Softball gears up for opening tourney

Last season, the softball team won a game in the NCAA Regional ¬-- their second time reaching the tournament in university history. The feeling among players and coaches this year is simple: They want to do better.

The Lady Pirates return 13 letter-winners and eight starters from a team that went 37-30 and finished fifth in Conference USA. With experience on its side, the team is looking to improve on last year's results.

Coach Tracy Kee believes that last year's accomplishments will help the team this season.

"I think the season we had last year will help us out tremendously," said Kee. "We got a lot of good experience and we only lost two starters."

The major improvement over last year's squad will come with the pitching staff. Last season, injuries forced the team into a patchwork staff that performed admirably under the circumstances. But things are looking vastly improved this year, especially in terms of depth.

Last season's injured starter and former C-USA Freshman of the Year Toni Paisley is back to full health this season, and last year's back-up-turned-starter Brooke Swann proved that she is as reliable a second starter as they come.

"I think our pitching depth has improved from last year," said Paisley. "We had injuries and some people stepped up and filled in great, and now they are better for getting that experience last year. That makes us that much deeper."

One of the key losses for the Lady Pirates was outfielder Stacey Andrews. Statistically ECU's best hitter last season, she was the only regular starter with a batting average over .300. She also led the team in RBI's and home runs with 39 and 11 respectively.

Her shoes will be big ones to fill, but the rest of the team looks primed to pick up the slack.

Seniors Jessica Johnson, Vanessa Moreno, Angel Barella and Sarah Bibee are set to lead the team back to the regionals and possibly further.

"We want to get back to the tournament and get even further this year," said Bibee of the team's ambitions. "Now we know what it takes and the squad has improved so much."

Much of that will depend on the health of Paisley. Having her in the pitching circle makes the team a formidable opponent on any day, a fact not lost on Kee.

"Having Toni back helps us out a lot in terms of pitching depth," she said. "We also have two freshmen who can pitch, so that area of the team is looking good."

And whenever a team can turn its thinnest position into its deepest in one season without losing much at the others, a big season is expected. Still, Kee sees plenty of room for improvement.

"As a coach you're always concerned," Kee said. "That's our job. Once we play Virginia, we will reassess what changes need to be made for game two and then three. You're just constantly trying to improve upon your game."

And the Lady Pirates will need to make those improvements quickly if they want to withstand the early barrage of quality opponents on their schedule. They take on top-five opponents Alabama and Michigan in the first month of the season.

They also have perennial contenders UNC and Virginia Tech slated for later in the season, not to mention hosting conference powerhouse Houston in early March. But the team doesn't seem rattled by the challenges and have the confidence to prove it.

"I think this is one of the best squads we've ever had here," Kee said. "We expect to win the conference and get back to regionals and hopefully beyond."

The Pirates will kick off the season at home this weekend with the ECU Invitational Tournament. They will host Virginia and Middle Tennessee State during the two-day round robin.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.