Softball Season Preview

2014 Schedule
Date # Opponent Time FEBRUARY 7 Fri. 1 Michigan State 4:00 PM 7 Fri. 1 Rhode Island 6:30 PM 8 Sat. 1 Rhode Island 4:00 PM 8 Sat. 1 Michigan State 6:30 PM 14 Fri. 2 Elon 4:00 PM 14 Fri. 2 Campbell 6:30 PM 15 Sat. 2 Campbell 4:00 PM 15 Sat. 2 Bethune-Cookman 6:30 PM 16 Sun. 2 Bethune-Cookman 12:00 PM 28 Fri. 3 vs. Princeton 5:00 PM 28 Fri. 3 vs. College of Charleston 7:00 PM MARCH 1 Sat. 3 vs. UT Martin 1:30 PM 1 Sat. 3 vs. SIU-Edwardsville 6:00 PM 7 Fri. 4 Memphis 4:00 PM 7 Fri. 4 South Dakota 6:30 PM 8 Sat. 4 South Dakota 4:00 PM 8 Sat. 4 Memphis 6:30 PM 11 Tue. * USC Upstate (DH) 4:00 PM 12 Wed. * USC Upstate 4:00 PM 15 Sat. * at Mercer (DH) 1:00 PM 16 Sun. * at Mercer 1:00 PM 18 Tue. * Marist (DH) 4:00 PM 19 Wed. * Buffalo 6:00 PM 22 Sat. * at ETSU (DH) 1:00 PM 23 Sun. * at ETSU 11:00 AM 26 Wed. Bethune-Cookman 6:00 PM 29 Sat. * Florida Gulf Coast (DH) 1:00 PM 30 Sun. * Florida Gulf Coast 1:00 PM APRIL 5 Sat. * at Northern Ky. (DH) 12:00 PM 6 Sun. * at Northern Ky. 11:00 AM 12 Sat. * at Kennesaw State (DH) 1:00 PM 13 Sun. * at Kennesaw State 1:00 PM 18 Fri. * Lipscomb (DH) 12:00 PM 19 Sat. * Lipscomb 10:00 AM 26 Sat. * Jacksonville (DH) 2:00 PM 27 Sun. * Jacksonville 1:00 PM 30 Wed. * at North Florida (DH) 5:00 PM MAY 1 Thur. * at North Florida 2:00 PM 7-10 We.-Sat. at A-Sun Championship TBA 15-18 Th.-Sun. at NCAA Regionals TBA 22-25 Th.-Sun. at NCAA Super Regionals TBA 29-J4 Th.-Wed. at WCWS TBA 1 - Stetson Lead-Off Classic, DeLand, Fla. 2 - Hatter Invitational, DeLand, Fla. 3 - UCF Tournament, Orlando, Fla. 4 - Stetson Classic, DeLand, Fla. * - Atlantic Sun Conference game All times Eastern and subject to change Home games in bold and played at Patricia Wilson Field

The 30th season of Stetson fastpitch softball has arrived, and with it, the goals and expectations of a new year. The Hatters went 31-22 in 2013 and set an alltime program record with 45 home runs. The offense looks to pick up where it left off a season ago with the return of homerun leaders Meredith Owen (11) and Demi Meza (10). The pair became the rst in Stetson history with double-digit home-run totals in the same season, and with 35 of those 45 long balls returning in 2014, there is reason to be optimistic. I think our offense is going to be able to do a good job, said head coach Frank Grifn. I dont know if this will be another record-breaking year, but I do know that we have the talent to score some runs. Stetson scored at a blistering pace last year, plating 4.6 runs per game, its highest season average since 2005. Grifn thinks that total may go up this season with the teams potent combination of power and speed. This is perhaps overall the fastest team Ive had in my career, Grifn explained. We also have a lot of pop to go with it, so I think we are going to score some runs, especially as the season goes on. One of the fastest Hatters is senior Chrissy Morello, who will anchor the outeld for Grifn once again in 2014. The four-year starter has led her team in steals each of the past three seasons and has swiped 67 bags to date. To complement the Hatter offense is a veteran pitching corps, which returns all four components from a year ago. Seniors Sarah Read and Owen return for their

