The Lesley University softball team will begin their 2009 season next week down in Kissimmee, Florida as the team looks to repeat the success they experienced just one year ago.  The Lynx finished the 2008 season with a 30-12 (17-3 North Atlantic Conference) mark and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history by winning their conference championship.

The preseason poll from Lesley's new league of competition, the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), has recognized the Lynx as the number one seed coming into this season receiving eight of nine first place votes. 

Lesley will be returning ten players, eight of which were starters from the 2008 campaign.  Five of those players earned All-Conference honors including the Player and Rookie of the Year.  Three new freshmen join the Lynx squad this season and hope to make significant contributions.

With a tough non-conference schedule and conference full of contending teams, the Lesley University softball team will look to win the NECC and reach the NCAA Tournament once again.

Team Captains

Lani Cabral-Pini (Wilmington, Mass.) led all of NCAA Division III in runs per game (1.45) and walks per game (0.98) as the shortstop earned First Team All-Conference honors for the first time in her Lesley career.  Cabral-Pini is a true leadoff batter with the ability to get on base with tremendous frequency by well-placed bunts and true hustle down the line.  She is also a threat on the base paths as Cabral-Pini was only caught stealing once during 16 steal-attempts. 

Pitcher Alicia Burnett (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) earned First Team All-Conference in 2008 after pitching 169.2 innings and winning 17 games for the Lynx.  Burnett nearly struck out a batter per inning, amassing 160 strikeouts on the season.  The senior had a 1.70 earned run average and limited her opponent's batting average to 0.238. 

Second Team All-Conference centerfielder Gianna Spaziante (Hawthorne, N.Y.) commanded an outfield that made just seven errors in 2008.  Spaziante batted 0.347, scored 26 runs, knocked in 18 runs batted in, and stole 14 bases. 

Third baseman Sarah Wilson (Lowell, Mass.) tallied 31 runs batted in, batted 0.342, and nearly played flawless at the hot corner for Lesley.  The Lynx will look to Wilson to continue her stellar play in the field and in the batters box as they look to return to a conference championship.

Returning Veterans

NAC Player of the Year Jodi Fralick (Woburn, Mass.) and NAC Rookie of the Year Alyson Durben (Stow, Mass.) both return after posting monstrous numbers last year.  Fralick handled the Lynx pitching staff in all 42 games behind the plate.  The catcher posted a 0.503 batting average and 0.529 on-base percentage.  She tallied 44 runs, 47 runs batted in, and 13 stolen bases. 

Durben smashed five home runs, 18 doubles, and seven triples and finished with 45 runs and 45 runs batted in.  The outfielder was near the NCAA leaders in slugging percentage at 0.806.  The Lynx will need Durben's consistent play in the outfield and at the plate in 2009.

Lesley's first baseman Georgia Saltzman (Lynn, Mass.) had a solid 2008 season in which the junior hit 0.331 with 32 runs batted in and 32 runs scored.  Saltzman only two home runs of the season came in very clutch situations as she hit one in the conference championship game and against Wellesley College in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Lynx will also look to fellow returning players Christina DiGiorgio (Lowell, Mass.), Ashley Cunningham (Mountain Top, Pa.) and Chelsea Quackenbush (East Hampton, Conn.).  DiGiorgio has played a solid second base for Lesley the past three seasons while Cunningham and Quackenbush have made significant contributions in their respective roles. 

Newcomers

Jenna Fralick (Woburn, Mass.), Cassandra Knox (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) and Stephanie Vassillion (Warner, N.H.) have joined the Lynx softball and are expected to make an immediate impact.  Fralick will play a utility role and will look to showcase her speed for the Lynx and Knox and Vassillion will make frequent appearances on the mound. 

Schedule Outlook

The Lesley University softball team starts off their 2009 season down in Kissimmee, Florida at the Rebel Spring Games where they expect to face some tough competition against Lake Forest College, Coast Guard Academy, Hiram College, Marian College, Chatham University, Albion College, and Waynesburg University. 

Some of the non-conference opponents the Lynx will be facing this season include Rivier College, Wellesley College, Emerson College, Babson College, and Framingham State College. 

Lesley will also look to be the inaugural NECC Champions this season but they will have to go through some familiar foes like Elms College and Bay Path College as well as some newcomers in Mitchell College, Newbury College, and Daniel Webster College.

To learn more about the Lesley University softball team, please visit their website.

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu