Daddino will both be available to contribute when needed.

Catcher

This position is one big concern for the Pride entering the season. Almon was one of the leaders of last year’s team, catching every inning of every game. Two possible solutions include using 2004 CAA Rookie of the Year Ashley Lane (normally an outfielder) as a catcher, who has the skills and athleticism to make the position switch if necessary, or perhaps the Pride will turn to junior Kristin Galeone-Almon’s backup for the past two seasons. What Edwards plans to do with the catching position is not entirely decided yet, and a catcher-by-committee platoon with Lane and Galeone is also possible.

Infield

Senior Stefanie Kenney will return at first base for the Pride. Last season was Kenney’s first time playing first base full time, and she adjusted to the position rather nicely. She has 16 career home runs, which is eight shy of the all-time record held by Amanda Hallaway, who ironically is the person Kenney replaced at first.

Second base should again be entrenched by junior Lisa Wambold, the MVP of the CAA Tournament last season. Junior Laura Sweeney will return at shortstop, where she started all 59 games for the Pride in 2004. Sweeney hit .257 last season and will again be the team’s leadoff hitter in 2005. Junior Tara Ulrich will be the Pride’s third basemen for the third consecutive season. Ulrich supplies power to the lineup and has been named to the All-CAA team in her previous two seasons.

Outfield

This could be the strength of the Pride. Seniors Lisa Torres, Kelly Morris, and Hailey Clark may all nab starting jobs in the outfield with Torres in left, Morris in center, and Clark in right.

Torres finally got a full season under her belt after losing much of the first three due to injury, Morris ended 2004 on an 11-game hitting streak, and Clark hit 16 home runs, one shy of the school record. Lane, who played a lot of right field in 2004 while leading the team in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, and RBIs, could also see time in the outfield if she is not busy taking over the catching position.

Bench

The Pride also has a ton of depth, with many freshman expected to step in and contribute right away. Pam Dreslinski, Gen Haney, and Oliver are all terrific athletes who can play multiple positions in case a key player goes down due to injury or any other extenuating circumstance.

Overall, it is a season filled with exceptional promise. The Pride could almost taste the CWS last year, which means it will come out hungrier than ever. But with all of the endless possibilities, don’t expect Edwards to coach any differently this season than any others in the past.

“Our philosophy is real simple: ‘Go Play,'” Edwards said. “We don’t think about anything else other than playing in the moment. We’ll see what happens.’

Senior pitcher Adrienne Clark is coming off of a season in which she led the team in wins (13) and strikeouts (108) while pitching to an earned run average of 1.52. (Photo Courtesy Athletic Dept.)