The Jeffs return this season eager to improve on last year's record with the determination and talent to do just that. This year's lineup boasts, according to infielder Kathryn Honderd '05, "an abundance of talent, a lot of strong bats and a solid, versatile defense."
Last year the team suffered from a general inability at the plate, failing to put the ball in play at key moments. "Our pitching and defense were solid last year, we just couldn't produce offensively," said outfielder Greta Anderson '05.
Head Coach Sue Everden has her work cut out for her at the beginning of this season. The Jeffs' middle infield was marred by the loss of senior co-captains Missy Mordy and Emily Melia, while classmate Tamara Baer left a vacancy in right field. Additionally, the absence of Kate Raddock '06 behind the plate will result in some major position reassignments.
Nevertheless, Everden has made the most of preseason, configuring a defensive lineup and focusing on her team's hitting. "We've been working a lot on our batting: watching film, tee work, soft toss, live hitting. I can already see it paying off. We're hitting better now than we did midseason last year," said Honderd.
Captain Jessica Allen '04 is also impressed with the team's play. "All the returning players have been performing well offensively in scrimmages; as a team we've shown real improvement both offensively and defensively in all our scrimmages," she said.
The team will travel to Fort Myers, Fla. next week for six days of action. "Florida will be a time for us to really work on a cohesive defense and iron out some of the wrinkles; it's hard to do this beforehand because of the constraints of playing indoors," said Honderd.
"When we're in Florida," said outfielder Elizabeth Staunton '05, "we will be focusing on playing as a team: communicating in the field, making good contact at the plate, keeping the energy alive from the bench and having fun."
Allen sees the team's 10 games in Florida as an opportunity to confirm what the team has been working on during the preseason. "In Florida we'll be solidifying our lineup," she predicted. "There will surely be some communication gaps at first while everyone gets accustomed to their new positions, but we'll work through it."
The prospects for this year's team are excellent. Allen, the sole returning senior, will again provide a steady glove and consistent bat. She led the team in assists with 46 last year.
Classmate Gina Scribner returns after a year's leave and will help to invigorate Amherst's offense. As a sophomore, Scribner led the team in hits (39), RBIs (18) and batting average (.406), earning her First-Team All-NESCAC honors.
The junior class features the prowess of outfielders Anderson and Staunton as well as first baseman and DH Honderd. Returning for their second year are sophomores Miya Warner, Laura Trigeiro, Rachel Hoerger and Kay Tedeschi.
Warner's rookie pitching performance was simply dominant for much of last season. Warner led the NESCAC in a number of categories including strikeouts (181), wins (12), shutouts (4) and opponent batting average (.207). She also finished 16th in the nation with 7.7 strikeouts per game.
As a first-year, Trigeiro led the Jeffs in nearly every offensive category, finishing eighth in the NESCAC in both batting average (.386) and on-base percentage (.452).
A talented group of first-years round out the Jeff lineup. Hilary Little will assist Warner on the mound while classmate Amy Watson will patrol the outfield. The crux of the defense will be provided by shortstop Annalise Rodli and third baseman Caroline Polales.
This season the Jeffs hope to make the NESCAC playoffs and even the NCAA Tournament. At this point, however, their primary goal, in the words of Honderd, is to "simply play up to our potential."
To do this, Scribner said she feels the team must focus on putting strings of hits together to produce runs.
Allen added, "One of our biggest team goals is to rebound quickly after an error and not string errors together."
Pratt Field will see its first action on March 27 as Amherst hosts a double-header against Middlebury College. Later in the season the Jeffs host the Williams College Ephs for what will surely be another exciting episode in the rivalry.