Suffolk University Softball will start their season Feb. 13 in California. This will be the first of two early-season tournaments, the second of which will be The Spring Games in Florida.
They will be back in Boston on March 21 to start conference play against a familiar opponent: Nichols College. The Bison knocked out the Rams in the first round of the conference tournament last season.
This rematch will be a good measuring stick for Suffolk, as the Bison were one of the top teams in the conference last season.
“Nichols has a great softball program and we always compete well against them,” said junior Sara Butera.
Suffolk finished fifth in the conference last season with a 16-22 record. This season, the team will be looking to get their record over .500 and compete for the top spot in the CNE.
A big part of this improvement will come from the leadership of captains Catherine Carignan, Lily Newhall and Jolie Quintana. Carignan was a first team all-conference player last season and Newhall was third team.
“For the three of us captains we want to set the standard for effort and attitude everyday. We try to create a culture where everyone feels motivated, that’s a big part of success,” said Newhall about her leadership role.
Newhall was big for the Rams last season, not just on the bump, but with her bat too.
She batted .292 while pitching 105 innings, which was the most on the team and sixth in the conference.
“It was definitely a big workload, but a great experience. It helped me grow physically and mentally,” said Newhall on her innings pitched.
She was up to the task whenever her name was called last season, finishing top ten in the conference in total wins. She also tallied two complete game shutouts.
She and Cynthia Rucinski will headline a pitching unit that had a combined earned run average of 3.72 last season. This was good enough for Newhall to get eight wins which was top ten in the conference.
“Wins were a great accomplishment but a lot of that credit goes to my teammates,” said Newhall. “I have high confidence in everyone on the team to have my back while on the mound.”
Suffolk will look to improve on giving them run support, as the Rams ranked eighth in the conference in total runs scored and batting average. Their pitching took them to the conference tournament; some run support could put them over the top.
Suffolk will be trying to bolster their offense while overcoming the loss of eight athletes who graduated. Filling in those spots will be five incoming freshman and junior transfer Ava Lanza, an infelder from Bentley University.
“We have a strong class coming in and ready to compete. I believe we have a great team chemistry this year and have the grit to do very well,” said Butera.
The aspirations are high for this team.
“Ultimately our biggest goal as a team is to compete for a championship,” said Newhall. “We also want to maintain a strong team culture. Which will help us reach our goal in the end.”
Newhall and Carignan will look to be veteran leaders on and off the field with a lot of new faces. Building a strong culture will help the Rams meet the high expectations they have for themselves.
After ongoing issues with the field in East Boston last season, Suffolk will be moving up the shore to Revere. They will play their home games in Griswold Park this season.
