Mercy College Softball Enjoys Best Season Since 1987
Mercy College Softball Enjoys Best Season Since 1987
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DOBBS FERRY, NY - First year Head Coach Jen Hastings took over the reigns of the Mercy College softball program and won the most games since the 1987 team won 22. The Mavericks went 16-18 overall and 5-13 in East Coast Conference (ECC) play.
"I think we made tremendous improvements from last season," Hastings said. "We played more as a team this year and saw some things come together nicely."
Offensively, the Mavericks pushed their team average from .260 in 2008 to .292 in 2009. The Blue & White scored 4.7 runs per game, compared to 3.2 runs per game by the 2008 squad.
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Chelsea Methot |
"We increased our numbers in every category this year and that says a lot about this team. Not to mention as a team we were ranked third in batting average in a strong conference," Hastings said.
The Mavericks had six players register a batting average of .295 or higher. Sophomores Chelsea Methot (Bristol, CT) and Paige Cauley (Stratford, NJ) led the team in batting with a .357 average. Cauley, an All-ECC Third Team selection, led Mercy in hits (41), runs scored (24), doubles (15) and stolen bases (6). Cauley ranked fifth in the nation in doubles per game (0.44), and the Mavericks ranked 11th in the nation in doubles per game (1.72) as a team.
"Paige made a tremendous difference for us this year," Hastings said. "I knew coming in that she would be a solid player but her presence on the field and her softball knowledge made a huge difference."
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Paige Cauley |
Methot led the Mavericks with five home runs, while also collecting seven doubles and two triples.
"Chelsea had a solid season for us. She produced at the plate and she was very consistent for us in the outfield," Hastings said. "Chelsea has a lot of talent that will only show through more from year to year, as I think she could be one of the best outfielders in our conference."
Sophomore catcher Kim Curry (Bristol, CT) hit .353 and threw out 10 attempted base stealers. Junior Brittney Stockert (Hawthorne, NY) hit .310 in her first season in the Blue & White and drove in 19 runs.
After missing most of her freshman season with an injury, Krissy Lacik (Edison, NJ) hit .299 with two home runs and 20 RBI. Freshman Jackie Roebuck (Walden, NY) generally hit leadoff for the Mavericks and scored 18 runs with a .296 average.
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Stephanie Pereyo |
The pitching staff lowered its earned run average (ERA) from 5.56 in 2008 to 3.94 in 2009. Mercy hurlers also posted six complete game shutouts and struck out 107 batters.
Junior Stephanie Pereyo (Southington, CT) led the Mavericks in virtually every pitching category; including wins (11), ERA (3.29), innings pitched (121.1), complete games (15), shutouts (4), and strikeouts (67). Pereyo began the year by winning her first seven appearances and later in the season threw a no-hitter against Felician.
Stockert won five games with a 4.24 ERA. She walked only 20 batters in 93 innings pitched. Stockert completed eight games, two of the shutout variety.
The Mavericks began their season in Titusville, FL and got off to a 7-2 start, their best start since the 1987 squad went 8-2. The Blue & White out-slugged and out-pitched their opponents, outscoring the opposition 54-25 during the first nine games.
First, they swept a doubleheader from St. Anselm and then dominated Dakota Wesleyan 9-2. Cauley and Methot each hit home runs behind Pereyo who tossed six scoreless innings of relief. Lees-McRae topped the Mavericks in their next game, but they responded by winning four of the next five games before returning north.
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Kim Curry (CSI Photo) |
The Mavericks dropped their next seven games, but in a home doubleheader against Molloy the Mavericks rediscovered their winning ways. In game one Stockert pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits to earn her first victory of the year.
Game two was a wild affair with the Mavericks scoring eight times in the sixth inning to overcome a late six run deficit. Sophomore Catherine Kowalski (Melville, NY) tied the game at 13 with a grand slam. Mercy scored twice more in the inning to take a 15-13 lead, and escaped with a 15-14 win. Kowalski led the team in runs batted in with 27 and 17 walks.
After suffering two setbacks to Queens, the Mavericks went on a four-game winning streak. They began the streak by defeating Briarcliffe 12-7, highlighted by a 4-for-4 day by Lacik who hit her first two collegiate home runs and drove in five runs.
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Catherine Kowalski |
The Mavericks traveled to St. Thomas Aquinas and crushed the Spartans 8-0 and 15-2. Pereyo shutdown the Spartan offense and allowed just five hits over six innings. In game two Stockert earned the victory with four solid innings of relief. Cauley and Curry, batting first and second, combined to go 9-for-9 with six runs scored and three RBI. Methot, batting third, collected four RBI and a home run. Sophomore Alicia Martin (Massapequa, NY) hit her first home run of the season. Martin started every game for the Mavericks and scored 16 times.
To cap off the winning streak the Mavericks edged Post 5-4 in extra innings. Sophomore Stephanie Owsiany (Edison, NJ) drove in the winning run in the eighth inning. Owsiany finished the season strong recording hits in 10 of the last 12 games.
Mercy dropped four of its next five games, but then ran into Felician. Stockert and Pereyo each shutout Felician by scores of 3-0 and 1-0. Pereyo stole the show with an eight inning no-hitter in game two. She allowed just one walk and hit one batter with eight strikeouts. Pereyo retired the final 18 batters to complete the program's first no-hitter since the early 1980s.
Despite defeats in the final three contests, the Mavericks had taken a giant step forward in returning the program to its winning ways. Hastings and assistant coach Mike Fazio have built the foundation and will look to gain an appearance in the ECC playoffs next season.
