University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Team Opens 2010 Season On The Road
2/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 10, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss softball team will have their hands full as the Golden Eagles open the 2010 season on the road against nationally ranked Florida State at 4 p.m. (CT) in the opening game of the Sunshine State Classic, Feb. 11-13.
Following the FSU matchup, the Golden Eagles will face Mercer on Friday at 3:45 p.m., followed by a game against Iona College at 6 p.m. Southern Miss concludes play on Saturday against Bowling Green at 3 p.m.
Head Coach Howard Dobson, entering his third season, returns 13 letterwinners and seven position starters from last year's team that finished 26-28-2 and advancing to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. That same group accounted for 70 percent of the offense. With the addition of six newcomers, the Golden Eagles look to improve on last year's performance.
Topping the list of returnees is Preseason C-USA Player of the Year Megan Hill who led the team in batting average, hits, runs and RBI. The Golden Eagles also return sophomore pitcher Courtney Ramos won 12 games a year ago and posted a team-low 2.61 ERA.
"We are excited about our returning players," Dobson said. "Last year, we brought in nine new players that had never played Division I softball before. The problem was our learning curve took a little while to get going. This year, they know what's going on and know what to expect because they are a year older. The majority have had significant playing time."
Also back to help lead the Golden Eagles are seniors Brandi Alonzo, Logan James, Lauren Castellvi and Lana Vaughn who is on track to graduate early.
Florida State is coming off a 44-16 season in which the Seminoles advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Regionals. Coach Lonni Alameda is entering her second season returns 10 letterwinners including seven position players, three pitchers and welcomes seven newcomers. Senior Carly Wynn led the team in batting with a .337 clip while Teresa Gober finished with a 24-9 record and a 1.24 ERA.
Mercer finished the 2009 season with a 40-19 record and returns 20 letterwinners including six position players and five pitchers for Coach Mike Raynor. Senior Holly Oglesbee was a preseason all-conference selection and she was joined by junior pitcher Jenni Holtz who sported a 23-10 record a year ago.
Iona returns nine letterwinners that include six position players and two pitchers. Coach Jaime Wohlbach's team finished 13-27 last season. Junior Melanie Gettins is the top returner after batting .316 last season. Pitcher Sarah Jackson finished with a 10-11 record and a 1.62 ERA.
Bowling Green finished the 2009 season with a 13-33 record. Coach Shannon Salsburg is entering her third season at the helm and returns 11 letterwinners, including eight position players, two pitchers and welcomes six newcomers to the 2010 squad. Sophomore Rachel Proehl led the team with a .324 batting average last season.
Following the tournament, Southern Miss will play a single game at Southern University, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m.
