PHOTO: ST. BONAVENTURE ATHLETICS
BY NATHAN DONNELLY, SPORTS WRITER
Following an 12-35-1 record in 2023, the St. Bonaventure softball team looks ahead to 2024. The Bonnies will begin their season with a trip to Madeira Beach, Florida., against Bellarmine on Feb. 23.
Sophomore second baseman Abby Farber said she is looking forward to traveling to Florida.
“I am very excited to travel to Florida with all my best friends and start our season,” said Farber. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to compete and win games and use our talent to be successful.”
After a week in Florida, they will travel to Louisville, Kentucky., for a two-game stint against Bellarmine and Evansville.
The Bonnies will play their first home game against Little Three rival Canisius on March 20.
Other key matchups include defending regular season A-10 champions Saint Louis at home on April 6 and 7, traveling to Fairfax, Virginia. to take on George Mason on April 27 and 28, and a senior day matchup with George Washington on May 4 and 5.
The Bonnies 2023 season did not go according to plan, as they failed to make the A-10 tournament and finished last in A-10 play. However, when asked about the upcoming season, coach Mike Threehouse is excited for what is ahead.
“We set a goal every year to make the postseason,” said Threehouse. “I don’t set many expectations other than competing hard and leaving everything we have on the field at the end of each day.”
Senior second baseman Kennedy Haberl said she has the same goal in mind.
“You must be able to go out there each day and play hard and as a team- you need to play together,” said Haberl. “I have the expectation for this team to play to our best ability and if we do so then I can see this team making a change for this program, having a successful season, and having a result of going to the postseason.”
With the addition of 9 freshmen and 2 transfers, Threehouse hopes that the fresh faces in the locker room will add a spark.
“Freshmen always add a new dynamic to the team,” said Threehouse. “Our group this year has been amazing. They have stepped up at every turn and set an example of excellence.”
Freshman Kymora Wang said she aims to do just that.
“The kind of impact that I am looking to make is to be able to be positive on and off the field,” said Wang. “I just want to lift my teammates to play to the best of their ability.”
Threehouse spoke on what incomIng transfers contribute to the success of the team.
“As for the transfers, they bring more experience to the table and allow for depth,” said Threehouse. “We are counting on Tori McGraw and Karena Recrosio to be two players we can rely on to help us win games.”
Also heavily relied on will be this year’s senior class. Threehouse is optimistic for them, not only skillfully in the field, but in the dugout as well.
“The senior group must be our rock,” said Threehouse. “No team succeeds without leadership and accountability from their senior group. We will go the way they do.”
Once again, Haberl and Threehouse are in unison.
“My main goal as a senior is to bring the experience that I have playing here for the past 4 years and help this team make it to the postseason,” said Haberl. “Be a leader both on and off the field to leave a lasting impact after this season ends.”
After a season in which the Bonnies saw themselves at the bottom of the stat sheet for hitting, Haberl and fifth year graduate student Olivia Moon looks to improve her hitting ahead of this season.
“The biggest thing I have been working on this offseason is my mental game,” said Moon. “I would like to be more successful in big situations, score more runners, and being a more consistent hitter.”
“I am looking to go out swinging, improving my overall batting average and making sure that I get the necessary hits to score runners who are on base in front of me,” said Haberl.
There is much improvement to be made from last season, for sure. However, spirits remain high among all, according to Moon.
“Expectations for this team I believe are different from any team I have been a part of here at St. Bonaventure,” said Moon. “If we, as a team, play our best softball, we will be in the postseason and competing for the A10 Championship.”
The season’s debut takes place on Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. in Maderia Beach, FL against the Bellarmine Knights.
