Feb. 16, 2012

PHILADELPHIA - Proving to be one of the top softball teams in the Atlantic 10 the past few seasons, Saint Joseph's is poised to make that final hurdle from Atlantic 10 Championship participant to conference champions. That journey begins this Friday as the Hawks open the 2012 season at the Campbell Camel Stampede.

Having made four-straight postseason appearances, and advancing to the A-10 title game in two of the past three years, the Hawks know they can compete with anyone, and in 2012, their goal is to win the A-10 title and make the NCAA Tournament.

"The team has made great strides over the past few years from making the A-10 Championship, to advancing to the title game. Now we have to make the toughest step of all, learning how to win the conference title," said sixth-year head coach Terri Adams.

Leading the charge for the Hawks is a highly-decorated group of seniors, headlined by returning All-Conference standouts Erin Gallagher, Monica Aguilar and Bernadette Moran.

"The senior class made it to A-10 title game as freshmen and got a taste early and that has fueled them," Adams said. "They are a very talented group and have already put their names in the record books. Now they want to add one more accomplishment, A-10 champions."

One of the top pitchers in program history, Gallagher enters her senior season with several program records within her reach. A two-time All-Conference selection, she became the first pitcher in team history to post back-to-back 200 strike out seasons and the only pitcher to record 20 wins in a season, having done so twice. Boasting 22 wins and a 1.60 ERA as a junior, Gallagher begins the year eight wins shy of the team's all-time record and just eight strike outs away from the team's top mark.

"Erin is one of the top pitchers in program history and will leave an indelible mark on SJU pitching," said Adams. "She's an unbelievable competitor. She wants the ball in every situation and there is no one who wants to win a game more than her."

A two-time All-Conference standout, Aguilar has been an anchor for the Hawks at third base and in the middle of the batting order. Already 20th all-time in career hits with 140, the Buena Park, California native is on pace to finish among the program's leaders in RBI, runs scored and home runs. Coming off a .346 batting average and A-10 All-Tournament Team accolades as a junior, Aguilar enters her senior season as one of the biggest offensive threats in the conference.

"Monica will go down as one of the best hitters in Saint Joseph's history," said Adams. "She has the ability to hit for both power and average. She's a tireless worker and is looking to become more productive in RBI situations this year."

One of the best second basemen in the A-10, Moran has been among the team leaders in hits, runs, RBI and batting average every year. Garnering All-Conference and All-Region honors the past two seasons, she has also improved every season and is coming off a career-high 32 runs scored and 22 RBI.

"Bern is a tough, hard-working, blue collar type of player. She loves to compete and is a vocal leader," said Adams. "At the plate, she has proven that she can hit in any situation and be successful at it."

Steadily improving year after year, senior Alaina Loguidice is coming off an impressive performance at last year's A-10 Championship. Helping the Hawks to a extra inning wins over Charlotte and Massachusetts, she batted .462 and earned All-Tournament Team honors for her effort.

"Alaina has a lot of confidence coming into this season," Adams said. "She has grown a lot over the past four years and is serving as team captain for good reason. She knows how to balance everything and is a true team leader."

Junior Rochelle Christman found a comfort level behind the plate last season and will serve as SJU's full time catcher this year. Recruited as a catcher, but forced to play shortstop as a rookie due to injuries on the team, Christman bounced back with poise a season ago. Ranking second on the team in RBI (27) and home runs (seven), she also came up with several clutch hits for the Hawks, including the game-winning single in SJU's extra-inning affair with the 49ers at the A-10 Championship.

"Rochelle gave us a lot of flexibility the past two years because she can play a lot of positions well," said Adams. "We were able to put her back behind the plate for much of last year and that's going to be her spot this year. Focusing on the one area really helped her and will continue to make her better this season."

Rounding out the infield, freshman Nicole Palase will begin the year as the starting shortstop. Despite losing Dana Bieniek to graduation last May, Adams believes the two-time All-New York State First Team selection Palase will make a smooth transition to the collegiate game.

"Nicole has come in and it seems like we haven't missed a step," said Adams. "She has a great arm, a lot of range and can hit for power."

Posting one of the top seasons in Saint Joseph's history, centerfielder Dana Parks enters her junior season as one of the best leadoff hitters in the region. Garnering All-Conference and All-Region First Team honors after setting the Hawks' single-season records for hits (67) and stolen bases (20), she also proved to be one of the best defensive players nationally, boasting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Coming back from a season-ending ankle injury at the A-10 Championships, Parks is ready to help the Hawks make that final hurdle this year.

"Dana loves to compete. She is a total team player and wants to win and that rubs off on the rest of the team," Adams said.

Splitting time between right field and designated player, junior Shannon Kramer flourished in her first season with the Hawks. After playing just 12 games the season before at Mount St. Mary's, Kramer started 43 games for SJU in 2011 and finished among the team leaders in RBI (23) and batting average (.263). Likely to start the season again in the outfield, Kramer will also earn playing time at first base throughout the year,

"We knew Shannon had the potential to be an everyday player for us when she came in. She contributed right away and helped us a lot in the early going, protecting Monica in the batting order," said Adams. "She continued to get better as the season went along last year, and provided a quiet leadership role that we needed."

Challenging for the final starting spot in the outfield will be sophomores Morgan Earling and Maria Ficca and freshmen Lauren Rendon and Melissa Ruf. Playing key reserve roles during last year's A-10 Championship, Earling and Ficca provided speed to the Hawks lineup and got valuable experience in the process.

"The corner outfield spots are up for grabs. It's really going to depend on who is hitting better at the time," Adams said. "Morgan, Maria, Lauren and Melissa have a lot of ability and are going to be called on in key situations this year."

Providing much-needed depth on the bench will be juniors Deanna Stinner, Annabelle Cunningham, Christine Bednar, Juliette D'Ambrosio; sophomore Brianna Sasala; and freshmen Traneya White and Taylor McGorry.

"This is the first year we'll have real depth. In the past, we didn't have many options as games went on, but this season we have a lot of people who can come in and contribute," said Adams. "They are also going to have opportunities to gain experience and earn playing time as the season goes on."

Joining Gallagher in the circle, junior Taryn Ashway and senior Lauren Pembleton provide both experience and success to the Hawks' pitching staff.

Showing the ability to be a shutdown ace, Ashway came up big for Saint Joseph's at the tail end of the last season. Primarily used in relief situations, she stepped up with one of the biggest wins in recent team history, striking out a career-high 11 batters in the Hawks' extra-inning victory over Massachusetts in the A-10 Championship semifinals. Already second all-time in career saves (six), Ashway will look to improve upon her career-best seven wins from a season ago.

"Taryn really proved last year that she can be an ace," Adams said. "She came up with a lot of big performances for us when we needed it and it has given the team an awful lot of confidence in her."

Returning to the circle after an injury-plagued 2010, Pembleton provided depth to the squad. Ranking among the conference leaders in relief appearances, Pembleton showed she could dominate as well, earning a shutout victory over regional power North Carolina.

"Lauren carried us a lot last year and into the fall as well. She knows what it takes to be successful," said Adams. "With the combination of Lauren, Taryn and Erin, this is the first time I feel like we have a true pitching staff."

Putting together another challenging schedule that includes tournaments at Campbell, Virginia, San Diego State and UC Riverside, Adams believes that the experience of playing and beating good teams will help the Hawks succeed towards the later part of the season.

"We played a schedule that had teams with high RPI last year and that helped us," said Adams. "This year, we are trying to make that final step though. We need to beat teams with a high RPI and that should help us cross that final hurdle and win the Atlantic 10 Championship."