Softball goes south for winter

A year ago, things were tough for the Penn women's softball team. Carol Kashow's first season with the Quakers was laden with problems. The team lost its first eight games, as well as its final 10, en route to a 10-29 record, 0-12 in the Ivy League. While Kashow feels that the Quakers have improved in all areas since last season, she believes the team -- which heads to Orlando next week for the Rebel Spring Games -- has shown the most improvement at the plate. There was nowhere to go but up, as the Red and Blue hit .211 as a team last season. "We've spent a lot of time hitting," Kashow said. "In the last week, we've been totally focused on that. One of the problems was a lack of aggressiveness -- we were a little bit afraid up there before. But I think that the freshmen have sparked some confidence, and it's contagious." Freshmen Clarisa Apostol, Jen Moore and Molly Meehan will take some of the pressure to produce at the plate off of senior Sherryl Fodera. After a phenomenal sophomore campaign in which she hit .425 and set team records in hits and RBIs, Fodera struggled in 1998, posting a batting average of .230 and a slugging percentage of .260. "Sherryl had been so successful," Kashow said. "There was a lot of pressure and it was self-induced. She felt some pressure that she had to get it done and that was a tough spot. We've got a good freshman class and while Sherryl knows that she'll have to contribute offensively, she won't have to carry the load. That will be the key to her offensive success." The Quakers will have a good opportunity to measure their offensive progress very quickly. After games against St. John's, Stetson and Quinnipiac, Penn will face Radford. A year ago, the Highlanders "cleaned our clocks," according to Kashow, in a 10-0 rout. Radford, however, is well aware that this will be a different Quakers team. "I know that Penn, like each team we will face, will be a tough game and a challenge," Radford coach Kami Sutton said. "We will have to play to the best of our game to be victorious." Despite looking forward to their shot at the Highlanders, the Quakers are "taking it one game at a time," according to Kashow, as they will face six more teams after Radford: Sacred Heart, UNC-Wilmington, Tennessee Tech, Fairfield, Bethune-Cookman and Maine. "The toughest team sticking out is Tennessee Tech," Fairfield coach Julie Brzezinski said. "They have a good team hitting and defensively. I also expect a lot from Villanova." After returning from Florida, Penn will head out to the Main Line to face the Wildcats in a March 17 doubleheader. From there, the entire season consists of doubleheaders, with notable non-Ivy matchups against La Salle, Drexel and Saint Joseph's. With two games to play every time they take the field, Penn will need another pitcher to help staff ace Suzanne Arbogast. Fortunately for the Quakers, new pitchers have stepped up to the rubber. "Michelle Zaptin was really good in the fall," Kashow said. "She saw some relief work in the fall and threw a couple of games. We also have a freshman, Kate Hanlon, who joined us. And Allyson Emond, a left-hander, transferred from Rutgers. So we have some help now, which is good because we did have some trouble in that area last season." This year, the Quakers hope to return to Warren Field in better standing than last year, when they returned at 1-8.