Spring Sports Preview

Head Coach: Matt Midkiff (2nd season)
Last Year’s Record: 3-29 (0-16 MAC)
Key Wins: Neumann and Wesley College
Must-See Games: DeSales, Manhattanville and Immaculata University
Key Returnees: Sophomore Scott Renauro and senior Ramon Reyes
For Spring Break: Traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to play in five to six varsity games and several JV games. They will also complete a service project and visit The Ripken Experience
Outlook: Midkiff is not one to give up easily, and neither is the baseball team. After adding 10 new players for a full roster of 25, the team is poised to rise above last year’s challenges and do infinitely better.
Although their season last year wasn’t so hot, baseball still went away with a few wins, including a tough come-from-behind win against Neumann. With strong, constant players like sophomore Scott Renauro and senior Ramon Reyes backing up the team, Midkiff sees that this year will be different.
“There’s a change in attitude with the new guys,” Midkiff said. “We’ve increased our talent immensely.”
But as Midkiff always says, it is all about process, not results. “If we go through the right process,” he said, “then we should get the results we want.”

Men’s Tennis

Head Coach: Mark Spangler (3rd season)
Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (4-3 MAC), Lost in semifinal round to Wilkes
Key Wins: DeSales, Misericordia, FDU-Florham and Alvernia
Must-See Games: Cabrini, Messiah, Manhattanville, King’s and Wilkes
Key Returnees: Seniors Jordan Gates, Josh Hall and Dan Wilson and sophomore Bryan Arnett
For Spring Break: Going to Hilton Head, S.C. to practice twice a day, play against Lebanon Valley and have fun.
Outlook: If the men’s tennis team’s current record is any indication, the team should succeed this season.
With three senior captains, two sophomores and two first-years, Spangler is confident that his team will do well.
 “I expect them to be even better than last year,” he said. “The guys are focused and I’m pretty optimistic.”
 Last season almost took a drastic turn when the team lost a devastating away match against King’s. However, they managed to turn things around with four straight wins to qualify for the championships.
And they will get a shot for revenge with a home match against King’s on Apr. 16.

Golf

Head Coach: Mark Birtwistle (4th season)
Last Year’s Record: 4th of 9 in Freedom Conference Championships
Key Wins: Island Green at the University of the Sciences–broke a school record with a score of 313, with three golfers scoring in the 70s
Must-See Tournaments: Lebanon Valley, Widener and Franklin and Marshall
Key Returnees: Junior Josh Reid and sophomore Jarred Heuer
For Spring Break: Heading back down to Outer Banks, N.C.
Outlook: For a man with a seven-man golf team–five of them first-years–Birtwistle is pretty confident. But he has a right to be: his team, although going through a transition year, should be performing well this upcoming season.
 Last year, golf saw soaring heights and crushing lows, going from top to bottom then back again. Their ultimate height was early in the season at their second tournament where they set a new school record with a team score of 313.  Although they struggled halfway through the 2009 season, they rebounded just enough to snag fourth place in the MAC Championships.

 Men’s Lacrosse
 
Head Coach: Brandon Childs (2nd season)
Last Year’s Record: 8-9
Key wins: Messiah and Manhattanville
Must see games: Widener, Messiah and Manhattanville
Key Returnees: Senior Michael Hofmeister, sophomore Matt Wagner, and junior Matt Mandia
For Spring Break: The team is traveling to Virginia. First they will be playing Randolph College, from Lynchburg, Va. Then a second game will be played against Gilford College, from Greensboro, N.C.
Outlook: Eastern men’s lacrosse team has 11 returning players and 22 newcomers.           “There is no doubt we are talented enough,” Childs said. “It’s about how we handle adjusting to the speed of college lacrosse.”
 As a team they have collectively set the goal of winning the MAC conference championship. They plan on reaching their goal by being, “better than the day before” Childs said, a mantra the team has adopted.

Women’s Lacrosse

Head Coach: Camrin Azzarano (3rd season)
Last Years Record: 11-7
Key Wins: Montclair State University and Haverford College
Must-See Games: Messiah, The College of New Jersey and Rowan University.
Key Returnees: Juniors Grace Griffith and Samantha Fretz and seniors Sarah Hager and Krystal Cairns.
Outlook: The women’s lacrosse team will have a  tough non-league game to kick off their season when they face off with The College of New Jersey. Junior Grace Griffith will look to lead the offense after recording 56 goals and 12 assists last season.

Softball

Head Coach: Brittany Stroop(1st season)
Last Year’s Record: 10-16
Key Wins: Manhattanville College, King’s College, and DeSales University
Must-See Games: DeSales
Key Returnees:
Sophomores Maggie McGowan, Jaclyn Gangemi, Samantha Terenzoni, Juniors Kate Phelan and Amy Bellows
For Spring Break:
The team is going to Cocoa Beach, Florida to play in a week-long tournament.
Outlook: After a challenging 2009 season and the ongoing transition after former head coach Mark Ambler’s death, the softball team hopes to make a statement early in the MAC. The team will get a jump start to the season with ten games in Florida during Spring Break.
Sophomore pitcher and shortstop Maggie McGowan, who lead the team in both wins and batting average last season, will be a key performer for the  team offensively and defensively.