A year ago, Syracuse was a Cinderella story. The Orange shocked many by beating three of the top four teams in the Big East en route to a conference title and SU’s first NCAA tournament bid.

With all eight position players and its top two starting pitchers returning in 2011, Syracuse heads into the season with a sense of optimism and an expectation to repeat the success the team achieved in 2010.

But SU head coach Leigh Ross isn’t blinded by the hype.

‘Sure we got a couple (Top 25) votes, but we were still picked to finish just fourth in the Big East,’ said Ross. ‘Which is fine because we want to surprise people.’

The Orange finished only fourth in the Big East during the regular season last year, but in the Big East tournament, SU took down Villanova, DePaul and Louisville on consecutive days. That euphoria was short lived, though, after the Orange lost its first two games of the NCAA tournament regional in College Park, Md.

But with the experience of last season, the small taste of postseason play lingers. The expectations have never been higher in the 12-year history of the program.

‘Obviously, we are always itching to get to the Women’s College World Series,’ Ross said. ‘But after getting to a regional last year, the realistic goal is to take that next step and get to a super regional.’

Through Ross’s four-year tenure, she’s taken Syracuse to the next step exponentially. When the former Bowling Green head coach took over in 2006, SU had just one 30-win season in its seven-year history.

After a pair of losing seasons to start her tenure, the Orange went 30-21 and finished fourth in the Big East in 2009. Last year’s team went 32-26, but SU’s progress was shown in its postseason run.

The players view the success of the past two years as a result of Ross bringing in her own recruits.

‘We were Coach Ross’s first recruiting class, and when we got here, the expectations were more shallow,’ senior left fielder Rachel Helman said. ‘Like ‘let’s hustle’ or ‘let’s just compete.’ Now we have concrete expectations like ‘let’s win the Big East’ or ‘let’s win 30 games.”

Ross’s first recruiting class featured three players: Helman, third baseman Hallie Gibbs and pitcher Angie Sagnelli. Gibbs holds program career records in RBI, on-base percentage and walks. She also led last year’s team with six home runs and 44 RBI while finishing with the second highest batting average at .327.

‘We have a lot of power bats, but there’s a good mix of speed mixed in there, too,’ junior pitcher Jenna Caira said. ‘And the seniors do a great job pacing our lineup.’

While the seniors bring a veteran presence, Ross’s pitching staff is carried by a junior, Caira, and a sophomore, Stacy Kuwik.

‘Obviously it starts with the pitching staff, and Jenna is our No. 1,’ Ross said.

Caira led the team with 19 wins and a 2.27 ERA last season. She was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2010 Big East tournament after pitching SU to a pair of victories over Villanova and Louisville. She’s the unquestioned ace, but behind her is Kuwik, who showed flashes of potential as a freshman. While she went just 7-10 with a 3.52 ERA, she did hold her opponents to just a .227 batting average.

For SU to take the next step, Kuwik must develop into the dynamic No. 2 starter. Last season, the Orange struggled due to the inconsistency of Kuwik and then-senior Brittany Gardner.

But Ross is fully confident in her rising young pitcher.

‘No one really talks about Stacy yet, but we’re excited about what she can do,’ Ross said. ‘I think we have the top two pitchers in the Big East and probably the Northeast region.’

The confidence Ross has in her team has transferred to the players themselves. They truly believe this is the season Syracuse softball succeeds on the national level.

‘Everyone called last year a Cinderella story,’ said Caira. ‘I don’t care what you call it. And I don’t care that we’re picked to finish fourth in the Big East. We know we have what it takes to get to a super regional and maybe even further.’

jdsaffre@syr.edu

 

Published on February 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jarrad: jdsaffre@syr.edu