As I notice that it has been a LONG time since I have posted and I apologize for those who like to read my post, I wanted to come off with a bang. Spring sports have started and the Point Park Softball team is on a hot start. A 9-2 record and the Pioneers have not been swept yet this year. The team was only a game away from making the playoffs last season and are returning players like KristenZelenka (Pitcher), Christie Schroeder (Catcher), Courtney Cain (1st Base), and Abbie Heigel (Pitcher) just to name a few. With the returning players, they have added great freshman like Olivia Sorce (2nd Base), Danielle Dorunda (3rd base), and Kelsey Robertson (Pitcher) just to name a few. This team has a lot of talent and a very good chance to be a top team in the AMC. With that said, there are some problems with this club. Mainly putting everything together on a consistent basis. Sometimes this pitcher will be there, and the hitting will not be. Other times it is just the opposite. This pitching staff is extremely talented from top to bottom. Zelenka, Heigel, Robertson, Carnicella are all extremely talented pitchers. This is something these team has had trouble with in the past, which is depth and consistency on the mound. I am very excited about this team, I can not wait to get into conference play and see what these ladies are all about. The freshman are going to need to grow up quick, and mesh with the veterans.
On the other side of the diamond with the baseball team, they as well have a interesting mesh of youth and experience. However their talent has not been shown in the win column quite yet. With that said though there has been bright spots with the team, one of which has been a huge surprise. Joe Cox was out all of last year due to injury but has returned this year and is 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA. No one else on the staff has more than 1 win, and 7 pitchers are without a win. Cox is also the only one with a shutout, and one of three to pitch a complete game. This is stellar for a game that myself personally thought would not be a factor in the rotation. The biggest problem though with this team is driving players in from the plate. The Pioneers have left 116 men on base, which is an uncanny number. This number is fairly surprising for the fact that six players have batting averages over .350. Point Park just has not been able to get the clutch hit when they really need it. There has been spots when the Pioneers would be down by only a few runs, with runners in scoring position, and they would not be able to get a hit. A player that has been out due to injury as of late has been Ricky Cordido. He has started each game he has played (11) and has batted .263, has scored 4 times and has 6 RBI’s.
The thing is here, you should be excited about these Spring sports. Good talent especially with the softball team. Come out and watch the team play. Also, you will be able to hear select home games on 670 AM WPPJ, and you can also catch highlights on the Pioneer Sideline. Until next time, this has been Josh Frketic, a part of the award-winning sports department, and the best play-by-play broadcast in the nation, 670 AM WPPJ.