The Albertus Magnus softball team will begin its 2012 season on Tuesday, March 13 as the Falcons take on both Norwich and Mount Saint Vincent in back-to-back contests in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Falcons open the season on their spring break trip in Myrtle Beach and will play six games in three days. After the opening games on Tuesday, Albertus will take on Becker and Gordon on Wednesday then Gettysburg and Finger Lakes Community College on Thursday.
The 2012 season will see a lot of change for the Falcons' softball team as head coach Ed Emielita, in just his second year at the helm of the program, has added a lot of new faces to the squad. It will be a rebuilding year for the Falcons after finishing the 2011 season with an overall record of 1-31 and a 0-24 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.
A big strength for the Falcons this season will be their defense in addition to the team's speed and quickness on the bases. Junior Danielle Figueroa (Bridgeport, Conn.) will once again lead Albertus after hitting a team-high .305 in 2011 with 18 hits, five walks and seven RBI in 25 games played. Krista LaBissioniere (Meriden, Conn.), who tallied 10 stolen bases and 19 hits in all 32 games played last season, will also lead the Falcons in 2012.
Freshman Danielle Thuerling (Wallingford, Conn.) will be a key addition to the program's success as the 5-8 right-handed pitcher comes to Albertus Magnus after earning All-Housatonic honors at Sheehan High School. In addition to Thuerling, other members of the Falcons' freshman class will be significant contributors to the Albertus line-up, led by infielders Elaina Mayo (West Haven, Conn.), Shannon Knox (Hamden, Conn.), Aimee Mirto (Hamden, Conn.), Rebecca Slivinsky (Plainville, Conn.) and Leyna Andren (Manahawkin, N.J.). Brittney Urciuoli (Newington, Conn.) will also be looked upon to start in centerfield for the Falcons and make an immediate impact on the program.
The Falcons will face a tough schedule this season, particularly in GNAC play, as Albertus will open league action following its spring break trip down South. The Falcons will host Simmons on Friday, March 23 then Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, March 24 before hosting Johnson & Wales on Sunday, March 25 to cap three-straight days of home double-headers. The Falcons are scheduled to play 39 games this season plus a contest against Finger Lakes Community College in Myrtle Beach. That contest, as it is not against a four-year institution, will serve as an exhibition as statistics and results from that game cannot be counted per NCAA rules.
Albertus is faced with an early loss this season in the injury of freshman utility player Brianna Lord (Westerly, R.I.), who needs to have shoulder surgery and will miss the 2012 season.
"We are just taking one inning at a time," said head coach Ed Emielita. "We need to limit our errors, play as a team and hopefully that will turn into wins for us."
The Falcons' schedule can be found at AlbertusFalcons.com or by clicking here.
