New York, N.Y.— After one of the most successful seasons in recent memory, the John Jay softball team is set to take on the best its league and region has to offer. After a 13-21 (8-4 CUNYAC) record from one season ago, and a core of players returning from last season’s promising unit, the Bloodhounds are set for battle in 2010.
“The fact that we have many players back from last season’s team, that is definitely an upside,” said head coach
Laura Drazdowski. “But I need to make sure that no one gets comfortable, and everyone stays focused.”
Last season, the Bloodhounds averaged 7.38 runs per game, fifth highest in the nation and had a team batting average of .307 to lead the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), and with a host of talented players returning in 2010, this could be the year of the Bloodhounds.
John Jay welcomes back 13 players from last season’s team, including all four CUNYAC All-Stars from the team last season, including first team All-Stars shortstop
Danielle Bonici (Staten Island, NY, St. Peter's Girls)and third baseman/pitcher
Nina Chao (Woodside, NY, W.C. Bryant).
Bonici, a three-time conference All-Star made the team last season after batting .387 to go along with team-highs in hits with 36, triples (2), total bases (51) and slugging percentage (.540). Chao batted .298 last season and led the team with nine doubles and three homeruns. Bonici and Chao also co-led the team in RBI with 27. As a pitcher, Chao had four wins and struck out 25 batters.
A pair of second-team All-Stars return this season, including
Christina Perez (Brooklyn, NY, James Madison) and
Kim Bifulco (Staten Island, NY, St. John Villa).
Perez led the team in batting average last season, sporting a .390 hitting percentage. She ripped five doubles and led the team in walks with 16. Bifulco batted .328 in what was her rookie campaign last season, ripped five doubles, had a homerun and 17 RBI. As a pitcher, she was 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA.
Other players back from last season’s team include starting pitcher
Angela Lam (Brooklyn, NY, Newtown), first baseman
Marina Gomez (Bronx, NY, DeWitt Clinton) as well as outfielders
Nelly Vega (Bronx, NY, In-Tech Academy) and
Krystal Class (Brooklyn, NY, New Utrecht).
Lam, last season’s ace, will be called upon for another productive season. In 2009, she picked up seven wins and fanned 56 batters. She logged 98 1/3 innings and had 13 complete games.
Gomez, who missed a portion of the season last year due to injury, had seven hits and five RBI. Vega had a phenomenal rookie season, batting .333 with team-highs in doubles doubles (6) and runs (29), to go along with a homerun and 23 RBI. Class had 13 RBI and led the team in stolen bases (6).
Another returnee is
Jasmine Miranda-Summers (Passaic, NJ, Passaic). Miranda-Summers was a part of the team in 2008 and batted .261 with a team co-high seven doubles and 14 RBI.
Other key returnees include
Sarah Balgobin (South Ozone Park, NY, John Adams),
Briggitte Martinez (New York, NY, Health Professions),
Johanny Santana (Elmhurst, NY, John Bowne),
Cassandra Velez (Gaithersburg, MD, Gaithersburg) and
Kaitlyn Walsh (Valley Stream, NY, Valley Stream Central).
The team has also added a key newcomer this season,
Michelle DeJesus (East Elmhurst, NY, Long Island City).
Once again, the Bloodhounds will face a tough slate of conference games including double-headers against New York City Tech (3/23), Baruch College (3/30), College of Staten Island (4/2), York College (4/8), Brooklyn College (4/9), Lehman College (4/10) and Hunter College (4/13).
A tough stretch of non-conference games await John Jay as the Bloodhounds will play doubleheaders against Monroe College (3/16), Polytechnic University (3/31), Manhattanville College (4/6), Stockton College (4/15), United States Merchant Marine Academy (4/17), St. Joseph’s-Long Island (4/21), Mt. St. Mary’s College (4/22), SUNY Old Westbury (4/23) and St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn (4/27).
The conference season concludes with a double-elimination tournament on May 7-8 at the College of Staten Island. An if necessary play-in game (for seeds 3-6) will be played on Wed. May 5 at the higher seed team.