OPENING PITCH
Colgate returns to the road and will play its next six games away from the confines of Eaton Street Field. Wednesday, the Raiders will travel to Loudonville to play Siena (4-27). The doubleheader at Siena Field will begin at 3 p.m. Then Colgate will return to Patriot League action as it will play a pair of doubleheaders at Bucknell at the West Fields Complex. Saturday and Sunday action starts at noon.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Colgate first started softball in 1979. Since that first pitch, the Raiders have compiled a 583-541-2 overall record. Colgate has appeared in three NCAA Tournaments back in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
THE HEAD COACH
Vickie Sax is in her 13th season at the helm of the program and holds a career mark of 306-272-1 since accepting the position. The veteran coach posted her 300th victory with a 4-0 blanking of Hartford on March 20 in Kissimmee, Fla. Since 1998, she has tallied nine seasons of 20 or more victories, including last season's 25-18 record. In 2004, Sax piloted Colgate to a 34-17 record, a school record for wins in a single-season. She has been honored as the Patriot League Coach of the Year three times – in 2003; shared the honor in 2007 and outright won it again in 2009. With her two victories over Holy Cross, she reached the 20-win mark for the 10th time in her 13 years at the helm of the program.
BRIEF LAST WEEKEND RECAP
Colgate split a pair of doubleheaders at home against visiting Holy Cross. The Raiders downed the Crusaders 8-2 and 9-8 on Saturday before falling on Sunday 8-6 and 10-9. Offensively, the Raiders hit .366 over the weekend with four starters posting averages over .400. Alana Dyson (.467, 7-15, 2 RBI), Stephanie Hartquist (.462, 6-13, seven runs, 5 RBI), Emmie Dolfi (.455, 5-11, 2 RBI) and Nicole Siedhof (.417, 5-12, 1 HR, 6 RBI) led the offense. Both Michelle Hollebeke and Courtney O'Connell gained wins on the weekend.
SCOUTING SIENA
Siena heads into its doubleheader at Holy Cross on Tuesday with a 4-27 overall mark. The Saints have dropped four in a row since their last win – two at Hartford and two more at Canisius. Siena's offense is led by Shannon Jones (.363, 3 HR, 11 RBI), Lauren Weingert (.307, 3 HR, 10 RBI) and Amanda Ferro (.303, 1 HR, 6 RBI). Courtney Brinkman (2-4, 4.86 ERA, 27 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched) heads the pitching staff.
ALL-TIME SERIES AND lAST MEETINGS
Including last year's sweep of the Saints in Hamilton, Colgate holds a 36-12 overall lead in the series that got its start back in 1979. The Raiders downed Siena 8-0 and 10-2 at Eaton Street Field on April 15, 2009. Melissa Babb-Renta went five of seven in the doubleheader, while Hartquist blasted a three-run homer in the opener. Jennifer Ortega had a major impact in the second game going two for three with a homer and two stolen bases from the leadoff position. Jesse McCarrick went the distance in the opener on a five hitter, while fanning seven. Lacy Ver Steeg and Michelle Hollebeke combined on a two-hitter in the night cap.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison carry a 15-11 overall mark and a 5-3 league record into their doubleheader at St. Francis, Thursday afternoon. Bucknell took three of four games from Lafayette last weekend and reside in a tie for second with Lehigh in the league standings. The Bison are led offensively by Shelly McCormack (.424, 0 HR, 14 RBI), Lauren Fry (.384, 1 HR, 14 RBI) and Allison Ford (.381, 1 HR, 19 RBI). Bridget Gates (2.78, 7-3) and Alex MacLean (3.30, 5-1) are the top two pitchers.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH BUCKNELL AND MORE
The two teams have played 76 games at this point on the diamond with the all-time series tied at 38-38. Colgate swept a pair of doubleheaders last year in Hamilton – outscoring the Bison 41-20, April 11-12. However, Bucknell won a 7-3 decision over Colgate at the Patriot League Tournament. Among the returnees, Jennifer Ortega (.353, 6-17, 6 runs, 1 HR, 6 RBI), Stephanie Hartquist (.500, 3 runs, 4 RBI) and Nicole Siedhof (.667, 4 runs, 1 HR, 3 RBI) each had modest success versus the Bison. Jesse McCarrick and Lacy Ver Steeg each claimed two wins in the four-game sweep of Bucknell during the regular season.
INSEASON WEEKLY AWARDS
For the third time in her career, Michelle Hollebeke was named the Patriot League pitcher of the week on March 22. The sophomore went 5-0 on the week with a 0.50 earned run average. In her 28 innings of work, she scattered 15 hits and only allowed two earned runs, while walking five and striking out 12. She went the distance on a six-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Hartford in her last outing in Florida. She became the second Raider to receive league weekly honors this year. Jennifer Ortega was named the player of the week March 8.
