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Kylie Fitzpatrick

PREVIEW: Softball opens 2023 campaign in North Myrtle Beach

2/16/2023 12:30:00 PM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College softball team begins its 2023 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17 at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.

The Hawks will play three doubleheaders against three teams, first against Bloomfield on Friday before two games versus Molloy on Saturday. Saint Anselm wraps up the six-game event with a twinbill against Mercy (N.Y.) on Sunday.

Bloomfield compiled a 13-30 overall record last season, falling in the CACC Tournament after posting an 11-13 regular-season record in the league. Molloy produced a 24-33 overall record, including a 10-14 mark in the East Coast Conference, while Mercy was 11-38 (9-15 ECC) in 2022.

Live Video is provided courtesy of the City of North Myrtle Beach. The Hawks will play on field five versus Bloomfield, field two against Molloy and field one against the Mavericks.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

  • Saint Anselm is projected to finish third in the 13-team Northeast-10 Conference, according to the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Tuesday. The Hawks racked up 124 points to place third, trailing only Adelphi (143 pts.) and Franklin Pierce (125 pts.).
  • The Hawks finished last season with a 28-17 overall record, including a 20-6 record against NE10 opponents to earn the No. 2 seed in the league playoffs. Since the start of the 2018 season, the Hawks have enjoyed a 162-51-1 (.759) overall record and a 103-22-1 (.821) mark in NE10 action.
  • The Hawks have won two NCAA Division II East Region Championships, finishing as the National Runner-Up in 2018 before its most recent title in 2021. In total, Saint Anselm has appeared in each of the last four NCAA postseasons.
  • In Northeast-10 Conference play, the Hawks have won three of the last four NE10 Regular Season Championships. Saint Anselm also hoisted the NE10 Championship trophy in 2019 and 2021 – in 2022, the Hawks were dropped in extra innings by Adelphi in the championship game.
  • Last season, Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) was one of two National Fastpitch Coaches' Association All-Region selections. She was also the team's lone First Team All-Conference selection from the NE10, firing 23 complete games on the year (17th in NCAA Division II) and winning 21 games (fifth in the East Region).
  • Senior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) enters the 2023 season with a six-game hitting streak after batting .300 (6-for-20) in her team's final games of the season last year. Ultimately, Fitzpatrick had at least one hit in 10 of her final 11 games of the season.

SCOUTING BLOOMFIELD

  • Bloomfield was projected to finish seventh in the 13-team Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll revealed on Feb. 1.
  • The Bears ranked third in the CACC last season with 28 sacrifice bunts. The team also ranked in the top half of the conference in stolen bases per game (1.4) and hits allowed per seven innings (10.49).
  • Daniela Vidal, then a freshman, led Bloomfield with a .313 batting average, posting six doubles, three triples and 17 runs driven in.
  • Danielle Walters also returns for Bloomfield after posting a .294 batting average and a team-leading 16 walks. She was also a contributor in the circle for the Bears, firing a team-leading 108 innings on the season.

SCOUTING MOLLOY

  • Molloy made it all the way to the East Coast Conference's title game last season, falling to Bridgeport who has since transitioned to play in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The Lions are in pursuit of their first ECC crown since 2016.
  • The Lions turned 27 double plays last season, ranking fourth in NCAA Division II. The team was also 40th in the nation with 90 stolen bases, leading the ECC in that metric.
  • Infielder Chrissie Huhn was a Second Team All-ECC selection after batting .366 last season. The outfield tandem of Steph Conrade and Alex Burns earned First Team All-Conference honors last season, with the former batting .414 and the latter ranking second on the team in home runs with seven.
  • Brianna Macias, a transfer from Lindenwood, will split time in the circle with Amanda King, a returner who logged 13 wins a season ago.

SCOUTING MERCY (N.Y.)

  • The Mavericks led the ECC in triples last season with nine. The team also ranked second in the league with 29 sacrifice bunts, second in stolen bases (65) and second in double plays with 20.
  • Seven starters return for Mercy, including three All-Conference selections, four of the team's top five batters and the squad's starting pitcher. The program was projected to finish fourth in the ECC's Preseason Coaches' Poll.
  • Alexi Benson, Samantha Franck and Shannon Sisco each earned Second Team All-ECC honors last season. Benson, a pitcher, posted 138 strikeouts in 159 innings while Franck drove in a team-leading 26 runs a season ago. Sisco led the team with a .359 batting average.
  • The team last won an ECC title in 2017, the first in program history, by defeating the fourth-seeded Pioneers from LIU Post.

ALL-TIME vs. BLOOMFIELD, MOLLOY, MERCY (N.Y.)

  • The Hawks last played Bloomfield on Mar. 4, 2008, a 6-0 shutout by the Hawks.
  • Saint Anselm and Molloy have played to a 2-2 record with the last games coming on Mar. 20, 2010.
  • The Hawks enjoy a 3-2 record in the all-time series with Mercy. After dropping both ends of a doubleheader on Mar. 6, 2009, Saint Anselm has since won the next three games by outscoring the Mavericks, 32-10.
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