nal seasons in DeLand, and are joined in the circle by juniors Courtney Brandt and Taylor Cochran. Owen led all Hatter hurlers last season with a 1.96 ERA and a 22-10 record in 207.2 innings pitched, while Brandt picked up eight victories during her 20 appearances. I am really pleased with the depth we have on the mound, and all four pitchers have improved since last season, Grifn said. Sarah has had the most improvement because last year she was recovering from arm surgery, so there is a huge difference in her performance. Backing up the pitching will be a solid defensive unit, highlighted by a trio of 2013 A-Sun All-Freshman team members. Inelders Kayla Drury and Brittany Hawn combined for 161 putouts and 191 assists during their rst season of collegiate ball, and are looking to become even stronger with the glove during their sophomore campaigns. I would like to have an ineld that makes routine plays routinely, Grifn said. No big ashy plays or bobbling of the ball, and I feel condent that the players we have out there will do just that. The Hatters also boast depth behind the plate with junior Allison Sutherlin and the third A-Sun All-Freshman team member in now-sophomore Jessica Grifn. Four newcomers will make their Stetson debuts this spring as well. The Hatters open the season Feb. 7-8 as they host Michigan State and Rhode Island in the annual Stetson Lead-Off Classic.

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February 2014

Stetson Becoming Preferred Winter Rowing Destination

While sheets of ice currently coat many lakes and rivers north of the MasonDixon Line, collegiate rowing teams from across the nation are hard at work on the placid waters of Lake Beresford in DeLand. Now in their second decade of playing winter host to a variety of teams, Stetson rowing coaches welcome schools from all over just so college and club rowers alike can have fresh, unfrozen water on which to train. The visiting teams that have come here have been doing so for a number of years, and we love to host teams of all types, said second-year rowing head coach Mark Wilson. They like to come here because of our water. The water - or more specically what is not in the water - makes all the difference as Lake Beresford is a freshwater source, as opposed to other bodies of blue that contain salt. A lot of the teams go all over Florida, but since we are on fresh water, that is a big plus, Wilson explained. The fresh water that we have versus going someplace like Tampa is a benet because if teams rowed there three times a day, thats three extra times they have to wash their equipment. Salt water is not really good on your skin or your equipment, he added. Schools like Iowa, Virginia, UMass

and Rhode Island made a multi-week trek to DeLand this year to get some midwinter work accomplished on the water. College teams were not the only ones making the trip in 2014 as the Canadian National Team was back at Stetson for the fth time in six years. What makes or breaks a great rowing site is having a certain amount of distance, said Rowing Canadas lightweight mens coach Al Morrow. The size of Lake Beresford and then the option to go into the (St. Johns) river is the most signicant thing. Coach Morrow also cites Stetsons location as another key factor in deciding where to take his team in order to prepare for yet another Olympic run as they did in 2008 and 2012. The facilities, such as the docks and the launch areas, as well as the hosting job by coach Wilson, create a very safe, friendly environment for us, Morrow explained. So thats why we would choose a Stetson in DeLand over rowing in downtown Miami for example, where you have a lot more trafc and commotion. The Canadian team, made up of 10 men and 20 women, spent two weeks at Stetson starting in early January, all in hopes of staying in top Olympic form for their ultimate goal, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

We love coming down to DeLand because it has a beautiful open lake, so we can get all of our pairs across, and we can have good training against each other, said 2012 Olympic silver medalist Natalie Mastracci. You can go down the rivers and canals forever, so you only have to make one turn, meaning we can get a lot of kilometers in. It is not the water alone though that makes Mastracci and her teammates happy to call Stetson home for two weeks during the winter. As for the facilities here, every year we come back they keep getting cleaner and better, so I just really appreciate being able to come down here, and I think its the perfect venue for our team at this time, she added. When the teams come here, they are spending more time rowing, and thats what they come to Florida for, Wilson said. So there are a lot of benets for a team to come to DeLand; thats why we are trying to make our site more accommodating by packaging meals and boat rentals so theyll have it all here. Sunshine and warm temperatures aside, Wilson hopes Stetsons amenities and DeLands location continue to attract rowing teams from across the nation and world in the years to come.

