THE FIRST LOOK
The New Haven softball team opens its 2020 campaign in sunny Melbourne, Fla. with five games on the docket at the Florida Tech Invitational being played at the USSSA Space Coast Complex. The Chargers will open up the three-day event on Friday with a pair of games against West Florida (2 p.m.) and Palm Beach Atlantic (4:30 p.m.) before returning to the field for two more on Saturday against West Georgia (12 p.m.) and Florida Southern (5 p.m.). The event will conclude with a single game on Sunday against Angelo State (10 a.m.) before returning to the Northeast.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Fourteenth year head coach Jen Starek welcomes back her entire pitching staff from an NCAA regional team in 2019, bolstering that group with the addition of a rookie, Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley). Leading the Blue and Gold in the circle will be the one-two combination of Ava Fitzmaurice (Greenville, N.Y./Greenville) and Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional). Combined, the duo racked up 28 wins on the season. Fitzmaurice led the pair with a 2.47 ERA while striking out 64 batters across 159.0 innings of work, while Iodice closed out her rookie campaign with a 2.58 ERA and a team-high 89 K's in 124.2 innings of action. At the plate, the Chargers will rely on the leadership of sophomore Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) who returns after a stellar freshman campaign where she hit .344 with 53 hits and a team-high 35 RBI. The shortstop closed out the season with a team-best 16 extra base hits on 14 doubles, a triple and a home run. Following her at the plate will be junior catcher Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph) who closed out last season with a .265 batting average, collecting 30 hits and driving in 16 runs.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
New Haven will be put to the test right out of the gates when they face a tough West Florida program that is coming off a trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship round in 2019. In the early going this season, West Florida stands at 2-2 following four games at the Gulf Coast Invitational. Palm Beach Atlantic opened up its season with a 4-1 record, playing three games at the Gulf Shores Invitational before sweeping Washburn in the home opener on Wednesday. West Georgia, who fell to West Florida in the Gulf South Conference Championship last season currently stands at 2-2 on the season with those four games coming the first week of February in Huntsville, Ala. Florida Southern closed out last season with a 16-28 overall record and stands at 1-1 in 2020 following a doubleheader split against Ursuline at home. Angelo State closed out a 34-20 season last year in the second round of the Lone Star Conference Championship. So far in 2020, Angelo State stands at 3-2 overall with all five games coming at the Arkansas Tech Invite January 31-February 2.
UP NEXT
After returning to New England, the Chargers will enjoy more than a month before returning to the field. Following the hiatus in games, New Haven will head south once again, this time to North and South Carolina where they will take on Barton(Tuesday, March 17), UNC Pembroke (Wednesday, March 18) and Francis Marion (Thursday, March 19) in their tour of the Carolinas.
PRESEASON PROPS
In a poll of head coaches, the Chargers were picked to finish fourth in now single division Northeast-10. For the first time since the 2012 season, the NE10 will not play a divisional format in 2020 and will all compete for the top-eight spots that will make up the conference championship field. New Haven was one of four NE10 teams to earn a bid to the East Regional Championship, including the 2020 preseason favorite Saint Anselm who advanced to the Super Regional. Overall, the Hawks garnered seven of the 14 potential first place votes with Adelphi (five) and Southern New Hampshire (two) earning the remaining seven first place tallies.
2020 NE10 Softball Coaches Poll
1. Saint Anselm – 162 (7)
2. Adelphi – 153 (5)
3. Southern New Hampshire - 151 (2)
4. New Haven – 136
5. Pace – 112
6. Le Moyne – 108
7. Assumption – 100
8. Bentley – 82
9. Saint Rose – 64
10. Stonehill – 61
t-11. Southern Connecticut – 46
t-11. Franklin Pierce - 46
13. American International – 37
14. Saint Michael's – 16
