Feb. 8, 2006
Briefly
The LMU softball team says "Aloha" to its new season in Hawaii this week, playing in the Oceanic Time Warner Paradise Classic. The tournament, hosted by Hawaii, features six teams playing over four days, starting on Thursday, February 9th. LMU will open the tournament by facing #25 BYU on Thursday at 2:00pm PST. The tournament wraps up with the championship on Sunday. LMU will play at least six games in the tournament.
2006 Outlook
When fans come to watch the LMU Softball team this year, they won't recognize very much. The Lions have a brand new home, Smith Field, and a brand new team on the field. The team mixes a few key returners with a talented group of rookies as the Lions look to win their third Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) championship in four years. LMU returns the top two players in the PCSC and adds an extremely talented group of freshman to start a new era of Lion Softball.
The 2005 PCSC Pitcher of the Year, Tiffany Pagano, and the 2005 Player of the Year Margo Pineda, return to lead the charge in 2006. This duo was instrumental in guiding the team to the PCSC Championship in 2005 and the program's first ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. Surrounded by nine seniors in 2005, Pagano and Pineda were key components in lifting the Lions to the national stage, and they will be the anchors in maintaining that level of success.
The Lions were picked to repeat as conference champions by the PCSC coaches, and the team's freshmen will play large roles for the Lions this year. The team's success could hinge on how quickly they mature.
"All freshmen have a learning curve. Our success this year will be directly related to have fast our team gets through that curve. I feel that this year's freshman class will maintain the level of success set by the LMU softball teams in the past, and we have a great chance of winning the PCSC again and going to the NCAA Tournament," said Gary Ferrin, the 2005 PCSC Coach of the Year.
The team and its fans will get the benefit of LMU's newest athletic facility, Smith Field. The beautiful new field was built thanks to the donation of the Mike and Patty Smith family, and provides the team and the university with a top of the line facility.
For the project to get started, nearly 3,500 yards of dirt had to be moved and relocated to build the mounds for the seating areas. That amount of dirt is equivalent to 350 dump trucks. They started by making a mound of dirt for the third base side seating area, which sits more than 10 feet above the field surface. The seating is tiers climbing from the top of the recessed dugouts to the point 10-feet above the playing surface.
The field sits in the same location as the previous field, but has moved home plate to the southwest corner of the grass. The dugouts are professional grade and sit two-feet below the surface. The dimensions of the park are 200-feet in left and right field and 215 feet in dead center. The outfield fence stand four-feet high with a grass slope climbing behind for addition lawn seating.
Behind the dugouts on both the left and right field lines are two bullpens consisting of two pitching mounds and plates. Behind home plate is a 35-foot high net backstop. The final piece is a state-of-the-art scoreboard complete with line score, balls, strikes and outs. Also included in the project behind centerfield is a batting cage constructed using the structure from the old handball courts.
Pitchers
Sophomore Pagano leads a pitching staff that holds most of LMU's returning experience. Seniors Samantha Lavino and Krystal Kehr will wrap up their LMU careers this spring and hope to pitch the Lions back to the NCAA Tournament.
"Our pitching staff is as good this year as it was last year when we won the PCSC conference," said Coach Ferrin.
Pagano, the 2005 PCSC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-PCSC selection, finished her freshman year with a 1.86 ERA and a 14-8 record. She led the team in numerous categories, including strikeouts (114), innings pitched (154.2) and shutouts (8). She got the start in both NCAA Tournament games, and will use that experience this season with a young defense behind her.
"Tiffany is our anchor. She presents us the opportunity to win every time she steps into the circle," said Ferrin.
Lavino is poised to be a key contributor this year. Coach Ferrin has high hopes for the senior who has been an effective pitcher in her three years at LMU.
"Samantha will be a big time player our team's success this year. She had a successful summer and brings that confidence into her senior season," he said.
