Hamilton, NY — The 91Â鶹¾«Æ· softball team will open its 2003 season on Friday, when the Raiders travel to Washington, D.C. to face George Washington University at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
91Â鶹¾«Æ· will continue its first weekend of play on Saturday with a doubleheader against Catholic University at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex beginning at noon, before traveling to Philadelphia on Sunday for a doubleheader against Drexel at 1:00 p.m.
The Raiders are celebrating their 25th season of intercollegiate play and enter the season with high expectations. They are hoping all the pieces are in place for their first Patriot League championship since the 1999 season.
91Â鶹¾«Æ· has six all-Patriot League performers returning with the help of eight highly recruited freshmen.
The Raiders will be relying upon the capable arms of junior and freshman on the mound, along with freshman .
Isaac is returning from a 20-win season ‘ the first in school history ‘ and will handle the bulk of the pitching duties. Last season, the first team all-Patriot League pitcher and team’s MVP, was 20-9 with a 1.94 earned run average. En route she set a school record with seven shutouts including her first collegiate no-hitter.
Howard, who is expected to be the No. 2 starter for the Raiders, played her scholastic softball at Wheaton-Warrenville South in Illinois, where she was a three-time all-conference and all-area selection. In her senior season, Howard led her team to a regional championship while recording eight shutouts and three no-hitters.
Nesselroad, a left-hander from Morgantown, West Virginia, will be 91Â鶹¾«Æ·â€™s primary relief pitcher, and on occasion the third starter on the mound. She was a two-time all-conference selection while setting the school season and career records for strikeouts.
With the move of three-time all-Patriot League first baseman Melissa Rawson to shortstop this spring, sophomore will move into the starting lineup at first base. She played in 39 games last season primarily as the designated player. Thistle earned first team all-Patriot League and second team all-ECAC honors last spring as the designated player. She had the second highest batting average for the Raiders posting a .345 mark, and her .405 average in league play was the third highest in the Patriot League.
For the past three seasons, senior has been the premier second baseman in the Patriot League. She comes into her final collegiate season with a career batting average of .343 and ranks in the Top-10 of five offensive categories for the Raiders. The 91Â鶹¾«Æ· co-captain has played in 152 games with 149 starting assignments.
Three-time all-Patriot League first baseman will be moving to shortstop this spring for the Raiders. This isn’t a completely new position for the talented senior from California. Last year, Rawson played 11 games at shortstop.
Rawson has been one of the most feared power hitters on the East Coast over the last three seasons. She has a career batting average of .361. She also is second all-time in school history in home runs, runs scored, RBI, doubles and total bases, and is third in hits.
Last season, she batted .341 including a team-best .516 with runners in scoring position. Rawson had 43 hits, 18 runs scored, 25 RBI, three home runs and a team-high 10 doubles. She is fourth in career home runs in the Patriot League with 14 and eighth in doubles with 38.
The biggest hole for the Raiders to fill comes at third base with the graduation of Amanda Paolucci. The three-time all-Patriot League performer finished her superb career as 91Â鶹¾«Æ·â€™s all-time leader in hits, runs scored, runs batted in, home runs, doubles, total bases, games played and stolen bases.
The first opportunity to take over at third base goes to freshman , from Spring Hill, Florida. Olmstead, who had her senior year cut short due to a broken leg, carries some impressive credentials. She had a .413 career batting average in high school with 85 RBI while leading her team to a 100-25 record. Olmstead was a three-time first team all-GCAC and all-North Suncoast selection, and two-time first team Class 3A all-state performer.
Adding depth in the infield are freshmen and , who have the versatility to play several infield positions.
Perry was a three-time honorable mention all-state selection in Nebraska, and Fremont High’s Athlete of the Year, while Tsukamoto, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was first team all-scholastic at her high school and honorable mention all-state. She was University High Athlete of the Year as a senior.
The Raiders will use a combination of three backstops this season ‘ junior , and sophomores and .
Mui has been behind the plate the majority of time over the last two seasons, because of her defensive abilities.
The Raiders will also use Natalie Rawson, who was a second team all-Patriot League shortstop last spring. She made a big impression last season around the league blasting a Patriot League and school record 13 home runs en route to a .341 batting average. Her home run total was the 10th best per game average in the nation. Rawson led 91Â鶹¾«Æ· in runs batted in with 34 ‘ a frosh record and third best season mark in school history. She had a team-high 11 multiple-RBI games.
Donaldson, who will be the starting centerfielder, could see some action behind the plate if needed.
The Raiders will have the finest defensive outfield they