Cougars Picked Second in CAA Preseason Poll; Look Ahead to Friday's Opener
2/6/2019 8:27:00 PM | Softball
Richmond, Va. – The College of Charleston softball received one first-place vote and a total of 39 points to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches.
Nationally-ranked James Madison received the first-place vote of every other coach in the CAA (coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team). The Dukes won 43 games a year ago and made their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
UNCW was picked third followed by Hofstra and Towson in a tie for fifth. Rounding out the poll were Elon, Delaware and Drexel.
Charleston opens the season this Friday through Sunday when it hosts the Cougar Classic at Patriots Point. Purdue, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wichita State and Central Michigan comprise the tournament field.
The Cougars feature a pitching staff that is their deepest in recent years. Juniors Izzy Berouty and Summer Jenkins and sophomore Kylie Burke return, and junior college transfer Chandler Sparkman and freshman Drayton Siegling joined the program in the fall.
Berouty has been a mainstay of the pitching staff the past two years, appearing in 74 games with 40 starts and picking up 29 wins. She is tied for tenth in school history in wins while her seven saves are tied for the top spot.
Jenkins came on strong during the second half of the 2018 season and finished with 12 wins, a pair of saves and a team-leading 3.08 ERA in 39 appearances including 21 starts. Burke earned a win in her college debut against Kansas and picked up two victories in 20 games.
Sparkman began her career at South Alabama in 2017, and last year she pitched in 35 games with 19 starts at Gulf Coast State College last year, compiling a record of 18-3 with a 1.95 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Siegling joins the Cougar program after helping lead Hanahan High School to back-to-back state titles.
Junior Lexee Emanuel has the most experience behind the plate although she saw the bulk of her action at DP last year. Jordan Barcus is back for the senior year, and freshmen Jenna Helberg and Payton Wade will also compete for playing time.
"We have great depth at pitcher and catcher this year in terms of numbers and talent," said sixth-year head coach Linda Kalafatis. "Having five pitchers will help us match up better with teams throughout the course of the season."
Senior shortstop Kelly Sinclair and juniors Dexlie Inman (second base) and Yari Felix (center field) make the Cougars a strong defensive team up the middle. Sinclair has been a fixture at shortstop the past three seasons, starting 169 games and ranking among the all-time school leaders in several offensive categories in addition to being one of the top defensive players in the CAA. A year ago, she batted .305 and was second on the team with 40 RBI.
Inman also starred with the glove and came up with several big hits a year ago in her first season as a starter, including three home runs and 16 RBI. Felix started 55 games last year and was second on the Cougars with a .337 batting average with 36 runs scored. She produced dramatic game-winning hits in victories over Winthrop and Towson while dazzling fans with diving catches in the outfield.
"We have always been one the top defensive teams in our league, and this may be one of our best defensive units," said Kalafatis.
Sophomores Gracyn Thrasher and Lauren Lozano along with freshman Ginna Leaphart will compete for time at first base. Thrasher had a strong finish to her freshman season and finished at .287 with 12 RBI to earn a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team. Lozano homered in her first college game, and Leaphart was a two-time all-state selection at White Knoll High School in Lexington, S.C.
Freshman Noel Dominguez is slated for the majority of playing time at third base, and sophomore Alondra Vicary is another strong defensive player who gained 10 starts at second base last season.
"Freshmen will play an important role in our success this season," noted Kalafatis. "There may be days when we have four or five rookies in the starting lineup."
Flanking Felix in the outfield will be senior Madi Brown and sophomore Brittany Vicary. Brown has played in 111 games with 81 starts in her career and has five career home runs, including two against James Madison when she was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team. Vicary was a reserve left fielder last year and batted .237 in 19 games including 11 starts. Freshman Savannah Huff is a newcomer to the Cougar outfielder after an honor-filled senior season at Wren High School in Piedmont, S.C.
"We have been able to move a lot of players to new positions in part because of need and in part because we have a lot of versatile players," said Kalafatis. "We will continue to have many different lineup combinations throughout the season which speaks to our talent level and depth."
