The Hofstra Pride softball team enters the 2023 campaign with high expectations after a disappointing 2022 season. With many returning players, including five graduate students, the Pride will look to once again regain their crown at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). 

Second-year head coach Adrienne Clark is back at the helm of the Pride, looking to lead the team to higher success after a 21-27 record last season. Clark, an alumna of Hofstra, as well as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2014 for the Pride, is ready to get back out there and coach this group once again.

“It’s incredibly fun; they are really incredible humans,” Clark said. “Just being able to surround myself with them every day makes it really exciting to want to come and do my job.”

Heading into the season, Clark is open to making coaching adjustments as compared to last season. Whether it’s her mindset changing from year-to-year or her philosophy switching up depending on the roster, Clark is eager to set her squad up for a great deal of success.

“Philosophically, it stays pretty consistent, getting the team to play hard, go full speed, to be able to make mistakes and embracing what the game gives us,” Clark explained. “I would say that the mindset does and can shift some with personnel and personalities. I think when you have players on the same team that are inherently leaders and have a lot of experience, it makes it a little easier in some ways because they take the ownership of wanting to be in control and be a leader.”

Clark is also grateful to have such an experienced roster. “We’re lucky this year to have five fifth-year players who chose to come back and stay which I think is pretty incredible,” Clark said. “And I think it kind of speaks volumes to what it means to play here.”

One of those fifth-year players is star third baseman and shortstop Meghan Giordano. Giordano had another successful season for Hofstra last year as she was named to the All-CAA first team. She accounted for 43 hits with 30 runs, along with 32 RBIs and seven home runs. Giordano will look to build off a great year while also establishing new goals for herself as her career with the Pride winds down. 

“Year to year, I try to elevate the standards from last year and where we finished,” Giordano said. “We get a couple new kids each year, and we just try to work to get everyone on the same page, which is a goal of mine each year. Becoming a unit, staying the course and trusting the process like coach says.”

With this being Giordano’s last year, she is determined to add on to her legacy.

“Of course, I want to go out with a bang and take the CAAs back to Hempstead,” she said. “But my biggest goal each year is just to get everyone to buy in to what we’re doing, getting to a place where if we do it together, there isn’t anything that can stop us.”

Another major piece to the Pride’s returning nucleus is the highly versatile Chelsea Manto. Manto had a career year last season with 63 hits, which not only a team-high but also a high for the CAA in that category. She was also named to the All-CAA first team.

“My speed is a big part of that, so as long as I keep the ball off the ground, I usually have a good chance of getting on first base, which is a major part of my game,” Manto said. “Also, trusting the process and believing in yourself, going into the box with confidence, has helped me along the way.”

It’s no question that both Manto and Giordano will be looked at as the core leaders of this team. And Clark has been nothing short of impressed with her leaders for stepping up.

“I think the biggest thing we have seen so far this year is their ability to communicate,” Clark said. “I know we are constantly working on that in practice, but what’s really cool is that they are willing to speak up for themselves and stand up for each other, and they’re also willing to take some ownership of surrounding what their experience looks like.”

Speaking of practice, Clark has enjoyed what she’s seen from her entire team during these past weeks, stating that she believes everyone has improved over the offseason.

“I know that may be a little cheesy, but every single player has shown up this year in a different way,” Clark said. “Some have really worked to be better about the presence that they bring. Some have worked to gain more speed; some have worked to understand that they can swing away and don’t always have to rely on the small ball. They believe in themselves to do it, so each one of them has put themselves into a position, whether it’s working to earn a sport or whether it’s working to keep their spot in the starting lineup, understanding that every role matters.”

Despite the experience on their side, Hofstra players have expressed frustration in their preseason ranking, feeling they were snubbed in the CAA preseason pool after being picked third behind UNC-Wilmington and the University of Delaware. 

“It’s hard not to see all that stuff when it’s slapping us in the face all day, but I think that what’s so great about our team is that we look at those, and we take whatever the ranking is, and we use that as a chip on our shoulder,” Giordano explained. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll show you up when the time comes.”

“It pushes us even harder, and we see that, and it gets us angry,” Manto added. “Like, of course we want to be number one, but we see that and we’re going to prove them wrong.”

Hofstra’s roster is filled with breakout candidates, a strong bullpen and newcomers who are looking to make an immediate impact. It can truly be a special season for the Pride. All the pieces are there for a great season.

“Offensively, Kasey [Collins] is going to make an impact,” Clark said. “She’s added another tool to her toolbox that is going to make her even better offensively. Aliya [Catanzarita], she’s going to make some waves offensively and is primed for a breakout season. We returned all our starters last year, and Julia [Apsel], Nikki [Mullin], Bella [Pisapia] and Haley [Venturini] all provide something so unique and different as our bullpen, as it’ll make it really challenging to beat. And Becca [Vaillancourt], she’s new to our program, she transferred in, and she has kind of made a very significant impact behind the plate due to her arm strength.”

“Defensively, Kayla Wilson is lights out and is going to surprise a lot of people,” Clark continued.

With the season opener less than one week away, both Giordano and Manto have looked back at their career and what their legacy may be here at Hofstra when it’s all said and done. For Giordano specifically, all the emotions are there. She is determined to end her career with a bang.

“I want to leave here knowing that my teammates and coaches know that I love it here and that I am extremely passionate about this program,” Giordano said. “Everything else, I’ll forget about games and all that other stuff, but I’m not going to forget those moments with my teammates. I want to win, but just that passion I have for this program is unmatched. Quite honestly, I would do anything for my teammates.”

For Manto, the senior may still come back for another go-around due to the situations the pandemic caused for college athletics. But regardless of what her future may be, she is ready to leave it all on the line.

“I want to represent hard work,” Manto said. “With the accolades and teammate-wise, I want my teammates to know that they can trust me on and off field, always being able to rely on me.”

Hofstra kicks off their 2023 season in Houston, Texas, where they take on the University of Washington Huskies on Friday, Feb. 17. Clark is eager to see how her team performs and knows that the strengths that this team has built over the break can lead to a successful season.

“The team really enjoys each other, they want to hang out with each other on and off the field, and I think there is something really special about that because it’s rare to see everyone be able to have an understanding of each other,” Clark said. “At the end of the day, it’s not lost on me that we have people with different beliefs in different things, but we have found common ground and know that while everyone’s background might be different, we are all humans, and that piece is our greatest strength, but can also be our biggest improvement, as we don’t want to see each other fail, disappoint each other. At times we as individuals are going to fail, even though the reality is we are all going to fail at some point. We need to be okay knowing that we have that connection.”

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics