The Bonnies in Florida 2013...in pictures!

A stretch and yoga on Neptune Beach.  It was a great day.

The Bonnies attend the North Florida/Mount St. Mary's game to lend support to former Bonnies player and Mount head coach, Anna Nagro and her team.

The seniors!  Jess, Jill and Hali.  This picture is going in my office.

The Bonnies softball team attends a Bonnies Baseball game in Port Charlotte, Florida.  The guys came back to win!  Lindsay was unhappy when I told them that they would be taking their midterms the next day.  (The picture was kind of staged.)  

I want to acknowledge the faculty at SBU for all their support and caring of our student-athletes.  It is fantastic that you support the effort of our players and recognize how well they do in the classroom.

THANK YOU!  

Recap of the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament

With a schedule of Villanova, Michigan Sate, Minnesota, Michigan State and Florida Gulf Coast, to say the Bonnies were underdogs would be an understatement.  Outmatched in every aspect from schoarships to budget, the Bonnies were the little team with heart.  We entered into the games knowing the games might not end in wins but we also know that if you want to be the best, you have to play the best.  It gives us a true measure of how good we need to be and want to be.

 

Game 1 verses Villanova ended in a 10-8 loss with the Bonnies having chances to win the game.  The duo of Ashley Snider and Jessenia Andujar went a combined 4-6 with 5 runs scored.  Julia Pratt threw a good enough game to win giving up 5 earned runs but some crucial mistakes defensively cost us a shot at winning.  However...we discovered that if we play well, we can beat a lot of teams.

 

The next tough loss came to Minnesota, a game in which the Bonnies actually out hit the Gophers but fell 7-4.  Emily McDonough, Ashley Snider, Emily Belfield, Grace Rooney and Katherine Caboot all added hits for the Bonnies, in a tough fought game.

A 1-12 record is not a record any team or coach wants but this is about building game by game and being ready for conference play.  We have two tournaments to start learning how to win.  That is the next step.  I am excited to see how the team responds. 



Next up...Princeton, Delaware State and North Florida in the University of North Florida Tournament.  Last weekend in Florida...let's make it a memorable one!

Catching up with the Bonnies...

I must apologize for not updating the blog lately but our travel schedule put a damper on any time I had to log on.  Let's recap the season so far...

Our first tournament was at the Campbell/Hampton Inn Invitational where we met up with some very good teams.  In a year of rebuilding, I am less worried about wins and losses and more concerned about getting better every day.  We are young and experience (good or bad) will only help us get better. 

Game 1 vs Seton Hall saw Emily Belfield and Emily McDonough both collect their first NCAA Division I hit.  While Junior Ashley Snider went 2-3 and Senior Captain Jessenia Andujar went 2-2 on the day.  Over-all the Bonnies put 9 hits on the board.

Game 2 vs Campbell was a tough game against the host team.  We were no-hit in a 5 inning loss.

Game 3 vs Robert Morris was an opportunity we let slip away.  Held to only 1 run, we had chances early on to change the outcome but could not come up with the big hit.  Ashley Snider hit her first home run of the year in the 7th while Seniors, Jessenia Andujar and Hali Enderby both went 1-3 on the day. 

Game 4 vs Virginia from the ACC was a 15-5 loss but putting 5 runs on the board showed that we are going to score runs this year.  The biggest hits came from freshman, Katie Sinclair who hit her first 2 home runs of her college career.  The first one was a monster shot that cleared the left field fence by 50+ feet.  Jessenia Andujar added a double while freshman Mariela Ferrer added her first collegiate hit...a single in the 2nd inning.

 

Following the Virginia game, the team was treated to a wonderful dinner at the Rohan family residence.  We arrived to see a beautiful candle lit sign reading ST BONAVENTURE BONNIES on the front lawn.  Emily McDonough and I were celebrating our birthdays while Julia Pratt's was the following day.  A wonderful dinner followed by cup cakes and birthday signs and songs made a tough day on the field all worth it.  My thanks go out to the Rohan's for opening up their home to us.  It is just another reason that makes St. Bonaventure such a special place.


THE CLEVELAND STATE TOURNAMENT

Cleveland State Dome 

The Hyatt at the Arcade

This past weekend we rolled into Cleveland to compete in the Cleveland State tournament that was hosted on a dome covered soccer field.  It was interesting to say the least but very enjoyable. We also stayed in Downtown Cleveland in the Hyatt at the Arcade.  A beautiful place. 

Game 1 vs Bucknell was a marathon game going 10 innings.  The game ended with an 8-7 loss but the Bonnies played solid defense and hit the ball around the field.  Freshman Emily McDonough led the way going 3-5 while freshman Katie Sinclair added her 3rd home run of the season going 2-4.  Freshman Emily Belfield collected 2 hits while Senior Hali Enderby went 2-4 with a home run and double.  Sophomore Grace Rooney added a double.  After swapping runs in the 8th and 9th...I made a coaching decision to go for the win in the bottom of the 10th inning.  It did not turn out but the team got the message that we are playing for wins, not ties here.  I think it will help us mature and understand how we need to get things done in future games. 

 Game 2 and 3 vs Canisius turned out to be losses but freshmen Katie Sinclair and Emily McDonough both added hits while sophomores Lauren Waite and Grace Rooney added a hit each of their own in Game 1.  Game 2 saw Freshman Emily Belfield hit a triple while Junior Lindsay Stowell went a perfect 3-3 on the day.  The day concluded with a wonderful dinner hosted by the Waite Family at the restaurant, KARTEL'S.  A wonderful gift from Mr. Karlatiras. THANK YOU!

 

 Game 4 vs Cleveland State was the streak breaker!  A 7-2 win with a gem of a game pitched by Freshman Alexis Sloat.  She surrendered only 5 hits, striking out 3 while walking only 1 to get her first win of her young college career.  The defense was stellar...as the young infield of Rooney, McDonough, Belfield and Sinclair made play after play.  Junior Katherine (Boots) Caboot went 2-3 on the day and played a great left field for us.  Senior Captain, Jessenia Andujar fought through a sore back and went 2-3 on the day as well. 

 

 It was nice to get that first win under our belts.  Our whole purpose is to keep getting better every day.  We have accomplished that to this point.  On to the next..........
THE FGCU/LaQUNITA INN AND SUITES SPRING BREAK SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
February 22-24, 2013