Kehr struggled at the beginning of the 2005 season, but improved throughout the season. She is another senior who has been a big contributor in her Lion career. In addition to her pitching, Kehr is also a power threat at the plate. Last year, she hit two home runs, and will add depth to both the pitching staff and the hitting crew this year.
Infield
The Lion infield will have a whole new look this year. Second baseman Pineda is the only returning player from last year's infield, but she is surrounded by a talented group of new faces.
Pineda played well all year, but really stepped it up in PCSC games. She hit .351 for the season, and her batting averaged jumped to .426 against PCSC teams. In a lineup full of experienced seniors last year, Pineda shined and brought the third straight PCSC Player of the Year award back to LMU.
"If Margo has another year like last year, we will be all set. She anchors our hitters and our infield, and is a great leader to the younger players," said Ferrin.
Tracy Cook saw limited time at first base last year, but saw plenty of action by starting in 33 games. As a freshman in 2005, she had some hot streaks and cold stretches, but the Lions are hopeful that with a year of experience under her belt, she will be more consistent at the plate.
Brittany Bassett earned Second Team All-PCSC honors at shortstop last year, but a lingering shoulder injury will limit her time on the field. If the shoulder improves, she will be able to add depth at first base behind Cook. She should be able to hit this year, and will add experience and power at the plate. Last season, she hit .272 with four home runs.
"As a senior captain, Brittany will make an impact on this team. We will count on her leadership to help us grow and mature this season," said Ferrin.
MiaSarah Cesena will take over at the shortstop position for the Lions. She has exceptionally quick hands, and is very quick. At the plate, she is the quintessential leadoff hitter.
"MiaSarah is an aggressive batter, with great hand eye coordination. She is very fast, and will do a great job at the leadoff spot this year," said Ferrin.
Another freshman in the infield is Megan Ackerman. The tall newcomer will play third base for the Lions this season, bringing outstanding tools and talent to the hot corner. Offensively, she is a solid hitter with good pop in her bat.
"Megan has all of the tools to be as good as any third baseman that we've had at LMU," Ferrin commented.
Behind the plate is the duo of freshmen Darcy Pagnini and Chelsie Tysdal. Both are solid catchers with strong arms who can call a good game. According to Ferrin, the two are the best catching tandem in LMU history.
Pagnini, who can also play third base, is one of the strongest players on the team. She has demonstrated power to all fields in preseason practice thus far. Tysdal has a picture perfect swing, according to Ferrin, and will put the ball in play.
Outfielders
The outfield features one veteran and several talented newcomers. The veteran, junior Kirsten Whitt, started 21 games in the outfield last year, and has played in 76 games in her LMU career.
"Kirsten is on the verge of emerging as a potent offensive weapon. We hope that her experience with the British National Softball team over the summer will boost her confidence this year," Ferrin said.
The rest of the outfield is new, but very experienced. Hillaree Bennett and Kirsten Slouber have similar strengths, and will take over in center and left field. Both athletes played several sports in high school, and bring that competitive experience to the Lions this year.
Bennnet and Slouber have strong and accurate arms, and are quick and aggressive to the ball. They bring softball maturity beyond their freshman year to the team, and are improving every single day.
"We are expecting big numbers from these two. They have great potential and an outstanding grasp of the game" said Ferrin.
Adding depth to the Lions this year are Nicole Levine and Sarah Casillas. Levine is one of the most improved players, defensively, since the start of fall practice, and could see playing time in the outfield. Casillas adds depth at first base, and will play a crucial part as a pinch runner.
Schedule
The Lions open their season by participating in several tournaments. LMU will play in the Hawaii Tournament in the opening weekend of the season, and return to California for the home opener - a doublehead with UC Riverside on Sunday, February 19th. LMU will play in tournaments hosted by San Diego State on consecutive weekends before hosting the LMU Tournament on March 7th -11th. A series of doubleheaders will prepare the Lions for the PCSC Schedule that begins on Saturday, April 8th. LMU will host Sacramento State in a four-game series to open conference play and begin the team's journey towards its third PCSC title and a trip back to the NCAA Tournament.
