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THIS WEEK
The Southern Connecticut State University softball team takes its annual Spring Trip to Clermont, Florida where it will play nine games in six days.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
As of Monday, the Spartans are 2-5 overall but will play three games before taking on the Owls on 3/16. The team has scored nine runs and has an overall batting average of .152. STAC is led by Danielle DiModugno and Kelcy McGeehan, who are batting .286 and .278, respectively. Briana Keaveney has both wins for the Spartans. She has allowed 12 hits and three earned runs in 11.2 innings.

ALL-TIME vs. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
The Owls are 2-2 all-time vs. the Spartans, with SCSU picking up two wins the last time the programs faced each other in 2007.

SCOUTING ECKERD
The Tritons are 13-11-1 as of Monday and will play Bentley before taking on SCSU on 3/16. Eckerd is led by Carrie Shere who leads the team in home runs (4), RBI (15), total bases (40) and runs scored (18) and Nikole Van Gennep who leads the team in hits (27) and slugging percentage .494. Van Gennep is also the team's leading pitcher with an ERA of 1.34 and an opposing batting average of .234.

ALL-TIME vs. ECKERD
This will be the first meeting between the Owls and Tritons.

SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
The Warriors are 13-2 as of Monday and will play four games before SCSU plays them on Thursday. They are led by Lyndsay Butler, who is the team's leading hitter and pitcher. On the mound, she is 7-1 with a 0.29 ERA. At the plate, she leads the team in batting average (.465), runs scored (14), total bases (34), slugging percentage (.791) and on-base percentage (.511).

ALL-TIME vs. WAYNE STATE
The Owls are 2-3 all-time against the Warriors and lost the last season's meeting 4-2.

SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE 
As of Monday, the Beavers are 9-4 overall and will play six games on their spring trip before taking on SCSU. They are led by Jessica Yost and Kelsey McAllister. Yost is 7-0 with a 0.56 ERA and is batting .417 to go along with a team-leading four homeruns and 10 RBI. McAllister leads the team in batting average (.440) and total bases (27).

ALL-TIME vs. BEMIDJI STATE
This will be the first meeting between the Owls and Beavers.

SCOUTING LYNN
The Fighting Knights are 9-18-1 as of Monday. They are led by Victoria Rios and Francais Olexa. Rios is batting a team-high .277 with four home runs and 10 RBI.  Olexa is batting .262 with a team-high 12 RBI and also has four wins on the mound with a 2.63 ERA.

ALL-TIME vs. LYNN
The Owls are 2-2 all-time against the Fighting Knights, with SCSU picking up two wins the last time the programs faced each other in 2007.

SCOUTING SUNYIT
The Wildcats are 4-4 as of Monday. The team is led by Leah Segerlin, who is batting .375, and Erika Charbonneau, who is batting .300 with six RBI. Fallon Reinold is the team's leading pitcher with a 3-1 record and a 2.33 ERA.

ALL-TIME vs. SUNYIT
This will be the first meeting between the Owls and Wildcats.

SCOUTING ST. MICHAEL'S
The Purple Knights have yet to play a game but will play six games before playing SCSU. They won two games last season and batted .196 as a team.

ALL-TIME vs. ST. MICHAEL'S
The Owls are 24-5 all-time against the Purple Knights, including wins in their last four games.

AN EARLY LOOK AT THIS YEAR
Southern Connecticut is coming off a season in which it went 19-17 and reached the NE-10 Quarterfinals.  Head coach Jillian Ortega enters her second year and looks to lead an Owl team that lost four of last season's starters to graduation.

IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
SCSU was picked fifth in the Southwest division in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll. 
Northeast
1. So. New Hampshire - 102 (11)
2. Stonehill - 89 (4)
3. Saint Anselm - 68
4. Assumption - 67
5. Merrimack - 66
6. Bentley - 41
7. Franklin Pierce - 29
8. Saint Michael's - 14
Southwest
1. Adelphi - 92 (14)
2. Pace - 67
3. New Haven - 61
4. Le Moyne - 59 (1)
5. So. Connecticut - 46
6. Saint Rose - 27
7. American Int'l - 19

PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Owls are led by infielders Giuliana D'Arcangelo and Leanna Feerick. They are the team's returning leaders in batting average, hits, RBI and extra-base hits. Kelsey Cockrill returns as a starting pitcher. She posted 11 wins and a 3.01 ERA last season.

PAIR OF OWLS EARN NE-10 HONORS
Two players from last year's team, second basemen Giuliana D'Arcangelo and shortstop Nicole Buch, were named Third-Team All-Conference last season.
• D'Arcangelo led the team in runs scored, doubles and total bases and finished second in hits, batting average, RBI and slugging percentage.
• Buch led the team in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks and is now an assistant coach.

LAST SEASON IN REVIEW
The Owls finished Jillian Ortega's first season with an overall record of 19-17 and a conference record of 10-8. 
• Southern Connecticut was 9-2 at Pelz Field.
• SCSU grabbed the No. 3 seed in the NE-10 Southwest Division after winning its last four games against Le Moyne. The Owls defeated the Dolphins again in the first round of the NE-10 Tournament.
• Southern fell 1-0 off an unearned run to No. 2 seeded Stonehill in the quarterfinal round.

NICE TO KNOW YOU
The softball team will be tasked with replacing five seniors from last year's team. 
• Nicole Buch finished among the Division II leaders in walks and was the team leader in hits, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. 
• Sarah Koerner led the team in stolen bases and was third on the team in hits in addition to manning center field for the Owls. 
• Kelly Mitchell was the team leader in home runs and was among the leaders in slugging percentage.
• Kristie Vitulli was the starting catcher for the Owls and managed ten hits as a senior.
• Nora Crann was a key utility player who saw most of her time in the outfield. 

A STRONG VETERAN PRESENCE
Southern Connecticut has 17 of 20 returning student-athletes from last year's team that finished with a 19-17 mark.  Among those other than D'Arcangelo, Feerick and Cockrill are Danielle Piazza, Audrey Dolloff and Lauren Yaffa.

CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Buch finished last season among the conference and national leaders.  Her batting average (.387) was ninth best in the conference, her on-base percentage (.525) was second best in the conference and her total walks (28) were first in the conference and 24th in the nation. 

SOUTHERN AMONG NE-10's BEST
Southern Connecticut finished second in the conference in double plays per game (0.36) and first in the conference in on-base percentage (0.364)

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome three newcomers to the team for the 2016 season - freshman Catherine Ursillo, sophomore Victoria Ceballos and junior transfer Arianna Medeiros.

ON DECK
The Owls return from Florida to play at Adelphi on Wednesday, March 23 before hosting Holy Family and Saint Rose on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.