2014 Softball Preview: Part I - The Outfield
1/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 29, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -
With the start of the 2014 Seton Hall softball season right around the corner, SHUPirates.com is going around the horn to preview the new season. Up first is a look at the Pirates' personnel in the outfield, a group that sees all of its starters return for 2014 and had a large impact on the team's 2013 success.
The Seton Hall University softball team was coming off a 3-19 season and was picked to finish 12th in the 2013 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll, so it is fair to say that last year's squad far exceeded those expectations in finishing eighth in the league and qualifying for the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2009.
But second year head coach Paige Smith and the Pirates are not content with last year's strides and have been hard at work in the offseason to build on the foundation of last season's momentous step forward. Seton Hall saw statistical improvement in nearly every phase of the game during Smith's first season, and the offensive boost in particular was due in large part to the drastic improvement displayed in the outfield.
As a team the Pirates saw their team batting average jump 61 points from .233 to .294 in 2013, and the slugging percentage differential was nearly 100 points (.320 in 2012 compared to .415 in 2013) thanks to a couple more doubles and 14 more team home runs.
The offensive efficiency was not limited merely to the power categories, Seton Hall ran the bases, a lot, with sophomore Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) leading the way with a school record 31 steals during her freshman campaign.
Harrell started all 51 games at centerfield for the Pirates and led the team with a .357 average. She finished the season ranked No. 18 in the nation in stolen bases per game and was second in the BIG EAST. Harrell also set a Seton Hall single-season record with a 14-game hitting streak, batting .408 with 20 hits, 12 runs scored and 12 steals over that several week stretch.
The Pirates will need that offensive productivity at the top of the lineup once again, but according to Smith it is also out in the field that Harrell will be relied upon to take her game to another level.
"Jazzy (Yasmin Harrell) is the anchor of the outfield and is someone I will be looking at to provide additional leadership in that position," Smith said. "She is a great fielder and has really developed at being a more vocal presence in the field."
Most of the outfield power came from the junior class, with Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) and Colltey Sheldon (Peoria, Ariz.) looking like completely different players in 2013 compared to their rookie campaigns.
Haefeli hit .100 as a freshman and saw that average jump up to .239 last year when she started 47 of her 50 games played. From the other side of the plate Sheldon has developed into one of the most consistent hitters on the team; she hit .308 in 2013 and ranked third on the team with seven doubles.
"Sara is building off a great sophomore season and she has the momentum of being the player that hit the home run at Georgetown in the last game of the season that sent her team to the postseason," said Smith. "Sara also has a great arm and is a good defensive outfielder."
That home run, a solo shot in the top of the seventh inning in the regular season finale at Georgetown, lifted the Pirates to a 2-1 win and helped secure the team's first postseason berth in four years.
Haefeli ranked third on the team with six home runs, and slugged .444 with six doubles and 20 RBI. She tied a school record with two homers in a 16-0 win at Saint Peter's late in the season, a game in which the Pirates set a new school record for margin of victory.
Sheldon appeared in 46 games last year and made 44 starts. An offensive highlight came in a doubleheader at the San Diego Classic late in the non-conference season. She hit a grand slam against Texas Tech and that afternoon notched three hits with a pair of doubles and four RBI in a win over Miami (Ohio).
"Colltey is one of our best returning hitters, she has a great left handed swing and has really started to display some power," said Smith "She should be batting in the top half of the lineup and is one of our best doubles hitters."
According to Smith, heading into the season there are not many players that should crossover between infield and outfield but sophomore Jackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.) and junior Whitney Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) are players that can thrive in either locale.
DiPietro made 25 starts with 45 appearances as a freshman, hitting .261. She homered at Saint Peter's and also recorded three doubles and 15 runs scored.
"During the offseason Jackie has focused on adding more power to her swing," said Smith. "She is a great fielder and a player that can really get the ball back into the infield very quickly which is something we struggled with last year."
Jones played mostly at first base last season where she enjoyed a great deal of success particularly in the field with a .979 fielding percentage. That ability also translates to the outfield where her defensive abilities will translate into playing time.
"Whitney is a player that would run through a wall to make a catch," Smith said. "She has the ability to track down any ball and our outfield is a better defensive unit when she is in the lineup."
Freshman Valerie Suto (Mercerville, N.J.) is a speedy prospect out of Nottingham High School and she played club ball for Jersey Nightmare. Suto was named a Second-Team New Jersey Group III and First-Team All-South Jersey selection. She will be a valuable addition to an outfield unit that is sure to be a strength for the Pirates this season.
"Val has a lot of speed and is really fundamentally sound," said Smith. "She made some really outstanding plays in the field during the fall season and we don't lose a step in center field when Val is in there."
