St. John's University Athletics
Heartbreak to Hope: St. John's Softball Has Sights Set on Big 2021
10/30/2020 1:38:00 PM | Softball
Red Storm Looks to Return to BIG EAST Tournament for Fifth Time In Last Six Opportunities
QUEENS, N.Y. (Oct. 30, 2020) – From March 12 to September 2. 174 days. That is the amount of time it took for the heartache and disappointment of the cancellation of the 2020 St. John's Softball season to turn towards the optimism and hope of fall workouts resuming in preparation for 2021.
"You know, it was kind of like having the rug pulled out from under you," said Head Coach Bob Guerriero regarding the season being canceled. "We knew what kind of mission we were on as a team, and all the work that we had put in by playing a very tough non-conference schedule. We were just left holding the bag. It was a very rude and crude ending to what we all had hoped would be a very exciting season."
The Red Storm spent the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season on the road. They battled ACC opponents Clemson and Duke down in Orlando, as well as ranked competition in No. 16 Michigan and No. 1 UCLA out in California. The Johnnies played what would ultimately be their final contest of the season, a 3-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, on March 11 just before home games at Red Storm Field and BIG EAST play were scheduled to take place.
The disappointment was felt most deeply by the senior class, who were unsure as to whether or not that victory over Fairleigh Dickinson would be the last time they wore a St. John's uniform, a far cry from their goal of capturing a BIG EAST crown.
"When we heard that the season had been canceled, it felt like we had the air knocked out of our chests." said graduate student and team captain Gretchen Bowie. "As a team, we all grieved together thinking that this would be the last time we played together. Additionally, for the seniors, in a matter of seconds, our second to last preseason weekend turned into our last softball games as a collegiate athlete. Talk about traumatizing."
The uncertainty of whether or not Bowie and her fellow seniors would get another chance was cleared up just a few weeks later. On March 30, the NCAA Division I Council voted to grant an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes. After receiving the news, Coach Guerriero and his staff, as well as the entire athletic department, set its sights on how to make 2021 a success.
"All the coaches have talked about the things we have to do to try and make things work," said Guerriero, who enters his third season as head coach. "We still have a lot of work to do when it comes to this spring when all the teams will be playing at once. We've had some very positive discussions since March, and I think that has helped the athletic department work as a more cohesive unit."
As the summer months passed, a world of uncertainty slowly became more clear. Guidelines for resocialization and plans for returning to practice were put into place once athletes returned to campus in August. All of those plans turned to reality when the Johnnies were able to take the field for smaller group sessions starting on September 2.
"When we began we tried to keep that inner bubble tight," said Guerriero. "We were in small groups of four, and what I found was that after not being on the softball field from March to September, even though it was smaller groups, we could all breathe a sigh of relief to be back out there."
Those groups of four were just a small step towards one of the ultimate goals for this fall: getting the full team together for practice. That was accomplished successfully just weeks later, and has given the Red Storm the greatest sense of "normalcy" they have felt since that fateful day in March.
"Fall workouts have been amazing," said Bowie. "Don't get me wrong, it has been difficult to adjust to the new norms such as wearing the mask, remembering to stay socially distant from one another, and much more. Plus, it was definitely difficult in the beginning with the resocialization protocols that were in place like being allowed to practice only in our pods and slowly progressing to more girls at once if all went well. But, I am ecstatic that we are practicing as a unit and even more excited to get back out on the diamond this spring."
"That's when we started getting that feeling back of 'okay, this is our team.' This is who we are," added Guerriero of the transition to full team workouts. "A lot of our returning players and veterans started saying 'This is the St. John's Softball team as we know it' and got that good feeling back as a team and as a unit."
The Red Storm hopes these fall workouts will pay big dividends in the spring, as they have their sights set on a return to the BIG EAST Tournament for what would amount to the fifth time in their last six opportunities. On top of that, the Johnnies will also be looking to capture their fourth regular season title since 2015.
The 2021 roster consists of 19 returners from a season ago as well as three freshmen. These returners include Gretchen Bowie, Kaitlin Mattera and Marissa Rizzi, who each begin their fifth year with the program and have racked up five All-BIG East First Team selections between the three of them. The Red Storm returns all four pitchers who saw time in the circle last season, including sophomore Erin Brown, who led the team in ERA and innings pitched a year ago. Freshmen Melanie Santos, Camryn Steele and Carolyn Von Werne join the Johnnies for the 2021 campaign.
"The mindset that we have adopted is that every year, our goal is to make the BIG EAST Tournament," said Guerriero. "That gives every freshman class an opportunity and we want that mentality to resonate down through every class...Now the next step is to figure out what it takes to win the BIG EAST Championship like we did in 2015."