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February 2014

A Look Back at the NCAA Tournament in Orlando

2014 Division I NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Orlando Site Information Hosts: Stetson University, UCF, Central Florida Sports Commission, City of Orlando, Orange County Rounds: Second & Third, South Region Dates: March 20-22, 2014 Site: Amway Center, Orlando, Fla. Tickets: amwaycenter.com ncaa.com 1-877-NCAA-TIXX

For the fth time in 20 years, Stetson University and the city of Orlando will host Division I NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament games. 2014 will mark a new era in the host citys history, as it will be the rst time teams take the court inside the newly constructed Amway Center. The previous four occasions all took place at the old Orlando Arena, and provided fans with exciting basketball, not to mention plenty of prominent names both on the court and on the bench. Future stars from the NBA as well as the NFL competed on the sports biggest stage in Orlando, and Hall of Fame caliber coaches directed them from the sidelines. Here now is a look back at the previous four times Stetson and Orlando have hosted NCAA Tournament action. 2004 Teams: (2) Mississippi State, (3) NC State, (6) Vanderbilt, (7) Xavier, (10) Louisville, (11) Western Michigan, (14) Louisiana Lafayette, (15) Monmouth The 2004 tournament marked the rst time teams would compete in Orlando from two different regions. Vanderbilt, Western Michigan, NC State and Louisiana Lafayette squared off from the West, while Xavier, Louisville, Mississippi State and Monmouth represented the South. Vanderbilt proved to be the best of the West, dispatching Western Michigan, 7158, and NC State, 75-73, en route to a date with UCONN in the Sweet 16. Xavier reigned supreme in the South, taking care of Louisville, 80-70, and then upsetting Mississippi State, 89-74.

1999 Teams: (2) Maryland, (3) St. Johns, (6) Indiana, (7) Louisville, (10) Creighton, (11) George Washington, (14) Samford, (15) Valparaiso The centurys nal year saw storied basketball programs such as Indiana and St. Johns take the court. The names on the back of the jerseys proved to be just as prominent as the ones on the front as future NFL star Antwaan Randle El and NBA players Ron Artest and Steve Francis would square off at the Orena. Bob Knight and his Hoosiers cruised in their rst game of South Region play, setting a new site record for points scored with a 108-88 victory over George Washington. In other games, St. Johns rolled past Samford 69-43, while seventh-seeded Louisville was upset by 10th seed Creighton 62-58. There would be no repeat of tournament magic from 1998s Sweet 16 surprise, Valparaiso, as Francis Maryland team earned an 82-60 win over the Crusaders, before being upset by Creighton, 75-63, in their next game. In the marquee matchup of the weekend, Artests Red Storm held off Randle Els Hoosiers 86-61, on their way to the Sweet 16. 1996 Teams: (2) Cincinnati, (3) Georgia Tech, (6) Indiana, (7) Temple, (10) Oklahoma, (11) Boston College, (14) Austin Peay, (15) UNC Greensboro The portion of the Southeast Region heading to Orlando in 1996 was a virtual whos who among the college-basketball coaching ranks. Bobby Knight (Indiana),

Don Cheney (Temple), Bobby Cremins (Georgia Tech), Jim OBrien (Boston College), Bob Huggins (Cincinnati) and Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma) all led talented squads into the tournament. Eventually it was a pair of teams that came out of the city on top, led by two future NBA players in Georgia Techs Stephon Marbury and Cincinnatis Danny Fortson. Both the Yellow Jackets and Bearcats went 2-0 in the two-day session, with Georgia Tech triumphing over Austin Peay, 90-79, and then Boston College, 103-89. Cincinnati downed UNC Greensboro, 66-61, before sending Temple home with a 78-65 loss. 1993 Teams: (2) Seton Hall, (3) Florida State, (6) Kansas State, (7) Western Kentucky, (10) Memphis, (11) Tulane, (14) Evansville, (15) Tennessee State Not even 4 years old and the newly constructed Orlando Arena was selected to host its rst NCAA Tournament games, with Stetson University as the host in the Southeast Region. On the rst day, Tulane and Western Kentucky advanced with close victories as the Green Wave upset Kansas State, 55-53, and the Hilltoppers beat Memphis, 55-52. Florida State, led by future pro Sam Cassell and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward defeated Evansville, 82-70, before rolling past Tulane in the second round, 94-63, behind Cassells 31 points. After getting past Tennessee State 81-59 in the rst round, Terry Deheres Seton Hall Pirates were upset by Western Kentucky in the Round of 32, 72-68, for WKUs rst trip to the Sweet 16 in more than 30 years.

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February 2014