NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Head coach
Jessica Mushel's first season at the helm of the Mount Saint Mary College softball team was a booming success. Mushel led the Knights to an overall record of 20-14, including a 10-4 mark in Skyline Conference play, and featured a Skyline-leading six student-athletes placed on the 2014 Skyline Softball All-Conference Team. The head coach believes with another year under her belt, the team can only benefit from it.
"Moving forward we learned a lot, not only about coaching at this level but also about the dynamics of the team, so that's a wonderful thing because now as we move forward the girls know us because we have the majority of our team returning from last season," said Mushel. "They know us, we know them so now we're meshing a little bit better as a collective whole so I think that's a great thing; I think that'll only help us move forward."
The Knights' season ended on a sour note, as they fell to Farmingdale State College in the first round of the Skyline Conference Championship tournament, and dropped their loser's bracket matchup with The Sage Colleges to be eliminated from the playoffs. The 2015 Knights team will look to have different results this year with a stellar recruiting class joining the program, and five of the six All-Skyline Team members returning to the team, looking to improve on their 20-14 mark.
Senior captains
Danielle Soto (Miller Place, N.Y.) and
Stephanie Karcher (Oxford, Conn.) lead the Knights into 2015 with high expectations. Soto is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, hitting .393, scoring 32 runs and knocking in a team high 33 RBI. She also hit nine doubles, three triples and four home runs to help push her slugging percentage to .645. Her tremendous season was recognized by the Skyline coaches, as she was placed on the All-Skyline First-Team. Karcher had a terrific junior season as well, making the All-Skyline Second Team for the second consecutive year. She hit a solid .333 and slugged four more home runs, leaving her just one shy of the program career record of 17.
Karcher will be spelled occasionally by incoming junior transfer
Chelsea Dexter (Beacon, N.Y.). Dexter comes to the Mount from Dutchess Community College, where she was a two-time NJCAA Region IX All-Tournament Team selection. Dexter was also First-Team All-State and team MVP in high school. Mushel said Dexter will make an immediate impact with her bat in this year's lineup, as she will find time at third base as well.
Also helping out at backstop is incoming freshman
Jessica Menna (Middle Village, N.Y.). Menna was named Defensive Player of the Year her senior year at St. Francis Prep High School. Freshman
Kathryn Eiler (Merrick, N.Y.) will have multiple roles for the Knights, as she can play catcher and third base.
Sophomore
Shannon Sommer (Brewster, N.Y.) returns after an impressive freshman campaign, which saw her lead the Knights with a robust .438 batting average. Her 56 hits were a new program single-season record. For her efforts, Sommer was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Softball All-Star Second Team, and voted to the All-Skyline First Team. Joining their fellow classmate,
Michelle Surdan (Acton, Mass.) and
Breanna DePasquale (Brooklyn, N.Y.) look to improve upon their great freshman years, in which DePasquale started all 32 games and Surdan saw action in 28 games, starting 27 of them. Also returning is
Kate Zubicki (Kearny, N.Y.) who started 23 games. Zubicki had a .371 batting average and drove in 21 runs.
The Knights' outfield returns two starters in juniors
Brianne Germain (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) and
Sabrina Gordek (Levittown, N.Y.). Germain brought speed to the Knights' lineup scoring 30 runs while swiping six bases. Gordek drove in 11 runs and batted .329 while scoring 18 times. Gordek was recognized for her standout season by being placed on the All-Skyline Second-Team. The third outfield spot will be up for grabs with incoming freshmen
Taylor Canto (Walden, N.Y.),
Alyssa Castellani (New Hartford, Conn.) and
Colleen Dunn (Bellmore, N.Y.) battling it out for that spot in the lineup.
The Knights will also be returning their spectacular one-two punch of juniors
Victoria Goldbach (Middle Village, N.Y.) and
Nicole Lomangino (Wantagh, N.Y.). Goldbach was the ace of the Knights in 2014, earning All-Skyline Second-Team honors. She took the mound 15 times and went the distance in 10 of those games, winning eight games while only losing three. She pitched to the tune of a 2.04 ERA and struck out more than a batter per inning. Lomangino was just as impressive, going 6-2 with a microscopic ERA of 1.72. She completed five of her six starts.
Rounding out the rotation are incoming freshmen
Courtney Barbara (Fishkill, N.Y.) and
Cindy Connoly (Walden, N.Y.) Connoly comes in highly decorated, earning the 2014 Times Herald Record Varsity 845 Player of the Year and being named First-Team All-State in 2014. There are high expectations for Connoly this upcoming season to help ease the loss of departed senior
Amanda Barrese. When asked who out of the eight newcomers would have an immediate impact, Mushel did not hesitate to name Connoly.
"Connoly will be in the circle getting her innings and she'll most certainly make an impact," said Mushel.
The Knights lost three seniors to graduation from their outstanding 2014 campaign, which saw the Knights tie for first place in the Skyline Conference. With the exciting recruiting class and the development of returning players, the Knights will not only look to duplicate last year's success, but surpass it.
"Our goal is to be fighting for that Skyline Conference Championship come April 25," said Mushel. "Other goals we have as a team are to maintain a good team GPA, as well as a good chemistry among all the girls as well as the coaching staff. So if all three of those things work together, I think we'll have a very successful 2015 season."
The Knights will once again escape the brutally cold New York winter and head to Fort Myers, Fla. to participate in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. The five-day tournament will run from Monday, Mar. 2, to Friday, Mar. 6. They will test their mettle against opposing colleges from across the country, playing 10 games in five days before returning home to take on Hunter College in the Knights' home opener on Wednesday, Mar. 18.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
