Softball Preview
Heather Norris
In just under a month, the C.W. Post softball team will begin their long-awaited 2011 season in Kissimmee, Florida. While their first game is still weeks away, the team has been preparing since January for what they hope will be a very successful season.
Last year, Coach Jamie Apicella said, “we had a tremendous regular season.” However, the team was left disappointed with the way in which their 2010 season went after posting a 1-4 record in the East Coast Conference Championships and NCAA Division II East Regional. “We were plagued by injuries last year,” Apicella pointed out, a factor that contributed to the poor end to last season. Staying healthy, he said, is the team’s top priority this preseason.
Coming out on top is another priority for the Pioneers’ softball team in 2011. The team’s conference, the ECC, is a very competitive conference, claiming two nationally ranked teams in their member schools, in 12th-ranked Molloy College and 24th-ranked Dowling. Though the Pioneers themselves were not ranked in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, they did receive votes, and they are currently slotted as third in ECC polls.
“The ECC is a very strong and challenging league,” Apicella said. However, the team remains hopeful that they may walk away with a conference or regional title in 2011. In the meantime, the team is looking forward to their upcoming schedule. “We would definitely like to get another chance at Molloy,” Apicella said. Soon enough, they will.
The Pioneers begin their season on March 13th with a weeklong away trip to the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida. Their first opponent will be Stonehill College, a team that finished 2010 with less than half the wins C.W. Post earned in 2010.
Be First to Comment