Attention Garnet Softball Open House
The Garnet softball team set about resurrecting the team house, from the ground up, in 2003 and breathing life into a once-proud structure. The 2008 tenants added two more rooms in the off-season and word just reached the house that Swarthmore is picked to finish near the top of the Centennial Conference.
After floundering near the bottom of the Conference for years, the Swarthmore women have made consecutive appearances (2006, 2007) in the Centennial Championships, surpassing the 20-win total
each year. Swarthmore received a total of 52 points and one first-place vote to rank second in the 2008 preseason poll. Click here for complete poll.
Pass by the Garnet softball house these days and you’ll find fifth-year head coach Renee Clarke performing maintenance work. Returning seven starters from a team that broke the school record for Centennial wins (11), Clarke meddles little these days, preferring not to mess with the success.
Open the front door of the house and step forth into the newest addition—the trophy room. The Centennial playoff banners are tacked on the wall, three new All-Centennial and one All-Region plaque hang above the mantel. The names of Garnet softballers past, Christina Procacci ’06, Mary Mintel ’05, Michelle Walsh ’98, Kelly Siano ’07 and Marianne Klingaman ’07, are each whispered by shuffling visitors.
Follow the hall to the grand billiards room where accuracy and ferocity abound amongst the Garnet pitching staff (second in the Centennial with a 2.76 ERA). Milling around are two talented hurlers, junior captain Alexandra Zelaski (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark) and sophomore Kathryn Riley (Dagsboro, Del. / Indian River). The duos’ power is corralled by a game plan that professes dedicated execution. Riley made a s
plash in her first-year, earning a spot on the All-Centennial first team after posting an 11-4 record with three shutouts and one save while leading the Conference in ERA (1.15) and opponents’ batting average (.161). Zelaski (left) was 6-4 in 2007 while posting a second straight sub-3.00 ERA (2.98), good for 10th in the league. The junior now has 17 wins to go along with five shutouts in just 28 career starts.
Sophomore catcher Michele Perch (Kinnelon, N.J. / Kinnelon) returns to handle the Swarthmore pitching staff. Perch showed little fear as a first-year backstop in 2007, hitting .304 (third on the team) while throwing out 26.9% of opposing base stealers—among the highest rates in the conference.
Wander out to the garage with caution; a sign beckons for ear
and head protection. This is where the Swarthmore hitters make all kinds of noise. Riley (right) was also a threat at the plate in 2007, earning Louisville Slugger / NFCA Division III All-Region second-team status at utility player. She terrorized opposing pitchers to the tune of a .363 batting average and 26 RBI while hitting three home runs with a .458 on-base percentage (fourth in the Centennial). Two-time All-Centennial first team selection Christine Sendelsky (Edison, N.J. / John Stevens)--.379 OBP and 17 RBIs in 2007—also provides pop and speed (63 runs scored in two seasons) in the middle of the Swarthmore order. Following Sendelsky, a junior captain, is double-play partner and two-time captain Katherine Gold ’08 (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill East). Gold, the shortstop, looks to follow up a 2007 season where she received All-Centennial honorable mention after leading the team in slugging percentage (.535) and extra-base hits (11) while stealing eight bases.
Head out to the backyard where the Garnet speedsters dart across the grass. The leader of the fearless fly-catchers is c
enterfielder Lauren Walker ’09 (Fallston, Mary. / The Hotchkiss School), returning after a solid year in the lead-off spot in 2007. Walker (left) tied for the team lead with 23 runs, hit .292 and was third in the CC in stolen bases, swiping 16 without getting caught. She is joined in the outfield by classmate Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. / Briarcliff), who made 32 starts in left field, and sophomore Monica Cody (Torrance, Calif. / Marymount).
Back inside Clarke sits at the kitchen table, a list of Swarthmore’s 2008 team goals covering the refrigerator behind her. Tops on the list are the words “Preparation / Extra Hours” followed by “More Fit.” The pitchers and catchers upped the ante in the off-season, showing up on their own for early-morning running. The hitters kept up their end of the bargain, crowding the weight room and then the batting cage, swinging at everything in sight--tennis balls, foam balls, softballs, wiffle balls.
“The [2008] team is a dedicated, mature group who love to play softball,” said Clarke, a USA national team member from 1990-92. “These women, much like the other students on campus, are dedicated to their craft.”
The guest room lost much of its size, cut down by the new renovations. Swarthmore’s 2008 opponents offer little room for error, forcing the Garnet to take advantage of its opportunities. In order to prepare for the grueling Centennial slate, Clarke found a non-conference schedule offering
challenges. Several talented teams await, including 21st-ranked Moravian, Kean (N.J), Rowan, Methodist and local-rival Widener. Swarthmore wastes little time getting into the meat of its Centennial schedule with the opener at Dickinson (a CC playoff team in 2007) on March 29th. Perennial powerhouse Ursinus (April 1st) and defending conference champion Gettsyburg (April 5th) will also visit Clothier Fields with the Garnet culminating the regular season at long-time rival Haverford on April 26.
There is little doubt the Swarthmore softball is built for the long season, feel free to stop by this season. There is always something good going on.