University of Georgia Athletics

2010 Georgia Softball Season Preview

January 26, 2010 | Softball

ATHENS, Ga. -- The Georgia softball program enters its 14th season in 2010 having made eight-consecutive NCAA postseason appearances. The Bulldogs enter this season with excitement aplenty following the program's first Women's College World Series appearance last year. Nevertheless, the Dogs will need to focus the heightened enthusiasm towards this year as they face a challenging schedule once again.

Youth will remain a theme for Georgia in 2010 as well. The 2009 squad was the youngest in the nation with 90-percent underclassmen, and this year's team does not feature any seniors. Experience and leadership, however, will not be lacking as the Dogs return 11 players including seven starters highlighted by 2009 First-Team All-Americans Alisa Goler and Taylor Schlopy.

The Schedule
The Bulldogs will play a 56-game regular season schedule in 2010 that includes 33 contests at home in the UGA Softball Stadium. The schedule features four regular-season tournaments and a 28-game Southeastern Conference slate. A total of 30 games will come against teams that advanced into the 2009 NCAA post-season tournament, and 16 contests will be against teams ranked in the final top-25 poll of 2009.

The Dogs will open the campaign at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla., on Feb. 12-14. Georgia then plays its next 21-games in the friendly confines of the UGA Softball Stadium including three tournaments - the Third-Annual Red & Black Showcase, Feb. 19-21, the Seventh-Annual Georgia Softball Classic, Feb. 26-28, and the Bulldog Invitational, March 5-7.

Georgia starts SEC action against two of the other 2009 WCWS final four teams by playing host to Florida for a double header, March 10, and to Alabama for a three-game series, March 13-14. The 21-game home stand concludes against Furman March 17.

The Bulldogs leave Athens for the first time in over a month with a three-game series in Knoxville versus Tennessee March 20-21.

Additional SEC home series for the Dogs will come against Arkansas (April 2-3), Auburn (April 17-18) and South Carolina (April 24-25), while additional SEC road series will be at Kentucky (March 27-28), at Ole Miss (April 10-11), at Mississippi State (April 13) and at LSU (April 29-30).

The remainder of the non-conference slate features home midweek contests versus Florida State (March 24), Georgia Southern (April 5) and Georgia Tech (April 21). Additionally, the Dogs and Yellow Jackets play in Atlanta, April 7. Georgia concludes the 2010 regular season with a two-game series at Texas, May 9-10.

Postseason dates include the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark., May 13-15, NCAA Regionals on campus sites, May 21-23, NCAA Super Regionals on campus sites, May 28-30, and the 2010 WCWS at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, June 3-9.

The Pitchers & Catchers
From the circle, Georgia returns junior Sarah McCloud and sophomore Erin Arevalo while Christie Hamilton departs after completing her senior campaign in 2009 by leading the pitching staff with 211.1 innings pitched, a 26-9 record and a 1.95 earned run average.

McCloud shouldered the second-most innings for the Dogs in 2009 with 131.0 innings while compiling a 17-2 record and 2.89 ERA. Arevalo's time in the circle in her freshman season was limited behind Hamilton and McCloud, but she burst onto the scene with four shutout relief innings for a win over eventual national champion Washington at the WCWS. Arevalo finished the '09 season with 17.2 innings pitched and a 2-1 record.

Joining the staff this year will be junior transfers Alanna Hadley and Katie Murphy along with freshman Alison Owen. Hadley played the last two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla., where she compiled a two-year record of 37-15 with 332 strikeouts and just 96 walks. Murphy, an NJCAA Third-Team All-American, played the last two seasons at Daytona State in Daytona Beach, Fla., where she compiled a 34-20 record with 479 strikeouts and only 73 walks. Owen is a four-year letterwinner from East Coweta High School, where she helped her led her team to four-consecutive Georgia Class AAAAA Elite Eight appearances, three region titles and a state runner-up finish in 2008. As a senior, Owen earned her team's Pitcher of the Year Award after going 12-6-1 with a 0.65 ERA.

