St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Visits Virginia For Longwood Tourney
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 20, 2009
VIDEO LINKS
STJ Softball 2009 Preview: Head Coach Amy Kvilhaug
STJ Softball 2009 Preview: Interviews with Kacee Cox, Linzee Sumrall and Roxy Struble
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's softball team travels to Farmville, Va., this weekend to compete in the Longwood Lancer Tournament. St. John's will take on Longwood, Bucknell and Quinnipiac. Live stats will be available at RedStormSports.com.
• The Red Storm has never faced Longwood or Bucknell, and leads the all-time series with Quinnipiac, 5-1.
• St. John's 3-2 record to begin the season is its third-best start in program history. The Red Storm began 4-1 in 2004 and 1992.
• Senior slugger Roxy Struble was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll this past week as she hit .500 with five runs, two doubles, a home run and six RBI.
• This is the second of four tournaments that the Red Storm will compete in this season. St. John's went 3-2 at the Blue and Gold FIU Tournament last weekend. After the Longwood Tournament the Red Storm travels to Raleigh, N.C., for the Wolfpack Invitational hosted by NC State and will spend its spring break in Hawaii, as the team will take part in the Hawaii Spring Fling on March 11-14.
STORM FRONT
Red Storm Starts Off In A Big Way
St. John's went 3-2 at the Felsburg Memorial Blue and Gold FIU Tournament this past weekend, marking the third-best start in program history. St. John's picked up wins over Temple, FIU and Georgetown.
Hot Rox
Senior first baseman Roxy Struble earned her fifth career BIG EAST honor on Monday Feb. 17, being named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll. Struble hit .500 (8-16) with five runs, two doubles, a home run and six RBI in five games.
Making An Impression
Junior transfer Stacia Dopudja had a phenomenal debut for the Red Storm at the FIU Tournament. The 1B/P hit .467 (7-15) with three runs, a double, a home run and four RBI in five starts as the team's five-hole hitter.
Durning Into A True Leadoff Hitter
Sophomore outfielder Chelsea Durning has excelled in the leadoff spot for St. John's, leading the team in stolen bases (3) and ranking second on the team in on-base percentage (.500).
Rookie Power
Freshman middle infielder Meghan Gwynn has flashed a hot bat in her first five games with the Red Storm. Gwynn has taken command of the two-hole in the batting order, hitting .333 (4-12) with three runs, two doubles, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base.
Cady Can-do
Freshman centerfielder Kristi Cady has not shown any problem adjusting to the collegiate game. Cady is batting .313 (5-16) with a run, two doubles, an RBI and two stolen bases.
Berger, Like Roethlisberger
Since returning from an ankle injury, freshman shortstop Jenna Berger has been playing at a championship level. In two starts this year, Berger is 1-for-4 with an RBI and two walks.
Kacee At Catcher
Sophomore Kacee Cox made the move to catcher this year and has not only managed the pitching staff to three wins, but has two runs, a home run and two RBI in her first five games this year.
Lawrence Like Last Year
After a strong rookie season, pitcher Kat Lawrence continues to improve, going 2-1 with a complete game and 18 strikeouts in 16.0 innings.
Sumrall Have It; Some Don't
Sophomore pitcher Linzee Sumrall is now 1-1 on the season after a stellar performance vs. Georgetown. Sumrall went the distance, holding the Hoyas to two hits while striking out nine in a shutout effort.
SCOUTING LONGWOOD
• Longwood is 1-4 on the season after going 27-18 (13-3) in 2008.
• The Lancers return eleven letterwinners while only losing four. The Owls also return six starters and one pitcher.
• Head coach Kathy Riley is in his 15th season with Longwood and has an 423-257-1 record.
• The Lancers are paced by Courtney Long and Camille Ketsdever. Long is batting .625 (5-8) in three games. Ketsdever is .429 (6-14) with three runs and a stolen base in four starts this year.
• Pitcher Briana Wells boasts a 3.10 ERA in four starts this year. She has a win, a complete game and 10 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
• The Bison are 3-3 in 2009 and went 23-29 last season and 13-7 in the Patriot League.
• Bucknell returns 15 letterwinners from last year's squad along with seven starters and one pitcher.
• Head coach Heather Rakosik is 69-121-1 in four seasons with Bucknell and 141-203-2 in eight seasons as a head coach.
• The Bison are led by Ashley Beans and Alison Ford. Beans is 5-for-15 with three runs, two doubles, a triple and four RBI on the year. Ford is 6-for-19 with five runs, a double, a home run and five RBI.
• Starter Katie McDonald is 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA this year. McDonald has three complete games in three starts and seven strikeouts in 17.0 innings.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
• The Bobcats have yet to play this season and went 20-36 last season and 5-13 in the Northeast Conference.
• Qunnipiac returns 11 letterwinners from its 2008 squad along with six starters and both pitchers.
• Head coach Germaine Fairchild is 165-223-1 in eight seasons with the Bobcats.
