University Area Hampton Inn Showcase (at UNC Wilmington)NORFOLK, Va. - A new season begins for Norfolk State softball, one filled with several question marks but also one with hope with the returning talent set to take its place in the batting order. The Spartans finished 20-26 overall last year and 12-6 in conference play, running their three-year MEAC record to 39-15. To continue that success, though, NSU must replace its two main pitchers from a season ago.
On the other hand, the Spartans also welcome back seven of their nine starters from a lineup that batted .305 – its second straight season over .300 – and set the school's fastpitch record with 36 home runs. NSU must figure out its rotation in the outfield after losing starting center fielder
Morgan Boyd and right fielder
Kathy Cortez. With most of the power back, though, NSU is counting on another big year at the plate matching up with a new No. 1 in the circle.
Head coach
Heidi Cavallo, now two wins away from 100 for her career, is looking forward to non-conference play in order to determine exactly how her lineup will shake out.
"The most difficult part about the early season is just figuring out who plays best at which position and in which spot in the batting order," Cavallo said. "There is a lot of rotating in the lineup because we want to see who can jump in and do what in certain lineup situations."
The loss of Boyd and Cortez in the outfield means junior
Heather Dunning is now the team's most veteran presence out there. A second-team All-MEAC performer – one of a record seven the Spartans had last year – Dunning batted .401 in 2014 with 35 runs, 14 RBI and 10 stolen bases while starting in left field. Dunning's ability to provide speed and pop as a left-handed slap hitter at the top of the lineup will help in replacing Boyd's production (.440, 39 runs, 27 stolen bases).
Senior
Alina Moriarty started all 46 games at second base last season and ranked third on the team in hitting at .355. A second-team all-conference performer, Moriarty owns one of several bats in the middle of the lineup capable of doing damage. She tallied nine doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI as a junior in 2014. She could potentially see time in the outfield as well as at second base this season.
Sophomore first baseman
Kayla McNair and junior third baseman
Whitney Williams also help anchor the heart of the batting order. McNair came in as a freshman and hit .336 with team-leading totals of seven home runs and 35 RBI to go along with six doubles and second-team all-MEAC accolades. Williams, a first-team performer, batted .317 with six doubles, six home runs and 24 RBI. The duo by itself is one of the most dangerous hitting combinations in the league and even more dangerous with Dunning and Moriarty performing at an all-conference level.
Not to be forgotten, though, is senior designated player
Robyn Mitchell. Another second-team all-conference honoree, Mitchell hit .342 and tallied seven doubles, six home runs and 29 RBI despite playing in just 29 games. A full and healthy season for Mitchell makes it even more difficult for the opposition to pitch around the lineup.
"We do return a lot of power and speed in the lineup," said Cavallo. "We are eager to see what they can do as an encore this year. Right now it is just a matter of working on our situational hitting and determining which players can best perform in those certain spots."
Two returnees who showed plenty of promise and are looking for more consistent production are sophomore shortstop
Mikki Haury and senior catcher
Sommer Di Fulgo. Both showed some pop in their bats last year, combining for nine doubles and five home runs. Both are also second-year players with the program, with Di Fulgo having transferred from Louisburg College before last year. Should both players make the first-year-to-second-year leaps that have been a regular occurrence the past few years in the program, they could deepen an already challenging NSU lineup.
Another name to watch out for is sophomore
Devon Bitler. Like Haury, Bitler also showed potential as a freshman. After losing Boyd, Bitler's speed will become a big asset for the Spartans this year. After splitting time with Haury at shortstop last year, Bitler could see time in the outfield as well as the left side of the infield in 2015.
The biggest question mark coming into the year was how to replace the senior pitching tandem of
Jamie Schulle and
Stephanie Wheatley. They combined for 18 of NSU's 20 wins and an ERA below 3.00. Schulle also left as the program's all-time leader in appearances, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. The task of replacing that production falls to senior
Liz Riley. After struggling in the circle last year, Riley is looking to capture the early-career form that saw her finish with a sub-3.00 ERA in her freshman season and go 9-8 in her sophomore year. With five extra-base hits in 41 at bats, Riley is also capable of adding another powerful bat to the lineup.
Schulle and Cortez joined the Spartan staff as assistant coaches following their degree completions in the fall and the departure of previous assistant coach Amanda Haverman last summer.
Any other pitching will come from two of the six newcomers on this year's squad. Freshman
Megan Przeslawski could see time in the starting pitcher's circle and throw in relief if necessary. She could also spot Williams at third base from time to time. Also expecting to pitch in a reliever's role is freshman
Marissa Marrero, a local product out of Tabernacle Baptist Academy.
"We need Liz to jump in and be our senior leader in the circle with our two freshmen," Cavallo stated. "We expect her to throw a lot of full games and really set the tone for us. But of course our freshmen had good fall seasons, so we are excited to see how they can do here in the spring."
Another rookie who could see plenty of time is freshman
Brandy Davis. Depending on how things shake out with Moriarty and Bitler, Davis could very well play an important role in solidifying NSU's outfield rotation. And should Moriarty end up starting in the outfield, her younger sister, freshman
Seana Moriarty, could take her place at second base.
Also making a push for a spot in the infield is junior college transfer
Hannah Haustein. A native of Texas, Haustein adds another intriguing name to the mix when it comes time to figuring out a set lineup early in the season.
Two other players, junior
Megan Dunning and freshman
Ruthie Martin, will serve as backups to Di Fulgo at catcher and could also make appearances in the outfield. Dunning, the twin sister of Heather, made seven starts last year after transferring from Florence-Darlington Tech following her freshman year. Martin was an all-conference player during her time at Battlefield High School in northern Virginia.
One last player back is junior
Clara Quinones, who missed most of last year because of health reasons and has played at catcher and third base in the past.
ScheduleThanks to some reoccurring inclement weather, NSU was forced to cancel both of its home tournaments to start the season, including the Spartan Classic from Feb. 20-22 and the Spartan Clash from Feb. 28-March 1. The postponements now mean NSU will play its first games of the year a full month after many other Division I schools did.
The Spartans will finally get going in tournaments at UNC Wilmington from March 7-8 and North Carolina A&T from March 14-15, with a doubleheader at North Carolina Central in between. The Spartans also travel to Coppin State for a three-game MEAC series on March 21-22.
NSU also plays at Delaware State and at Hampton later in the season. The Spartans host MEAC foes Howard (March 28-29) and UMES (April 3-4) on back-to-back weekends as well as Delaware State on April 18-19. NSU will welcome Longwood to town for a non-conference doubleheader on April 16 and also travel to George Mason in late April for a twinbill.
Several other doubleheaders are also being finalized to replace the games NSU lost due to its tournament cancellations.
This year's MEAC tournament runs from May 7-9 in Ormond Beach, Fla.