ALL-DECADE TEAM
Michelle Hollebeke was recently named to the all-decade team of the Eagle-Tribune back in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The sophomore, one of seven hurlers named to the team, was 24-1 on the mound at Phillips Academy, including a 13-0, 0.64 ERA her junior season. She struck out 21 in a seven inning victory over Phillips Exeter as one of her highlight games in high school.
SISTER ACT
Natalie and Nicole Siedhof are the third set of sisters to play together at Colgate during Sax's tenure. Ironically, the second pair, hold the same first names (one spelled a bit differently) – Natalie and Nichole Rawson.
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT HITTING STREAK
First, it was Jennifer Ortega's 14-game streak dating back to the 2009 campaign. Then it was Alana Dyson's 15-game streak that was snapped in the first game at Lehigh last weekend. Now, it's Stephanie Hartquist on the loose. The sophomore enters Wednesday's games at Siena with a 17-game streak. In this recent stretch, she is 25 of 53 (.472) with six doubles and 17 RBI. She has hit safely in 25 of her last 27 games.
MODEST STREAKS
Three other Raiders carry hitting streaks of six or seven games heading into Wednesday. Freshman Emmie Dolfi and Nicole Siedhof each have hit safely in seven straight games, while Melissa Babb Renta has a six game hitting streak. Dolf has raised her overall average from .217 to .276 during this stretch by going nine for 21 (.429), while Siedhof has hit .400 during this same stretch with two homers and seven RBI.
SILENT BUT DEADLY
Stephanie Hartquist heads into the weekend as one of the Patriot League's top hitters – ranking second (.451). The sophomore is a hit at the plate regardless of the situation. Hartquist is hitting .463 (19 of 41) with the bases empty, .667 (14 of 21) while leading off an inning, .459 (17 of 37) with runners in scoring position, .688 (11 of 16) with runners on third and less than two outs and .467 (14 of 30) with two outs in an inning.
SETTING THE TABLE
The Raiders' have reached base 99 times in 195 opportunities (.504) when leading off an inning. Stephanie Hartquist has been impressive when leading off an inning as her .667 (14 of 21) average can attest, while Jennifer Ortega is 14 of 23 (.609). Colgate has two other regulars who are reaching base over fifty percent when leading off an inning - Alana Dyson (.556) and Natalie Siedhof (.565).
RALLY ON TWO
Colgate hitters have combined to drive in 59 runs with two outs in an inning, of 37 percent of all their runs as a team. Nicole Siedhof leads all hitters with 14 two-out RBI, while Natalie Siedhof is second with nine.
ALL-TIME LIST UPDATES
Jennifer Ortega moved into 17th in Colgate history in runs scored (67), 16th in career RBI (53) and 20th in career total bases (132). The sophomore's 31 runs scored heading into the doubleheader at Siena is tied for 10th in a single season.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Colgate brings the 20th best team batting average (.319) and 23rd best scoring offense (6.17 rpg) into Wednesday's contests versus Siena. Individually, Colgate is well represented among the top 50 in several statistical categories. Stephanie Hartquist is tied for first with Delaware State's Tawney Reeger and Baylor's Jordan Vannatta with six sacrifice flies on the year, while freshman Alana Dyson is tied for second nationally with 0.40 sacrifice bunts per game. Hartquist is ranked among the top 50 in four other categories including being the sixth toughest player in the Division I ranks to strike out (2 strikeouts in 91 at bats). The sophomore is 19th in batting average (.451), tied for 44th in doubles per game (.333 pg), and 47th in runs scored per game (0.97). Jennifer Ortega ranks ahead of Hartquist in runs scored (1.03 rpg – 31st), while Courtney O'Connell is tied for 35th with two saves.
WALK THIS WAY
After 30 games, Colgate batters trot to first base an average of 3.9 times per game via a walk or 117 on the season. Seven Raiders have already reached double figured walk totals thus far. Brittany Hanrahan leads the Patriot League with 23 walks to date, while the Siedhof sisters, Natalie and Nicole Siedhof each have 16. Last year, the Raiders walked 135 times in 43 games, or an average of 3.14 per game.
ON THE BASE PATHS
Last year, Colgate stole 42 bases in 59 attempts. Fast forward a year later, the Raiders have already surpassed their stolen base output for 2009 with 48 in 62 stolen base attempts. Alana Dyson leads the team with 16 on the season, while Jennifer Ortega is second with 14. Colgate's school record of 58 stolen bases was set in 2000. Individually, Amanda Paolucci broke the single-season school record back 2000 with 21. As a team, the Raiders rank tied for 36th nationally with 1.60 stolen bases per contest.
PICKED SECOND IN THE PATRIOT
Colgate was chosen to finish second in the 2010 preseason Patriot League poll. The Raiders amassed 36 votes including one first place nod as they edged Bucknell by two votes. Lehigh, which has either won outright or shared the regular-season title the last 11 years, was chosen as the prohibitive favorite after capturing nine of 12 first place votes and 49 points.