Nationally-ranked James Madison received the first-place vote of every other coach in the CAA (coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team). The Dukes won 43 games a year ago and made their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
UNCW was picked third followed by Hofstra and Towson in a tie for fifth. Rounding out the poll were Elon, Delaware and Drexel.
Charleston opens the season this Friday through Sunday when it hosts the Cougar Classic at Patriots Point. Purdue, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wichita State and Central Michigan comprise the tournament field.
The Cougars feature a pitching staff that is their deepest in recent years. Juniors Izzy Berouty and Summer Jenkins and sophomore Kylie Burke return, and junior college transfer Chandler Sparkman and freshman Drayton Siegling joined the program in the fall.
Berouty has been a mainstay of the pitching staff the past two years, appearing in 74 games with 40 starts and picking up 29 wins. She is tied for tenth in school history in wins while her seven saves are tied for the top spot.
Jenkins came on strong during the second half of the 2018 season and finished with 12 wins, a pair of saves and a team-leading 3.08 ERA in 39 appearances including 21 starts. Burke earned a win in her college debut against Kansas and picked up two victories in 20 games.
Sparkman began her career at South Alabama in 2017, and last year she pitched in 35 games with 19 starts at Gulf Coast State College last year, compiling a record of 18-3 with a 1.95 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Siegling joins the Cougar program after helping lead Hanahan High School to back-to-back state titles.
Junior Lexee Emanuel has the most experience behind the plate although she saw the bulk of her action at DP last year. Jordan Barcus is back for the senior year, and freshmen Jenna Helberg and Payton Wade will also compete for playing time.
"We have great depth at pitcher and catcher this year in terms of numbers and talent," said sixth-year head coach Linda Kalafatis. "Having five pitchers will help us match up better with teams throughout the course of the season."
Senior shortstop Kelly Sinclair and juniors Dexlie Inman (second base) and Yari Felix (center field) make the Cougars a strong defensive team up the middle. Sinclair has been a fixture at shortstop the past three seasons, starting 169 games and ranking among the all-time school leaders in several offensive categories in addition to being one of the top defensive players in the CAA. A year ago, she batted .305 and was second on the team with 40 RBI.
Inman also starred with the glove and came up with several big hits a year ago in her first season as a starter, including three home runs and 16 RBI. Felix started 55 games last year and was second on the Cougars with a .337 batting average with 36 runs scored. She produced dramatic game-winning hits in victories over Winthrop and Towson while dazzling fans with diving catches in the outfield.
"We have always been one the top defensive teams in our league, and this may be one of our best defensive units," said Kalafatis.
Sophomores Gracyn Thrasher and Lauren Lozano along with freshman Ginna Leaphart will compete for time at first base. Thrasher had a strong finish to her freshman season and finished at .287 with 12 RBI to earn a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team. Lozano homered in her first college game, and Leaphart was a two-time all-state selection at White Knoll High School in Lexington, S.C.
Freshman Noel Dominguez is slated for the majority of playing time at third base, and sophomore Alondra Vicary is another strong defensive player who gained 10 starts at second base last season.
"Freshmen will play an important role in our success this season," noted Kalafatis. "There may be days when we have four or five rookies in the starting lineup."
Flanking Felix in the outfield will be senior Madi Brown and sophomore Brittany Vicary. Brown has played in 111 games with 81 starts in her career and has five career home runs, including two against James Madison when she was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team. Vicary was a reserve left fielder last year and batted .237 in 19 games including 11 starts. Freshman Savannah Huff is a newcomer to the Cougar outfielder after an honor-filled senior season at Wren High School in Piedmont, S.C.
"We have been able to move a lot of players to new positions in part because of need and in part because we have a lot of versatile players," said Kalafatis. "We will continue to have many different lineup combinations throughout the season which speaks to our talent level and depth."
Players Mentioned
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1B/OF
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C/UT
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