May 13, 2002
The softball team's 2002 season was the beginning of a rebuilding process for the Red Foxes. After completing her playing career at Marist last season, first year head coach Melissa Tucci hung up her uniform and took over the coaching reigns of a young and inexperienced squad this season. The departure of five starters and nearly 63 percent of the offensive production from a team that finished runner-up in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2001, the Red Foxes struggled through a 10-35-1 season that included a 4-12 record and eighth place finish in the MAAC.
Marist began the season dropping five games at the East Carolina Tournament and a double header at Fordham before taking a trip down to Kissimmee, FL for the 2002 edition of the Rebel Games. The Red Foxes began to turn things around after loosing their first four contests down south, by earning consecutive wins over Siena, Maryland-Eastern Shore (UMES), and Niagara to establish a three game winning streak. After a loss to Towson, the Marist bats erupted for a school record 15 runs in a victory over UMES. Junior pitcher Nicole Fox was also on top of her game tossing the first Red Fox no-hitter since the 1998 season in the 15-0 win. The team headed back north with a bit of momentum having won four the their last five games.
The Red Foxes continued to stay competitive upon their return, falling 4-1 and earning a 2-2 tie at home against eventual Patriot League Tournament Champion Army. Next the team opened MAAC play with a double header split at Rider, before returning home to sweep Ivy League Member Yale, earning both wins in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Red Foxes continued their home stand falling in a double header against St. Peter's, before they rallied the next day for a 4-2 win in the first game versus Manhattan. In game two Marist tied the contest 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, and the score remained the same until the 12th inning when Manhattan pushed across the winning run for a 3-2 victory in the longest game ever played by the Red Foxes. The eight game home stretch was completed two days later with a double header defeat at the hands of St. John's.
Marist next lost twice on the road at Lehigh and split at MAAC foe Siena, before dropping a double header at home to Stony Brook. The Red Foxes then took to the road and fell upon hard times when they were sweep at Hofstra, Iona, Fairfield, and Colgate. Marist returned home for the final four games of the season, by first splitting with Niagara, winning the second game 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Senior Jessica Shorey set a new single season school record when she was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this year and tied the all-time mark with her 13th career hit by pitch. The Red Foxes then completed their season falling twice to Canisius, the second game in the 11th inning. Game two against Canisius marked the eighth extra inning game of the season for Marist establishing a new school record previous set in 2000 at seven.
For her performance at the plate where she led the Red Foxes in batting average (.283), home runs (7), RBI's (24), and runs scored (19) freshman Nichole Rawson was named to the All-MAAC Second Team at third base. Rawson was also solid on the mound striking out 83 batters in 124.1 innings pitched on the year. Marist also had six other players receive honors as Shorey, fellow senior Meghan Fuller, juniors Fox, Amy Angus, and Kathleen McEvily, and sophomore Jaclyn Bertuglia were all selected to the MAAC All-Academic Team. In the past four seasons the softball program has had 23 players named to the team.
Despite coming up short more often then they wished too, the 2002 Red Foxes never lacked the competitiveness and desire needed to rebuild the program. With the loss of only two seniors to graduation, coach Tucci believes the team has a solid foundation to bring Marist back to the accomplishments of years past.
