Feb. 25, 2005

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - The Marist softball team looks ahead to a promising 2005 season. Marist alum Melissa Tucci '01 begins her fourth year as head coach after a successful playing career for the Red and White that saw her earn All-MAAC recognition.

The Red Foxes, picked for ninth place in the MAAC Preseason Poll, will look to improve drastically on last year's 11-43 record. Marist returns a solid corps of veterans as well as several talented freshmen and transfers as the team attempts to make a run at the MAAC title.

INFIELD The Red Foxes will feature a completely revamped infield in 2005. Junior shortstop Katie Eskin, one of the best at her position in the conference, returns after a semester abroad in Australia. Eskin batted .214 with five RBI last season while compiling a .911 fielding percentage. Junior Chrystine McHugh switches corners as she moves over to third base after two successful years at first base. She will be a major force in the Marist lineup after leading the team with a .358 slugging percentage, two home runs and 11 extra-base hits. Junior Laurissa Riley, a transfer from Dutchess Community College, will take over for Barbara Leasure at second base. Riley, a Poughkeepsie native who earned NJCAA All-American Second Team honors while at Dutchess C.C., is a quick and reliable fielder with aggressive speed on the basepaths. Coach Tucci expects her to set the table as Marist's leadoff hiter. Freshman first baseman Annie Castellano will be strong defensively and is expected to make a huge impact at the plate. Tucci calls her a "big clutch hitter."

OUTFIELD Team captain Allison Bartley, the lone senior on the squad, will man center field. Bartley, whose 12 RBI and eight stolen bases were second-most on the team in 2004, brings outstanding speed in the field and power at the plate. Coach Tucci expects a tremendous season from her. Rejoining Bartley will be sophomore Christine Jakobsen in left field while freshman Pamela de la Llave will be among those competing for the starting right field position.

PITCHING In 2005, Marist will have the youngest pitching staff in school history with two freshmen and a sophomore on the mound. Lyndsay Ward, the holdover from last season, had the distinction of earning Marist's only save last season, which she earned in the 3-1 win over NCAA Tournament-bound Bowling Green on March 28. Ward will also be used in the infield and outfield to keep her bat in the lineup when she isn't pitching. Freshmen Megan Rigos and Kristen Merlino are expected to play major roles this season and will compliment each other well. Rigos will overpower opposing hitters with her commanding arm while Merlino has great control and poise on the mound. The two newcomers come to Marist with impressive pedigrees. Rigos was named 2004 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year after her 23-2 record, 0.33 ERA and 218 strikeouts led Mount Lebanon High School to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championship. Merlino, a local product from Wappingers Falls, was a three-time All-Section I and Poughkeepsie Journal All-Star during her high school career at Our Lady of Lourdes.

CATCHERS Junior catchers Jasmery Polanco and Bridget Hurlman lead the battery with experience behind the plate. Polanco, Marist's top returning hitter, led the team in batting average (.265) and RBIs (18) while topping all returnees in base hits (41). She brings intensity and a strong arm and will be a major threat at the plate once again in 2005. Hurlman will rotate between designated hitter and catcher. Hurlman's keen eye at the plate showed last season when she led the team with 11 walks. Freshman Alison Catenacci will add depth behind the plate and in the infield.

SCHEDULE The non-conference schedule is highlighted by games against 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Mississippi Valley State and Southern Mississippi at the season-opening Comfort Inn Mercer Classic in Macon, Ga. Feb. 25-27 where they will face Samford, Siena and the host Bears as well as the two schools from the Magnolia State. The team visits local rival Army and takes on defending Big East champions Seton Hall in the home opener on March 12 before heading down to the Wolfpack Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. March 18-20. Marist will match up against St. John's, Ohio University and host N.C. State. The Red Foxes will work their way north, visiting George Mason, George Washington and Howard before returning home to face Fordham. The remainder of the 2005 season will see three other non-conference foes (Columbia, La Salle and Hartford) come to Poughkeepsie while the Red Foxes also travel to Yale, Providence, Stony Brook and St. John's. MAAC play begins April 16 at 2004 champion Canisius. The top four teams will qualify for the MAAC Tournament May 13-14 at Fairfield.