Softball Concludes Impressive Offseason Workouts
10/31/2002 7:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 31, 2002
College Park, Md. - Things are looking good for Gina LaMandre's squad at the conclusion of the fall practice season. In the four weeks that the NCAA allows teams to practice together during the offseason, the Terps worked on many defensive drills and team communication skills that they won't be able to work on until regular practices start up.
The Terps have four newcomers to the 2003 squad. "We try to use the fall to acclimate the freshmen to the team," said LaMandre. Freshman Natalie Grossman will patrol the outfield while freshman Rachel Greyson will share catching responsibilities with Casey Leiter. Both Shelly Rollison and Crystal Rizzuto are versatile infielders who can play at either corner. These infielders will give the coaching staff several defensive options to spread around middle infield anchors Jen Peel and Malissa Moczulski.
LaMandre was also pleased with the progress of her pitchers. Hard-throwing junior Monica Cyphert (10-6, 1.79 ERA, 108 K's) and sophomore Jessica Aditays (7-4, 2.00 ERA, 48 K's) will be returning to the mound this season for the Terps. Junior Liz Gall, who has not seen any action inside the pitcher's circle since 2001, will also be thrown into the rotation.
Sophomore Crystal Tweedy, who mostly saw action as a pinch runner last season, stood out during the offseason practices. "Tweedy really impressed us. She's the most improved player since last year," said LaMandre. Sophomore Nneka Cardoza, who is traditionally an infielder, made a smooth transition to the outfield this fall. LaMandre moved Cardoza to the outfield because she has great speed and an equally impressive arm. "She's a very versatile player. By putting her in the outfield and having the option to move her into the infield, we're giving ourselves a lot of depth that we didn't have before," said LaMandre.
The softball team will open its season at the University of Georgia tournament on Feb. 14.
