April 7, 2000
by Tommy Ventre
The Diamondback
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Late in a game last week against Penn State, a sharp ground ball flew off a Nittany Lion
bat toward third base. As it approached Terrapin third baseman
Stefanie Robinson, it
took a nasty hop and slammed off her chest. Not a second after the ball fell to the
ground, the freshman pounced on it and fired to first base in time to retire the base
runner.
Though the play didn't affect the game's outcome, it stood out in a season otherwise
marked by an often shaky Terrapin defense.
"I've always had a good glove," said Robinson, a 5-foot-5 freshman from Avenel, N.J.
"My offense has come and gone, but my defense has always been the core I've built my
game around."
Heading into today's doubleheader against Long Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Terps
have committed 60 errors in 37 games. By contrast, last year's team committed 87
errors in 74 games. Coach Gina LaMandre attributed the defensive struggles partly to
injuries, but also to youth.
Robinson, though, has played third base as if she's been in the program for years. In 33
appearances this year (including 26 starts), she has made only five errors while
contributing 36 putouts and 30 assists.
After a senior year at Bishop Ahr High School in which she won All-County,
All-Division, All-League and All-Area honors, Robinson was recruited by the University
of Pennsylvania and Towson University. LaMandre and her staff also came calling,
boasting a No. 12 finish in the national rankings in 1999.
Campus ultimately drew Robinson, a computer engineering major, with its esteemed
engineering school, but the softball program was a big attraction as well.
"Softball had a play in [the decision]," she said. "I looked into Maryland for its academics
and I liked the area, but the fact that Coach LaMandre and Coach Lawson had taken the
program from scratch to where it is now was impressive."
When she arrived, however, it was far from certain that Robinson would start. The
starting job at third base was up for grabs, but the leading candidate to take over was
hard-hitting sophomore Beth Radford.
"I knew it would be a big task," Robinson said of winning the starting job. "I knew it was
open, but obviously it was going to take a lot of hard work to compete against athletes
who were just as talented, if not more so, than I was."
When Radford took over the catching duties, Robinson's hard work paid off. She entered
the lineup as the regular third baseman and has been contributing ever since. She is
currently fifth among all starters with a .250 batting average, 12 RBIs and one home run.
As the Terps have settled down from a whirlwind early-season schedule, Robinson has
had a chance to reflect on her first year in College Park.
"I'm ecstatic," she said. "I was sitting after practice one day just thinking of my dreams
of getting a scholarship and playing for a big-time Division I program, remembering how
they seemed like such a long way away. But this season has turned out to be almost a
dream come true."
TERP NOTES
Maryland vs. Long Island: The Book On The Blackbirds
Maryland travels to Brooklyn, N.Y., on Apr. 7 to square off against the Long Island Blackbirds. LIU has posted a 14-9-1 record on the season.
Senior Jennifer Weaver paces the Blackbirds at the plate with a .333 batting average. Sophomore Marjorie Foster leads all LIU batters with 13 RBI and five home runs.
In the pitcher's circle, newcomer Crystal Eubanks has an 8-3 record with a 2.12 ERA.
The Terps lead the season series with the Blackbirds by a 5-1 margin. In their most recent meeting, the Terps swept a twinbill at home in 1999, defeating Long Island 7-1 and 5-1. The Terps last lost to the Blackbirds when they split a doubleheader in 1998.
2000 ACC Softball Standings
ACC Overall
Team W L W L T
North Carolina 2 0 33 13 0
Maryland 2 0 20 17 0
Georgia Tech 2 2 22 22 0
Florida St. 0 2 30 21 0
Virginia 0 2 15 27 0
2000 SASA Softball Standings
SASA Overall
Team W L W L T
North Carolina 2 0 33 13 0
Maryland 2 0 20 17 0
Georgia Tech 2 2 22 22 0
East Carolina 0 0 42 6 0
Florida St. 0 2 30 21 0
Virginia 0 2 15 27 0
Contact: Mark Fratto
301-314-7064 (phone)
301-314-9094 (fax)
301-314-TERP (FanPhone)
REPLACE_ME
fratto@wam.umd.edu
