Outfield of dreams leads lady sluggers

Though first-year coach Robin Petrini did not come to State College until July, she had a mix of youth and experience to put together a starting lineup. With the Penn State softball team at 3-1, here's a rundown of who has gotten them this far.

Infield

The Lady Lion infield had two critical positions -- catcher and shortstop -- to fill.

Catcher Jill Cowen led Penn State in 1996 with a .326 batting average, while shortstop Val Serpico started all 47 games last year, hitting .260 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Both graduated.

Stepping in behind the plate is senior Misty Hackett, who played 33 games last year but struggled offensively, hitting below the Mendoza line at .190.

A pair of youngsters, sophomore Brandi Conti and freshman Terra Pracht, should see time at shortstop. Conti started in Penn State's first game against Towson State but sprained her left wrist sliding into second base. Pracht saw the rest of the action at shortstop, going 3-for-4 in her first collegiate start against Canisius.

"I was pretty scared that I was going to be out for the season," Conti said.

The team returns its top power source, first baseman Shannon Salsburg. Petrini said Salsburg will be penciled in third in the Lady Lion batting order for most of this season. Petrini added Salsburg is a type of hitter opposing pitchers have to respect because of her power.

"Shannon is the one that can drive it out, because she is just strong," Petrini said. "She has got to be the strongest hitter I've ever coached."

Senior Marisa Marucci handles the chores at second base. Marucci said the new offensive style Petrini has brought in will boost her hitting numbers. Marucci hit just .230 last year and is looking for much improvement.

"We focus on being more aggressive at the plate," Marucci said. "My goal is to hit around .300 this year, and I think I have the potential to do that."

Jen McIntyre steps in this year as the Lady Lion third baseman. Last weekend, McIntyre led Penn State in RBIs and made just one error at the hot corner.

Outfield

Considering the abilities, Penn State could easily have its own outfield of dreams.

Senior Susannah Forde, who started 32 games and tied for the team lead in stolen bases last season, is stationed in left. For now Petrini has penciled Forde into the No. 2 spot in the batting order because, as the coach said, Forde "has the ability to do a lot of things at the plate."

Sophomore Jodie Riccardi patrols center. Ricciardi started her Penn State career with a bang, hitting .285 in 42 games. She is Penn State's leadoff batter and goes into that role with confidence.

"I don't know if I have a lot of extra responsibility as the leadoff hitter," Ricciardi said. "All of us have a job to do."

Right field is the responsibility of junior Karolyn Peterson, who hit .311 last season with 14 RBIs. Petrini hopes Peterson can continue to produce and protect Salsburg in the lineup.

Pitching

The Penn State pitching staff hasn't lost a step. It lost one member from last year's staff, Heidi Hanna. This season the Lady Lions will have three veterans and one newcomer on the mound.

Juniors Anje Schwab, Sara Henick and Jen Hippo look to lead Penn State and help freshman Jaci Kalp along.

"Along with the other two veterans, we're going to be the teachers for Jaci," Henick said. "She's a great pitcher, and we want to make her better, which will be the best for the team."

Kalp comes to State College after an outstanding high school career. She was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Player of the Year in 1996 after guiding Hempfield High School to the section championship. She also set the WPIAL record for strikeouts with 997.

Kalp showed she's ready for the college game in her first performance last weekend against George Mason, throwing a complete game and striking out eight batters while walking one.

The other three pitchers are taking the lessons they've learned in the past two years and trying to use their experience to their advantage.

"Last year we gained a lot of knowledge about Big Ten teams," Schwab said. "We learned about the hitters and that will help us be more prepared this season."

Schwab is the most experienced member of the pitching squad, pitching 14 games in both her freshman and sophomore years. She posted 7-7 records both years and has a 3.93 earned run average.

Right behind Schwab is Hippo. Hippo was 6-8 last season with the lowest ERA on the team at 2.78. She is also a third-year starter.

Henick will be called upon more this season after starting five games last year. The junior from Providence, R.I., picked up her first win of the season last weekend against Radford.

Henick, along with the rest of the pitching staff, still are getting used to pitching outside again.

"It was a lot better than pitching inside," she said. "Playing outside is a lot more fun because you have a lot more conditions to worry about."