Completing the battery from behind the plate will be sophomores Kristyn Sandberg, Tori Moody and Ashley Razey. Sandberg logged the most innings for the Dogs at catcher in 2009 with 56 starts at the position while batting .297 with nine home runs and 26 runs-batted in to earn SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Moody also saw action behind the plate in 2009 while also seeing significant time as the designated player. Moody batted .225 with five home runs and 22 RBI. Razey joins the Dogs as a transfer from Southern Miss where she appeared in 54 games in 2009 making 51 starts and batted .301 with six home runs and 28 RBI.

The Infielders
Around the diamond, Georgia returns three of its four starters in junior All-American Alisa Goler, junior Brianna Hesson and sophomore Ashley Pauly while Kristin Schnake does not return following a 2009 senior season in which she batted .321 with five home runs, 52 runs and 30 RBI.

Goler is a career .367 hitter who set several school records in 2009 including home runs (24) and RBI (83) en route to being a Top 10 Finalist for the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Hesson's two-year career batting average stands at .298 and last year she earned All-SEC Second Team honors after providing the Dogs with 10 home runs and 43 RBI. Pauly returns for her sophomore season after opening her collegiate career in 2009 by hitting at a .252 clip with 20 runs and 20 RBI while also providing a team-best 13 sacrifice hits.

In completing the infield for this season, Georgia could look sophomore Brittney Hubbard or freshman Katie Rietkovich. Hubbard appeared in 46 games last year scoring 16 runs and driving in another eight. Rietkovich is a four-year letterwinner from South Effingham High School, where she was a two-time All-State selection, set seven single-season record and five career records. As a senior, Rietkovich hit .467 with 16 doubles, 28 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Utility players Christine Olney, Laura Trout and Amberlie Saxton could also factor into playing time in the infield.

The Outfielders
In the outfield, Georgia returns two starters who patrolled the grass over the last two seasons in junior All-American Taylor Schlopy and junior Megan Wiggins. Schlopy's career batting average stands at .354, and last season, she hit 15 home runs, had 47 RBI and led the team with 71 runs, 38 walks and 21 stolen bases. Wiggins is a career .334 hitter who appeared in 39 games last season missing part of the year due to broken hand. Despite missing some time, Wiggins, who was a first-team All-SEC selection as a freshman, still hit 10 home runs and provided 41 RBI in her sophomore campaign.

Also returning in the outfield for the Dogs is junior Jennie Auger, who has appeared in 75 games in her first two collegiate seasons providing UGA with 20 runs scored and 15 RBI.

Joining the Bulldogs in the outfield this year will be junior Lacey Pierce and freshmen Macie Couey and Sara Sikes. Pierce returns to softball after graduating in 2007 from East Coweta High School, where she played all four years. Couey joins the Dogs from John Milledge Academy, who she helped to Class 3A State Championships in 2005 and 2008. A three-time All-State selection, Couey earned team awards for Best Defensive and Golden Arm as a senior. Sikes comes to UGA from Chapel Hill High School, where she was selected among the Top 10 in Georgia for the 2008 Wendy's Heisman Award. As a senior, Sikes was named the Douglas County Sentinel Player of the Year after batting .457 with 30 doubles, 30 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

The Utility Players
Three additional newcomers, junior Laura Trout and freshman Christine Olney and Amberlie Saxton, will serve as utility players for the Dogs in 2010. Trout played the last two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina helping the Pioneers to NJCAA Division I Region X Championships in both seasons. She is a two-time NJCAA All-American who in two seasons with the Pioneers .486 with 71 RBI and 71 runs. Olney is a four-year letterwinner from Calhoun High School, where she was a three-time All-State First Team selection. She earned the CHS offensive award each season. Saxton is a four-year letterwinner from Mill Creek High School, where she helped the Lady Hawks to a Georgia Class AAAAA State Championship in 2008, third-place state finishes in 2006 and 2007 and Region 7AAAAA Championships from 2005-07. A two-time All-State selection, Saxton was named the Lady Hawks' Offensive Player of the Year all-four years and was a two-time selection to the Gwinnett Daily Post Super Six.

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