2011 SEASON IN REVIEW
June 20, 2011
The Emmanuel College Softball Team wrapped up the 2011 campaign with an overall record of 12 wins and 23 losses. The Saints found themselves on the bubble for making the conference tournament after a 6-8 mark against Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponents. Despite a solid start to the year, splits in their final two regular season double headers left the young Saints just short of a tournament qualifying mark.
After a week-long spring training stint in Kissimmee, Florida, which saw the Saints go 3 and 6, the team geared up for GNAC play up north. Emmanuel opened up the season on Clemente Field with an unprecedented 10-9 victory over the defending GNAC Champions Rivier College. The Saints then topped Colleges of the Fenway (COF) foe Wentworth Institute of Technology in five innings of a non-conference battle, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the fifth.
A GNAC split with Mount Ida College set Emmanuel at just below .500 with 6 wins and 8 losses, as the Saints headed into the heart of the season. Emmanuel then went 1-9 over the next ten games, before battling back to win three out of the next four contests. GNAC splits on the road with Norwich and Johnson & Wales ended the spring season for the Saints.
With no seniors on the young squad, Emmanuel's offense was led by freshman Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.). The freshman pitcher/outfielder hit .327 with a team-high 35 hits, including one triple. Junior captain Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) was solid at the plate, as well as in centerfield, all year for the Saints. Guselli hit .323 with 6 extra-base hits and 15 runs batted in.
Rookie shortstop Sierra Roccaro (Parlin, N.J.) wasted no time acclimating to collegiate ball. Roccaro started in 31 out of 33 games played and hit .313, including racking up a team-high 10 doubles and 17 runs batted in. Sophomore Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) and junior Elyse Turgeon (Dracut, Mass.) rounded out the top five hitters for the 2011 Saints. Lloid hit .313 with 15 RBI. Turgeon hit .284 with a .432 slugging percentage, as she drove in 17 runs this season, including hitting three homers. Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) also proved to be a quite a power hitter in her junior season. Hamel tallied 17 RBI in 17 hits for the Saints.
Four different pitchers saw time in the circle this year for Emmanuel, including two rookies. Lloid led the way with 5-7 record, making 14 appearances and throwing 6 complete games. Junior Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) picked up 4 wins in 17 appearances. Levins threw two complete games and went 1-3 on the season, while fellow-rookie Jennifer Garrity (Lynn, Mass.) went 2-2 with 1 complete game.
The Saints are fortunate to return all 15 veterans from the 2011 squad. The team will feature 6 seniors in 2012, in addition to 9 talented underclassmen, as well as a solid core of incoming recruits.
Head Coach Michelle Morales resigned after four years at the helm of the Saints' softball program. She will be replaced in the 2011-2012 academic year by Hannah Angel. Angel is a 2008 graduate of UNC Greensboro and worked at Simmons College for the past two seasons as the Sharks' Assistant Coach.