Softball Looks to Flourish Under Jusino’s Direction
Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)
N. Myrtle Beach, SC| For the first time in 11 seasons, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) softball team will be under the direction of a new head coach. Lisa Jusino, a former Adelphi University standout from 1998 to 2001, arrives at SJC after most recently serving as head coach at Briarcliffe College, where she posted an 118-42-1 record to earn six-straight Small College World Series berths from 2010 to 2015.
Jusino returns 12 members of last season's squad at St. Joseph's and believes her side, which missed out on the Skyline Conference playoffs due to a tiebreaker, can contend right away.
"I expect us to be very competitive this year," Jusino remarked. "We should have a winning record and hopefully we will be able to reach our goal of winning the conference championship."
In order to reach the playoffs in 2016, the Golden Eagles will likely have to leapfrog Sage, who finished last season in fourth place and is forecasted to do so again this year. SJC, who matched Sage's 9-5 conference record last season but suffered two losses at the hands of the Gators, finished fifth in the Skyline Coaches' Preseason Poll with 49 points—nine fewer than Sage's 58.
2015-16 Skyline Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
Place. Team (first-place votes), voting points (2014-15 record / Skyline record)
1. Farmingdale State (22-14 / 10-4), 77 (5)
2. Mount Saint Mary (19-11 / 12-2), 75 (4)
3. Mount Saint Vincent (14-20 / 10-4), 61
4. Sage (18-17 / 9-5), 58 (1)
5. St. Joseph's-Long Island (18-18 / 9-5), 49
6. Purchase (10-14 / 4-10), 37
7. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (23-20 overall), 34
8. Old Westbury (8-24 / 2-12), 32
9. Sarah Lawrence (6-26 / 0-14), 15
10. Yeshiva (6-18 overall), 12
Key to the Golden Eagles' success is the contingent of returning seniors, who will be leaned on to provide strong play on offense and defense. Skyline First-Team selection in 2015, Lindsey Corriss returns to the outfield after a season in which she led the team in batting average (.421), at-bats (95), hits (40), runs (35), triples (6) and stolen bases (5). The Sayville, NY native's batting average and runs total were good enough for second in the conference, while her triples mark was tops.
"Lindsey is very important to our offense," said Jusino of the outfielder. "It's going to be hard for our opponents to get her out with her speed. Look for her to maintain a high on-base percentage this year."
Joining Corriss in the outfield is fellow classman Megan Leun, who's coming off a year in which she set career-highs in at-bats (94), hits (31), doubles (8), triples (2) and RBI's (27)—the latter of which was good enough for sixth in the Skyline.
Rounding out the returning seniors is Malloy McClafferty who posted a 7-6 record last season in 14 starts on the mound. In addition to boasting a 3.52 ERA (6th in the conference) and striking out 57 batters on the season, McClafferty hit .310 and collected 22 hits, 13 RBI's and seven doubles to earn a Second-Team nomination at the utility position.
Other key returnees include sophomore Kristen Arbiter and junior Gabrielle Cinquemani. Arbiter is expected to reprise her role behind the plate after collecting 11 RBI's in 2015, while Cinquemani looks to replicate her play from last season, which produced a .358 batting average and earned her Second-Team All-Conference honors at the first base position.
The incoming freshmen class of Elizabeth Rohme (SS/2B), Jillian McFadzen (UTL) and Nicole Baron (P/UTL) will put pressure on the upperclassmen, with all three newcomers pushing for starting jobs on opening day. Look for Rohme and McFadzen to make an immediate impact in the infield.
The Golden Eagles will open the 2016 campaign on Wednesday, March 9, when they face Robert Morris-Springfield at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic in N. Myrtle Beach, SC. SJC will also face PSU-Abington, Wilkes, Summit (PA), Wentworth, St. Elizabeth, Mt. Aloysius and Hunter during the four-day classic.
Skyline play opens for the Golden Eagles on Saturday, March 19 with an away doubleheader against St. Joseph's (Brkln) at 12:00 PM. The following afternoon SJC heads up to Newburgh, NY to face Mt. St. Mary in a doubleheader that Jusino feels will be very telling of where her side is at.
"I think the doubleheaders with Mt. St. Mary and Farmingdale St. (April 16) will be big days for us," she remarked. "Those dates, I think, will be important in determining where we stand in the conference."
The final regular season home contests will be played on Sunday, April 17 against Yeshiva at 12:30 PM, and the regular season wraps for good on Saturday, April 23 at Purchase. View the team's full schedule here.
