To Veronica Grant, the 2011 softball season is really just a continuation of last year’s Big East tournament. That’s the attitude Syracuse is taking into its first tournament this weekend.

‘Starting off with a bang and keep going strong the whole season,’ the sophomore center fielder said. ‘Starting off where we left off last year with that fire in Big East.’

The Orange opens play this weekend at the Georgia State First Pitch Classic in Decatur, Ga. All nine starters are back from last year’s Big East championship team, and SU is determined to recapture that magic in 2011.

Syracuse will take on Tennessee Tech, Morehead State and the host Panthers in a four-game tournament over two days. The team plans to use the first weekend to set the tone for the rest of the season.

Head coach Leigh Ross said she wants to see her players treat every weekend like the Big East tournament. In her opinion, this team hasn’t proven anything yet.

‘It’s just proving to ourselves that we are the team that was at the Big East tournament day in and day out,’ she said.

After all the success last year, higher expectations are surrounding the program. Syracuse is the only team in this weekend’s tournament that played in last year’s NCAA tournament and received votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.

Syracuse is arguably the best team going to Georgia State. Ross knows SU will go from its usual role as underdog to favorite for this weekend.

‘I think we should be one of the stronger teams there, so I’m hoping that we can get some wins early on,’ Ross said. ‘It won’t be the Alabamas and the Floridas that we’ll face in a couple weeks, so there might be room for mistakes.’

As the favorite, her team will be challenged to maintain focus right away. But she believes this team is prepared to handle that challenge. With all the experience, this team understands the work ethic and drive needed to succeed.

‘Around here, the key is these guys wanna win, they wanna get on the field, and they wanna get after it,’ Ross said.

She said there are 12 players worthy of starting. That depth has created an intense atmosphere of competition in the preseason.

Junior pitcher Jenna Caira said that atmosphere will only make the team better during the season. The experienced unit is on the same page, pushing each other to get better.

‘This year, we’re kind of increasing our expectations,’ Caira said. ‘Just expecting more from each other, more from ourselves and just putting in more work and dedication.’

Caira said all that hard work is about getting respect nationally for Syracuse. She said it feels good to get some votes in the preseason poll, but respect will come with more success in the postseason.

The road to earn that respect begins Saturday. Caira said this first tournament is a chance to get back on the dirt after practicing inside all winter. But it’s also a chance to make a statement. With the increased expectations, the players and coaches don’t want to falter early on.

‘We want to get out there and win,’ Caira said. ‘It’s not just, ‘Let’s play a game here, but let’s do what we’ve worked on, let’s do some damage.”

Grant feels the same way. She said anything less than a Big East championship this season would be unacceptable. Grant said SU needs to play with the same focus and passion it used to win the conference championship a year ago.

‘That’s the team that’s gonna carry out this whole season,’ Grant said. ‘The team that wanted it, the team that’s hungry.’

Ross said SU needs to beat the teams it’s supposed to beat. She said the team needs to treat every game like a championship game.

The Orange already seems to have the right attitude to open the season. Her players are echoing her advice for this first weekend and beyond.

‘Stay hungry and stay humble,’ Ross said. ‘I think that they need to continue just focusing one pitch at a time, one inning at a time.’

rjgery@syr.edu

 

Published on February 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu