Post by Aggie One on Feb 7, 2009 11:38:07 GMT -5
www.ncataggies.com/Softball/2009%20articles/1Preview.htm
AGGIES OPEN '09 SEASON IN GEORGIA
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Eight freshmen came to North Carolina A&T and led the softball team to the winner-take-all MEAC Championship Game and lost by a large margin. According to head coach Mamie Jones it was a wake up call for the young group.
They went 31-17-1 as sophomores, but were bounced from the MEAC Tournament after losing back-to-back games in the double elimination event.
“We didn’t come in there overconfident because of what happened the previous year, but they still didn’t have the right mind set to win a championship,’’ said Jones, the 2008 MEAC Coach of the Year. “It’s not enough that you have a wake up call. You also must put in the extra work that will take you over the top.”
In 2009, the eight players who started in 2007, are now juniors. They are juniors who are not only awakened, but also have a change in attitude. Jones said she has seen a tremendous amount of maturity from her junior class.
“Each of them worked on what they can improve on individually to make this team better,’’ said Jones. “It took two years for them to realize where their focus needs to be if they want to win a championship. We had some players drop weight. We had players working hard in the weight room. We had players improving on their defense. So, I definitely see an attitude change in this team.”
Jones’ next goal is to keep them focused. She notices her team can get distracted depending on what is going on around them.
“The motto this year is ‘finish it,’” said Jones. “They had good years as freshmen and sophomores, but they didn’t finish.”
There is no question Jones has a talented and gifted group of juniors. It starts with shortstop Yahamma White, who is a career .418 hitter. She led the nation in runs scored per game as a freshman. A year ago, she finished seventh nationally in the same category. Anchorage, Alaska native Lillian Bullock broke the Aggies all-time home runs record as a freshman with 17. She also tied for the league lead in RBIs as a freshman and has an amazing .712 career slugging percentage, which means she reaches base 71.2 percent of the time she earns an at-bat.
Tangala Conover enters her third season as the Aggies third baseman. Conover has started all 100 games she has played in as an Aggie. She has been consistent contributor in the middle of the Aggies lineup. She is a career .332 hitter with 68 career RBIs. Catcher Jessie Larson shared the league lead in RBIs with Bullock as a freshman. Although her power numbers went down as a sophomore, she still managed to hit .290 with 35 RBIs. Outfielder Brittney Reddick, who has been a part-time starter throughout her career, will likely step into a full-time starting position this season after completing her first two seasons with only 38 strikeouts and a career .294 average. Last season, Bianca Alsobrook became a starter at first base. She knocked in 29 runs, hit .272 and had an impressive .980 fielding percentage.
Channing Statham shared some of the first base duties, and also served as the Aggies designated player in various games. Sasha Philpot is the pitcher in the junior group. She had a tremendous freshman season by winning 18 games, which at the time was a single-season school record. She has a career 28-21 record with a career 3.28 earned run average.
“From day one they’ve done an excellent job,’’ said Jones, whose junior class is a combined 61-47-1 over all and 18-8 in the MEAC since their arrival. “I just need to see a little more leadership from among the group.”
Therefore, Jones with the blessings of her team, chose three leaders from among the great eight. She named Conover, Alsobrook and Larson as team captains. Jones sees the improvements all three have made in their swings as well as in the weight room. They will be asked to provide leadership to not only their fellow junior classmates, but also to the entire team that also includes some gifted players. Among those players is sophomore pitcher Jennifer Luper. Luper won MEAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2008 after going 20-5 with a 2.41 ERA. Luper broke the single-season school record for wins, and received the prestigious Aggie Club Award for her efforts. She will come into this season as the Aggies No. 1 pitcher, but could see even that role increase.
“Luper’s performance last year was a surprise because I didn’t recruit her to just pitch,’’ said Jones. “But you can’t underestimate her work ethic. I think you’ll see a little more out of her this year than just pitching because she is such a great athlete. But it will not be too much more.”
To give Luper and Philpot some assistance on the mound, Jones signed 5-foot-8 Aurora Baker. Baker is not a starter now, but before the season ends she could earn her way into that role. She could be of valuable assistance once the Aggies begin their three-game series in conference play. “We’ve struggled over the years because we didn’t have good solid pitching or we at least didn’t have a consistent No. 2,’’ said Jones. “With Sasha and Luper we don’t have to rely on just one pitcher. If Aurora can step in and earn some time on the mound, it will make us a better softball team.”
Jones hopes to have an improved defense behind her pitchers this season. Even with the talent Jones has collected, the Aggies still made 87 errors in 49 games last season. In addition, Jones lost two of her better defensive players in outfielders Sylvia Felder and all-conference standout Chaola Simmons.
Sophomore Ryanne Hill had an outstanding freshman season as she hit .314 with 37 RBIs and six home runs. She will be joined in the outfield by Reddick and freshman Ashley Carter. Carter will also add to the Aggies speed on the bases, and comes in with the reputation of being an excellent contact hitter. Senior Britney Hodges will also play a role in the Aggies outfield.
The Aggies infield will look similar to the way it has looked the last two seasons with Conover at third; White at shortstop; Bullock at second base; Alsobrook at first base and Larson catching. Antoinette Torres and Statham will also play some in the infield. “All the kids in our infield will tell you they need to really focus in on cutting down their errors,’’ said Jones, who saw her infield commit 70 errors last season. “All of them have set goals this year in terms of their defense and I expect those goals to be met.”
Offensively, it would seem the Aggies have no problems. Up and down their lineup are hitters who can hit the ball a long way. The Aggies have hit a combined 80 home runs the last two years. Also over the past two seasons, the Aggies have routinely been among the nation’s best in slugging percentage and extra base hits (doubles, triples and home runs). But Jones wants her players to have a different approach to scoring runs this season.
“We have a well-rounded team that has speed, power and players who can make contact,’’ said Jones. “We need to take advantage of that. I think last year we may have relied on our power a little too much. Instead of waiting for one of our power hitters to come up and hit a big three-run homer, we’re going to use our contact hitters to mover runners over, and we’re going to use our speed to get players into scoring position.
There is nothing wrong with a three-run homer, but you can’t rely on it every time.”
Along with the familiar faces of the last two years, Jones will have six freshmen on her 2009 roster. In addition to Carter and Baker, Jones added two backup catchers in Danielle Nugyen and Amanda McIntyre. She also added walk-ons LaShawn Nevins and Sherika Laughlin.
AGGIES OPEN '09 SEASON IN GEORGIA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eight freshmen came to North Carolina A&T and led the softball team to the winner-take-all MEAC Championship Game and lost by a large margin. According to head coach Mamie Jones it was a wake up call for the young group.
They went 31-17-1 as sophomores, but were bounced from the MEAC Tournament after losing back-to-back games in the double elimination event.
“We didn’t come in there overconfident because of what happened the previous year, but they still didn’t have the right mind set to win a championship,’’ said Jones, the 2008 MEAC Coach of the Year. “It’s not enough that you have a wake up call. You also must put in the extra work that will take you over the top.”
In 2009, the eight players who started in 2007, are now juniors. They are juniors who are not only awakened, but also have a change in attitude. Jones said she has seen a tremendous amount of maturity from her junior class.
“Each of them worked on what they can improve on individually to make this team better,’’ said Jones. “It took two years for them to realize where their focus needs to be if they want to win a championship. We had some players drop weight. We had players working hard in the weight room. We had players improving on their defense. So, I definitely see an attitude change in this team.”
Jones’ next goal is to keep them focused. She notices her team can get distracted depending on what is going on around them.
“The motto this year is ‘finish it,’” said Jones. “They had good years as freshmen and sophomores, but they didn’t finish.”
There is no question Jones has a talented and gifted group of juniors. It starts with shortstop Yahamma White, who is a career .418 hitter. She led the nation in runs scored per game as a freshman. A year ago, she finished seventh nationally in the same category. Anchorage, Alaska native Lillian Bullock broke the Aggies all-time home runs record as a freshman with 17. She also tied for the league lead in RBIs as a freshman and has an amazing .712 career slugging percentage, which means she reaches base 71.2 percent of the time she earns an at-bat.
Tangala Conover enters her third season as the Aggies third baseman. Conover has started all 100 games she has played in as an Aggie. She has been consistent contributor in the middle of the Aggies lineup. She is a career .332 hitter with 68 career RBIs. Catcher Jessie Larson shared the league lead in RBIs with Bullock as a freshman. Although her power numbers went down as a sophomore, she still managed to hit .290 with 35 RBIs. Outfielder Brittney Reddick, who has been a part-time starter throughout her career, will likely step into a full-time starting position this season after completing her first two seasons with only 38 strikeouts and a career .294 average. Last season, Bianca Alsobrook became a starter at first base. She knocked in 29 runs, hit .272 and had an impressive .980 fielding percentage.
Channing Statham shared some of the first base duties, and also served as the Aggies designated player in various games. Sasha Philpot is the pitcher in the junior group. She had a tremendous freshman season by winning 18 games, which at the time was a single-season school record. She has a career 28-21 record with a career 3.28 earned run average.
“From day one they’ve done an excellent job,’’ said Jones, whose junior class is a combined 61-47-1 over all and 18-8 in the MEAC since their arrival. “I just need to see a little more leadership from among the group.”
Therefore, Jones with the blessings of her team, chose three leaders from among the great eight. She named Conover, Alsobrook and Larson as team captains. Jones sees the improvements all three have made in their swings as well as in the weight room. They will be asked to provide leadership to not only their fellow junior classmates, but also to the entire team that also includes some gifted players. Among those players is sophomore pitcher Jennifer Luper. Luper won MEAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2008 after going 20-5 with a 2.41 ERA. Luper broke the single-season school record for wins, and received the prestigious Aggie Club Award for her efforts. She will come into this season as the Aggies No. 1 pitcher, but could see even that role increase.
“Luper’s performance last year was a surprise because I didn’t recruit her to just pitch,’’ said Jones. “But you can’t underestimate her work ethic. I think you’ll see a little more out of her this year than just pitching because she is such a great athlete. But it will not be too much more.”
To give Luper and Philpot some assistance on the mound, Jones signed 5-foot-8 Aurora Baker. Baker is not a starter now, but before the season ends she could earn her way into that role. She could be of valuable assistance once the Aggies begin their three-game series in conference play. “We’ve struggled over the years because we didn’t have good solid pitching or we at least didn’t have a consistent No. 2,’’ said Jones. “With Sasha and Luper we don’t have to rely on just one pitcher. If Aurora can step in and earn some time on the mound, it will make us a better softball team.”
Jones hopes to have an improved defense behind her pitchers this season. Even with the talent Jones has collected, the Aggies still made 87 errors in 49 games last season. In addition, Jones lost two of her better defensive players in outfielders Sylvia Felder and all-conference standout Chaola Simmons.
Sophomore Ryanne Hill had an outstanding freshman season as she hit .314 with 37 RBIs and six home runs. She will be joined in the outfield by Reddick and freshman Ashley Carter. Carter will also add to the Aggies speed on the bases, and comes in with the reputation of being an excellent contact hitter. Senior Britney Hodges will also play a role in the Aggies outfield.
The Aggies infield will look similar to the way it has looked the last two seasons with Conover at third; White at shortstop; Bullock at second base; Alsobrook at first base and Larson catching. Antoinette Torres and Statham will also play some in the infield. “All the kids in our infield will tell you they need to really focus in on cutting down their errors,’’ said Jones, who saw her infield commit 70 errors last season. “All of them have set goals this year in terms of their defense and I expect those goals to be met.”
Offensively, it would seem the Aggies have no problems. Up and down their lineup are hitters who can hit the ball a long way. The Aggies have hit a combined 80 home runs the last two years. Also over the past two seasons, the Aggies have routinely been among the nation’s best in slugging percentage and extra base hits (doubles, triples and home runs). But Jones wants her players to have a different approach to scoring runs this season.
“We have a well-rounded team that has speed, power and players who can make contact,’’ said Jones. “We need to take advantage of that. I think last year we may have relied on our power a little too much. Instead of waiting for one of our power hitters to come up and hit a big three-run homer, we’re going to use our contact hitters to mover runners over, and we’re going to use our speed to get players into scoring position.
There is nothing wrong with a three-run homer, but you can’t rely on it every time.”
Along with the familiar faces of the last two years, Jones will have six freshmen on her 2009 roster. In addition to Carter and Baker, Jones added two backup catchers in Danielle Nugyen and Amanda McIntyre. She also added walk-ons LaShawn Nevins and Sherika Laughlin.
