By Eustace Browne
Staff Writer
The St. Bonaventure softball team struggled mightily in its 2013 campaign.
The Bonnies posted a 10-42 overall record and went 4-18 in the Atlantic 10. Head Coach Mike Threehouse didn’t want to make a prediction on this season’s prospects.
“From my standpoint as a coach, I try not to make too many predictions, but we’re hoping to do well, and then next step is to get better and keep improving,” Threehouse said. “We’re also looking for a good year from a bunch of different players, and if we get that, we’ll be ok.”
Threehouse went on to say improving upon the team’s 10-42 record last season is of paramount importance to him and the team.
“I’m pretty sure we can improve that record, and we’re looking to do that,” Threehouse said. “We have some young players to help out, and we have some older players with more experience. We have a pitching staff that’s conducive to winning more games.”
On an individual basis, Threehouse admitted he wants every player on the team to make a leap forward and improve this season, but he was looking in particular at the pitching staff to make the biggest gains.
“We have to get a leap from the pitchers, that’s what we have to have,” Threehouse said. “junior Julia Pratt, junior Grace Rooney, freshman Kristen Hickling, sophomore Carly Bilchak; they’ve got to step it up, and we’re expecting it.”
While elaborating on the pitching staff, Threehouse used the term “Charlie Wholestaff” to explain how his pitching will work this season.
“What that means is that everybody is going to be pitching,” Threehouse said. “We’re not going to have a ‘number one,’ ‘number two,’ ‘number three.’ Whoever’s got the hot hand will go.”
But Threehouse reiterated his general goal for the season is to win and to be in contention for the A-10 tournament at the end of the season.
“We simply want to win games, we want to improve and give ourselves an opportunity to be in the A-10 championships at the end of the season,” Threehouse said. “But the priority is to get better every day and win every game we play.”
He pointed out the captains such as Lindsay Stowell would be a leader on the team but said the entire senior class all have potential for good leadership.
“We have a handful of leaders, the entire senior class is full of leaders, on and off the field,” Threehouse said. “From my standpoint captains aren’t the only leaders.”
Senior outfielder Ashley Snider pointed out that, as a senior she had to step up as a leader.
“We have to lead by example as upperclassmen. The underclassmen look towards us at this time early in the season, because we’re starting out the season fresh,” she said.
Threehouse admitted his seniors wanted to “go out with a bang” and win the A-10 tournament.
“This year’s crew, I think, more so than previous years has a sense of ‘this is something we want to achieve’, ‘this is something we want.’
