The Syracuse softball team and new head coach Leigh Ross will open up play Friday as the Orange competes in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The tournament, hosted by Arizona State, features a 22-team field and four past national champions.The Orange will play a doubleheader Friday, kicking off the season against No. 3 UCLA at 5:30 p.m., followed by a game against the tournament’s host, No. 5 Arizona State.

SU will play two more games Saturday, against Oregon and Long Beach, before wrapping up the tournament Sunday versus Western Michigan. This tournament is the first of five the Orange will play before beginning its conference schedule March 24 at Providence.

Ross comes to Syracuse after an eight-year stint at Bowling Green, where she became the winningest coach in Falcons softball history, compiling a record of 237-198-2. She earned Mid-Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year Honors in 2001 and led the Falcons program to its first MAC tournament championship in 2004. That same year, the Falcons advanced to the regionals of the NCAA tournament.

Ross inherits a young Syracuse team that is coming off the best season in its program’s young history, in which the Orange finished 36-21.

InfieldSU features an infield that is young, yet experienced. All five infielders saw significant starting time last season. Sophomore first baseman Heather Kim figures to be the stalwart in the middle of the Orange lineup, coming off a freshman season that saw her finish third on the team in batting average (.348) and RBIs (35).

Sophomore Nicole Miller will attempt to fill the shoes of former SU shortstop Alexis Switenko, who led the team in home runs (15), batting average (.393) and RBIs (44) last year en route to becoming SU’s first player to earn All-American and Big East Player of the Year honors.

Third baseman Erin Gray, the lone senior on the team, provides age and consistency to a young infield, while sophomore Lindsay Wasek figures to start the majority of the games at second base. Sophomores Amy Kelley and Kim Weinstein return to split the starting catcher duties this season. Kelley figures to lend some pop to the Orange lineup to go along with a solid .983 fielding percentage from last year.

OutfieldSophomore Tonye McCorkle, last season’s Co-Big East Rookie of the Year, headlines the Orange outfield. As a freshman, McCorkle was second on the team in batting average (.369) and set SU freshman records for hits (59), runs (37), doubles (14) and total bases (86). Her 14-game hitting streak last season was the second longest in SU history.

Juniors Chanel Roehner and Rachel Tilford round out the starting outfield and provide much needed experience to a team that includes just four upperclassmen. Roehner hit .248 last season and was third on the team in home runs with five. Tilford started all 57 games for the Orange last year and managed a .279 batting average.

Freshman Ev Anderson, one of three newcomers this season, and sophomore Jorden Rosen should provide support in the outfield.

PitchingJunior Erin Downey looks to anchor the Orange pitching staff. Downey was a workhorse for the Orange last season, starting 34 of SU’s 57 games and finishing 29 of them. Downey posted a 20-17 record with an ERA of 2.89. Downey is well-positioned to challenge or break several of Syracuse’s all-time pitching records, including wins, appearances, strikeouts, and innings pitched. Downey is already SU’s all-time leader in saves (5) and strikeouts per seven innings pitched (7.67).

The Orange nabbed touted recruit Brittany Gardner in the offseason to help provide pitching depth. Gardner compiled a record of 20-4 in her senior season at Park View High School in Sterling, Va.., throwing seven no-hitters and maintaining a miserly 0.39 ERA.

Roehner and sophomore Keri Casas, who missed nearly all of last season due to injury, also will see time on the mound.

Published on February 8, 2007 at 12:00 pm