Article and video of 2011 Recruiting Class

http://www.gobonnies.com/sports/w-softbl/2010-11/releases/20101201yd3g4w

2011 In-coming Class

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRx_JIdlwYQ

Holiday Inn Beachcomber Resort

Our official hotel in Hawaii...

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/rs/1/en/hotel/HNLOR?&rateCode=6CBARC&_GPC=null&cityName=honolulu&externalHotelDetailHit=true&numAdults=1&numChildren=0&numRooms=1

Update...

Hi Everyone...

I have neglected the blog lately but that was by choice. We have been hard at work preparing for the coming season and I am really happy with what I am seeing. The team is working extremely hard in the weight room, the hardest I have seen in my 15 years of coaching softball at SBU. It will pay off in more wins in 2011.

The pitchers and catchers have been throwing for about three weeks and I am amazed how quickly they have taken to our new pitching instructor, Paul Furlong. He has done a great job just getting them started with the right mind set and work ethic. It is going to take a lot of hard work to get us where we want to be but the pitchers have set the bar high.

Our schedule is complete and Hawaii looms at the end of February. If playing in Hawaii is not enough to get you fired up then playing 2010 Women's College World Series participant, The University of Hawaii should give you chills. If playing that kind of competition does not get your blood boiling, then you are not alive! I am really excited about the prospects of the coming season.

The semester is coming to a close and I know the ladies are working hard on their grades. We take pride in our grades at SBU. They are the MOST important thing we do. Softball is the greatest game in the world but it can not and never will hold a candle to the importance of a great education. I sleep well knowing that the ladies in my care will get a quality and worthwhile educational experience. I salute all the student-athletes at SBU and across the country that make their academics the number one priority in their collegiate career. GO BONAS!

Mike

To all our Family and Friends...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2011 Spring Schedule

DATE DAY OPPONENT TIME SITE

03.04.11 FRI. University of Hawaii 6:00p Honolulu, HI

03.05.11 SAT. South Dakota State 11:00a Honolulu, HI

03.05.11 SAT. Weber State 1:00p Honolulu, HI

03.06.11 SUN. Bracket Play TBD Honolulu, HI

03.06.11 SUN. Bracket Play TBD Honolulu, HI

03.11.11 FRI. E. Tennessee St Tournament TBD Johnson City, TN

03.12.11 SAT. E. Tennessee St Tournament TBD Johnson City, TN

03.13.11 SUN. E. Tennessee St Tournament TBD Johnson City, TN

03.19.11 SAT. @George Washington Univ. 12:00p Washington, DC

03.19.11 SAT. @George Washington Univ. 2:00p Washington, DC

03.25.11 FRI. FORDHAM UNIVERSITY 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

03.26.11 SAT. FORDHAM UNIVERSITY 12:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

03.27.11 SUN. LASALLE 12:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

03.27.11 SUN. LASALLE 2:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.02.11 SAT. DAYTON 12:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.02.11 SAT. DAYTON 2:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.05.11 TUE. BINGHAMTON 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.05.11 TUE. BINGHAMTON 5:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.08.11 FRI. @Univ. of Rhode Island 3:00p Kingston, RI

04.09.11 SAT. @Univ. of Rhode Island 12:00p Kingston, RI

04.10.11 SUN. @Umass 12:00p Amherst, MA

O4.10.11 SUN. @Umass 2:00p Amherst, MA

04.12.11 TUE. @Canisius 3:00p Buffalo, NY

04.12.11 TUE. @Canisius 5:00p Buffalo, NY

04.16.11 SAT. @St. Louis 12:00p St. Louis, MO

04.16.11 SAT. @St. Louis 2:00p St. Louis, MO

04.19.11 TUE. NIAGARA 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.19.11 TUE. NIAGARA 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.20.11 WED. @Robert Morris 3:00p Moon Township, PA

04.20.11 WED. @Robert Morris 5:00p Moon Township, PA

04.22.11 FRI. CHARLOTTE 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.22.11 FRI. CHARLOTTE 5:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.27.11 WED. BUFFALO (1) 4:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.29.11 FRI. ST. JOE’S 3:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

04.30.11 SAT. ST. JOE’S 12:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

05.01.11 SUN. TEMPLE 12:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

05.01.11 SUN. TEMPLE 2:00p ST. BONAVENTURE, NY

The Next Step...

We finished up the 2010 fall season this weekend with games at UB and home against UPB. The fall is a time of learning and a time when the freshmen become familiar with their new team and surroundings. It is not always an easy time but I am very happy with this year's freshmen class.

Division I is so different from high school and summer ball that it sometimes takes players by surprise. Gone are the days of hitting .500 and striking out 12-17 batters every game. The new reality is that players are now playing against their equals on a daily basis for the first times in their lives. The goal now is to move to the top of the list again. It takes time and patience and most of all confidence and determination. If players think they can just keep doing what they did in high school or summer ball, they are in for a tough transition.

Our freshmen group has shined. They have listened and worked on what needs to be done to get better. Make no mistake, there were some tough times and there is much more to learn but I think we learned some valuable lessons and will be better for it.

St. Bonaventure Softball has always been so much more than just softball. It's about education and friendship. It's about preparing yourself for the future while playing the sport that you love. Make no mistake...we are here to win games but in the end, if a player can look back on her career and say that she made lifetime friendships, earned a college degree that prepared her for the rest of her life and can look back and honestly say that she put 100% effort and commitment into her four years, then the wealth of her college experience can not be measured in wins and losses.

"When you lose enough times, it makes you realize how difficult it is to win. If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment...quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life, and there's going to be a life after your sport that is a lot longer than your sporting life." - Chris Evert Lloyd

"Winning has always meant much to me, but winning friends has meant the most."

-Babe Didrikson Zaharias

"The finish line is sometimes merely a symbol of victory. All sorts of personal triumphs take place before that point, and the outcome of the race may actually be decided long before the end." - Lance Malone