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Spartan Softball

2012 Season Preview

The 2011 season was like no other in the D’Youville College softball program’s 15-year history. Picked to finish seventh in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference preseason coaches’ poll, the Spartans went 14-4 in league play, then went unbeaten in the double-elimination championship tournament to earn the program’s first-ever berth to the NCAA Championship.

In the end the Spartans were 21-10 overall, recording the program’s second-ever 20-win season and first winning season since 2006. Head coach Angie Churchill was recognized as AMCC Coach of the Year.

While the goal in 2012 is the same, the road to get there is expected to be more adverse.

“This year we are going to have a target on our back, and with that come a lot of expectations.” Churchill explains. “The main thing I want this team to do is to stay focused and be mentally tough. I keep telling our team that the toughest team on the field, both mentally and physically, is the one that’s going to win, and we need to be that team!”

The Spartans will again look toward Hannah Norton (Wyoming, NY/Pavilion). In 2011 Norton was the AMCC Pitcher of the Year and a Second-Team All-Conference selection as a designated player. In the circle the right-hander was 16-7 with a 2.51 ERA, six shutouts, and struck out 146 in 145 innings pitched. At the plate, Norton hit .311 and belted a team-high three home runs. Now a senior, Norton will be the anchor of the pitching staff and continue to bat in the middle of the order.

Churchill expects a pair of sophomores to lead the offense this season. Chelsea Stoeckl (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) batted .364 last season, tops among the  returning players. Shannon Sutton (Lykens, PA/Upper Dauphin) hit .333 and led the squad last season in RBI (21).

Also retuning from last season’s squad are: Lisa Petty (North Tonawanda, NY/Mount Saint Mary Academy), Shannon Evans (Cheektowaga, NY/East Aurora), Erica Comisso (Cheektowaga, NY/Sacred Heart), Alexis Walser (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville, NY), and Gabby Lathrop (Clarence, NY/Clarence)..

 “We have a talented incoming class of seven players and they will play some key roles in defending our championship,”Churchill states. “I’m really excited about this season and what lies ahead for this program. We have approached this season with even more intensity than we did last year, with the determination to defend our championship title. We recognize that it’s easier to get to the top, than to stay on top and our team is working hard every day to be the best in the AMCC.”

The 2012 season begins March 2-3 and the Virginia Wesleyan Beach Blast.