Softball begins MAC action

Fresh off a spring break trip that included visits to both the east coast and the west coast of Florida, the UB softball team will kick-off the 2005 MAC season and begin its quest for a first-ever MAC tournament appearance this weekend at Marshall.

The Bulls are 4-17 heading into the MAC portion of their schedule, and the team is looking for some momentum to turn its young season around.

Offensive production has prohibited the Bulls from winning games so far in 2005. Buffalo is coming off of its best season since joining Division I athletics, as the Bulls were able to produce an overall record of 18-21 last season. This season, however, has produced a slow start, mainly due to a lack of offensive production.

"We are a young team. At any one time we have at least four freshmen starting for us," said senior center fielder Ann Magur. "Our pitching is strong and our defense plays well most of the time. We are just struggling to manufacture runs right now."

One reason for the Bulls' struggle to produce runs this season may be an effect of the loss of star player Breanne Nasti who graduated at the end of last season. Last year Nasti led the team in every relevant offensive statistical category, with a .336 batting average, nine homeruns, 31 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .626.

"Bree is definitely one of the best hitters I have ever played with, if not the best, she really isn't replaceable in our lineup," said Magur. "Veterans with a lot of games under their belts are difficult to replace."

Besides Nasti's nasty antics, many of the players from last year's team return this season and the beginning of the year has been spent trying to find chemistry within the team.

One of the key contributors to last year's team was pitcher Stacy Evans, who had a sparkling 1.38 ERA, the lowest on the team, to go along with her 13-11 record and 22 complete games, both of which were team highs. This year senior leader Evans has gotten off to a shaky start going 2-8 with a 3.24 era through the first few games of the season. Despite her struggles so far, Evens' teammates continue to have confidence in their ace on the mound and will continue to look to Evans to lead the Bulls from the circle.

"In the grand scheme of things, a great pitcher usually always beats a great hitter, hands down," said Magur.

In addition to the veteran players on the Bulls' roster, UB head coach Marie Curran will also look to a handful of freshmen to play key roles in leading the Bulls to victory this season.

Freshman catcher Lacy Schneider got off to a great start in beginning her collegiate career, as her .333 batting average is best on the team thus far. Schneider was also tied for the team high in home runs and RBI, with one and three respectively. Schneider's 13 total bases and .542 slugging percentage were also tops on the team. Since the tournament in Tampa two weeks ago though, Schneider has been struggling, dropping her batting average to a more pedestrian .236, while her slugging percentage has sunk to .357.

With Nasti gone, the Bulls will be looking to the four seniors for more leadership both on and off the field. Alongside Evans there are three other seniors on the team who will need to be key performers for UB if the team is to turn the season around. Magur, Melissa Pace, and Julie Hibner along with Evans make up the senior class.

"Obviously with the MAC season rapidly approaching, we hope that our veterans start stepping it up at the plate and that our rookies continue to surprise us," said Magur. "It's difficult to put a lot of pressure on freshmen in the college game. It's such a higher level mentally that it is unfair to do."

Magur has gotten off to a nice start to the season, despite only playing in 13 of the team's first 21 games. Magur has a team leading .353 batting average, while driving in two runs. The senior has also shown an improvement on last season where she batted .247 with three homeruns and 17 RBI in 48 games.

Another player expected to play a key role in terms of the Bulls' success is sophomore Sophie Barstad. A pitcher, Barstad has seen excellent success on the mound while also being one of the offensive leaders for the Bulls.

Last season Barstad went 10-5 as a pitcher with a 2.01 era. She started 12 games, completed 10 of them, and also came in five times in relief in the late innings of games. At the plate, Barstad batted .257 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBI in only 74 at bats.

This weekend, the Bulls will travel to Marshall for a three-game series to open the MAC portion of their schedule.

"As soon as we hit the ball, we'll be fine, plain and simple," said Magur. "I expect us to compete well at Marshall because they are probably our biggest rival and we take our game to a whole new level against them."