The 174-day layoff between taking the field adds fuel to the fire for the Red Storm, as they work towards being the last BIG EAST team standing when the trophy is handed out in May.
"You know, it was kind of like having the rug pulled out from under you," said Head Coach Bob Guerriero regarding the season being canceled. "We knew what kind of mission we were on as a team, and all the work that we had put in by playing a very tough non-conference schedule. We were just left holding the bag. It was a very rude and crude ending to what we all had hoped would be a very exciting season."
The Red Storm spent the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season on the road. They battled ACC opponents Clemson and Duke down in Orlando, as well as ranked competition in No. 16 Michigan and No. 1 UCLA out in California. The Johnnies played what would ultimately be their final contest of the season, a 3-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, on March 11 just before home games at Red Storm Field and BIG EAST play were scheduled to take place.
The disappointment was felt most deeply by the senior class, who were unsure as to whether or not that victory over Fairleigh Dickinson would be the last time they wore a St. John's uniform, a far cry from their goal of capturing a BIG EAST crown.
"When we heard that the season had been canceled, it felt like we had the air knocked out of our chests." said graduate student and team captain Gretchen Bowie. "As a team, we all grieved together thinking that this would be the last time we played together. Additionally, for the seniors, in a matter of seconds, our second to last preseason weekend turned into our last softball games as a collegiate athlete. Talk about traumatizing."
The uncertainty of whether or not Bowie and her fellow seniors would get another chance was cleared up just a few weeks later. On March 30, the NCAA Division I Council voted to grant an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes. After receiving the news, Coach Guerriero and his staff, as well as the entire athletic department, set its sights on how to make 2021 a success.
"All the coaches have talked about the things we have to do to try and make things work," said Guerriero, who enters his third season as head coach. "We still have a lot of work to do when it comes to this spring when all the teams will be playing at once. We've had some very positive discussions since March, and I think that has helped the athletic department work as a more cohesive unit."
As the summer months passed, a world of uncertainty slowly became more clear. Guidelines for resocialization and plans for returning to practice were put into place once athletes returned to campus in August. All of those plans turned to reality when the Johnnies were able to take the field for smaller group sessions starting on September 2.
"When we began we tried to keep that inner bubble tight," said Guerriero. "We were in small groups of four, and what I found was that after not being on the softball field from March to September, even though it was smaller groups, we could all breathe a sigh of relief to be back out there."
Those groups of four were just a small step towards one of the ultimate goals for this fall: getting the full team together for practice. That was accomplished successfully just weeks later, and has given the Red Storm the greatest sense of "normalcy" they have felt since that fateful day in March.
"Fall workouts have been amazing," said Bowie. "Don't get me wrong, it has been difficult to adjust to the new norms such as wearing the mask, remembering to stay socially distant from one another, and much more. Plus, it was definitely difficult in the beginning with the resocialization protocols that were in place like being allowed to practice only in our pods and slowly progressing to more girls at once if all went well. But, I am ecstatic that we are practicing as a unit and even more excited to get back out on the diamond this spring."
"That's when we started getting that feeling back of 'okay, this is our team.' This is who we are," added Guerriero of the transition to full team workouts. "A lot of our returning players and veterans started saying 'This is the St. John's Softball team as we know it' and got that good feeling back as a team and as a unit."
The Red Storm hopes these fall workouts will pay big dividends in the spring, as they have their sights set on a return to the BIG EAST Tournament for what would amount to the fifth time in their last six opportunities. On top of that, the Johnnies will also be looking to capture their fourth regular season title since 2015.
The 2021 roster consists of 19 returners from a season ago as well as three freshmen. These returners include Gretchen Bowie, Kaitlin Mattera and Marissa Rizzi, who each begin their fifth year with the program and have racked up five All-BIG East First Team selections between the three of them. The Red Storm returns all four pitchers who saw time in the circle last season, including sophomore Erin Brown, who led the team in ERA and innings pitched a year ago. Freshmen Melanie Santos, Camryn Steele and Carolyn Von Werne join the Johnnies for the 2021 campaign.
"The mindset that we have adopted is that every year, our goal is to make the BIG EAST Tournament," said Guerriero. "That gives every freshman class an opportunity and we want that mentality to resonate down through every class...Now the next step is to figure out what it takes to win the BIG EAST Championship like we did in 2015."
The 174-day layoff between taking the field adds fuel to the fire for the Red Storm, as they work towards being the last BIG EAST team standing when the trophy is handed out in May.
Players Mentioned
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