By Max Sass, Sports Editor
1. The freshman are for real
Freshman pitcher Olivia Galati of the Hofstra softball team and freshman forward Shante Evans of the women’s basketball team are legitimate superstars. Galati is 20-4 in 23 starts. She has an ERA of 1.10 and is just the third pitcher in Hofstra history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. After Kayleigh Lotti graduated many were worried that the Pride would be without a superstar pitcher but Galati has eased any concerns. Evans led the Pride in scoring and rebounding with 13.3 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. She was named All-CAA second team as well as All-CAA Rookie team. Both will continue to carry their teams for the next three years.
2. Wait ‘til next year
For men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse next year is a make or break year. The core of the men’s basketball team is seniors next year including Greg Washington, Nathaniel Lester and Charles Jenkins. The CAA should be down next year, with VCU, Northeastern and ODU all losing superstars. Jenkins, the reigning CAA Player of the Year and two-time Haggerty Award winner has one more opportunity to leave his mark on Hofstra and next year is NCAA Tournament or bust. The men’s lacrosse team failed to make the CAA Tournament this year and is keep its fingers crossed for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Jay Card and Jamie Lincoln will be seniors next year and they are the best offensive force the Pride have had in years. Making it to the Final Four is a realistic goal for the Pride next year.
3. Losing a coach hurts, hiring one is great
For 16 years, including the last nine as head coach, Tom Pecora had been much a part of Hofstra men’s basketball. When Pecora left in late March for Fordham it was a bit of a shock. Unfortunately his last game was an embarrassing CBI loss to IUPUI in which he wore a green blazer. While Tim Welsh has brought experience and hope it was a bit hurtful to see someone the school was so invested in leave. Hiring a new coach and reading about all of his accomplishments is fun. Who doesn’t love when that hope springs eternal and that is what we have now with Tim Welsh.
4. Football or futball?
With no football program next year the biggest fall sport will be men’s soccer. Can the team handle the pressure? Coach Richard Nuttall’s team lost valuable weapons including midfielders Rob Youhill and Rory McRea as well as CAA defensive player of the year Rich Martinez. Thomas Bekas, who will be a junior in the fall will have to step up in the absence of Martinez and control the defense along with goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone. Expect a big year from senior-to-be forward Johannes Grahn.
5. Wrestling will bounce back
Hofstra wrestling is a strong program with a proud history. The team suffered a number of injuries this year and still sent three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. The 2011 tournament is in Philadelphia and the team plans on bringing a lot more grapplers. Ryan Patrovich should roar back from injuries and P.J. Gillespie and Luke Vaith should continue to tear through opponents.
6. Can baseball compete?
The Hofstra baseball team has already topped last season’s win total but needs to keep making positive strides under head coach Patrick Anderson. Losing seniors Matt Prokopowicz as well as John Kenny, Ethan Paquette and Elliot Hagburg will hurt but this year’s crop of freshman will have to step up as sophomores. This year’s crew has swept two CAA series already and next year will need to start taking games from the dominant southern teams.
7. Jess Fuller and Sam Brigham will be missed
While Shante Evans picked up much of the scoring load for the Pride women’s basketball team the team will still miss Fuller and Brigham. Fuller is a dominant defender who protected the rim for the Pride. She blocked shots like nobody’s business and offered a safety net for aggressive defenders in front of her. Brigham’s grit and toughness will be sorely missed. While she may not have always scored in bunches, Brigham brought a tenacity and certain leadership to the court and locker room that will be sorely missed.
8. We must all still carry on…
Despite the upcoming graduation of Corrine Gandolfi, Hofstra will continue to field a women’s lacrosse team next year. Gandolfi has 42 goals and 17 assists, good for 59 points. Gandolfi is also ninth in the nation in draw controls with 3.67 per game.