2003 Preview

2002 LADY BEARS SOFTBALL ROUNDUP
No Room For Errors

The NYIT Lady Bears entered the 2002 season with only 11 women on their softball team. For a sport that fields nine players everyday, the entire season rested on the health and well being of the players. "We started the fall off with 15 players," stated Head coach Joseph Hennie. "Then spring came rolling around and we were down to 11." Coach Hennie knew it would be tough test for his team but after they came back from their season opening west coast trip to California with their first victory in four trips (spanning over nine seasons), he realized he had a solid group of players.

NYIT struggled through the first 12 games of the season, registering a 1-10-1 record, but as good teams do, the Lady Bears responded by putting together three four game winning streaks over the next 17 games and improved their record to 13-15-2. Better yet, over the same period they improved their New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) record to 10-4.

Just when things seemed to be moving in the right direction, coach Hennie's worst fears came true. Senior Jen Lerch sprained her ankle against Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. Sophomore Kelley Schultz broke her nose during a play at home plate and one week later freshman pitcher Nicole Swistun pulled her hamstring. All three missed games due to the injuries they sustained. For three weeks the roster was trimmed down to 10 players and most of the women had nagging injuries from the long season.

Despite all of this the Lady Bears finished the season with a record of 21-25-2, but more importantly their conference record stood at 15-7, their best finish ever in the NYCAC conference. The Lady Bears clinched the third playoff spot in the NYCAC postseason softball tournament and were matched up against the sixth seeded Queens College Lady Knights.

Queens had defeated the Lady Bears twice during the season, but NYIT opened the first round of the tournament squeaking out a 4-3 victory as Swistun pitched a six hitter. The freshman from East Islip had posted earned her first playoff victory to go along with a 5-0 conference record with five shutouts.

Adelphi University was the Lady Bears next opponent, and although Adelphi swept the season series, NYIT fought till the end, losing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. "You have to make your own breaks in close games and we just couldn't do it," said Hennie.

Senior pitcher Marianna Higens, who took the loss, also found out that weekend that she made ALL-NYCAC second team for the second time in her career. NYIT moved into the losers bracket and had to face Dowling College, last years NYCAC Champion and a team that made it to the final eight in the NCAA National Tournament in 2001. Dowling scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Bears season would come to a close in this 5-1 loss.

"Overall we had a great season after the slow start", Coach Hennie stated. "We played a very tough schedule and did it with eleven players. They showed their toughness day in and day out and should be very proud of themselves. I also have to commend my Assistants Kari Barry and Courtney Nilan. They truly made this a pleasurable season, even though we didn't get as many wins as we would have like to."