Guest Post: CAA Softball Awards and Tourney Preview
We here at JMUSB are fully on the JMU softball bandwagon. Obviously, there are people out there who know way more about the sport than we do. One of those people is @BHansen40, who thankfully reached out to us and offered to do a guest post. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.
March 8. That is the last time a team has beaten the JMU Softball team. It was Stony Brook in the JMU Invitational and was actually a game the Dukes lead 4-0 heading into the top of the sixth, before the Seawolves rallied for six runs against one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. Had JMU held onto that game, the winning streak would be at 39 games and its last loss would have been to Georgia on Feb. 27.
Regardless of one minor slip up in March, JMU is 44-6, including a 20-0 record in CAA play to win its second consecutive CAA regular season title (a feat no team besides Hofstra could boast prior to this year). With all of that excitement, it is kind of amazing to think that for the team, their aspirations are so big, the season really only now in its infancy. The Dukes have reached their first goal of a CAA regular season crown. Next up is the CAA tournament, which begins on Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Park.
Before we look at the tournament, let’s take a quick glance at how the awards banquet might shake out on Tuesday night. In 2014, JMU swept all five major awards and I would not be shocked to see that performance repeated.
CAA Rookie of the Year: JMU has claimed three consecutive Rookie of the Year awards (Heather Kiefer in 2012, Jailyn Ford in 2013 and Niki Prince in 2014) and that streak will certainly continue in 2015. Since she’s a candidate for the national award, it’s pretty obvious that this accolade goes to Megan Good. Her biggest competition would likely be JMU second baseman Morgan Tolle, but teams submit a nominee for each award and JMU will surely nominate Good.
CAA Coach of the Year: This has gone to the coach of the regular season champion almost every year since the CAA started hosting softball and at 44-6 and 20-0 in the league, there is no reason to assume it goes to anyone but Mickey Dean. Larissa Anderson has done a phenomenal job filling maintaining Hofstra’s excellent level of success after the retirement of Bill Edwards and Cathy Bocock at Elon has nicely guided her team to a tournament appearance in their first year in the CAA, but Dean takes home the hardware for the second straight year.
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: This is just the second year the CAA has given this award out. In 2014, Erica Field won the award and I would venture that she’ll repeat in 2015. Opponents have succeeded in just eight of 19 steal attempts against the junior. She’s excellent in shutting down speedy teams when they try to bunt and slap while also managing a pitching staff that has compiled a 1.60 ERA and a .173 opponents’ batting average. This is the one award I could see going away from JMU if the coaches wanted to vote for someone who doesn’t don the Purple and Gold. Perhaps Hofstra’s excellent catcher Erin Trippi gets the nod?
CAA Pitcher of the Year: Hofstra claimed ownership over this award for a long time with Olivia Galati and Kayleigh Lotti winning seven straight for the Pride before Ford broke that streak in 2014. 25-0 and a 0.95 ERA seems like a pretty solid bet to secure the award for Megan Good. Ford, Morgan Lashley and Missy McCormick have had great years, but Good ought to be a unanimous choice.
CAA Player of the Year: This is another award JMU has won three consecutive years (Ashley Burnham 2012, Sarah Mooney 2013, Caitlin Sandy 2014) and four of the last five years (Burnham also won in 2010). All apologies to Holliday Cahill, Caryn Bailey and a handful of JMU players, this appears to be Erica Field’s honor to lose.
As for the tournament itself, it is a four-team, double-elimination tournament held over three days. Obviously it is easier to win, the longer you stick in the winner’s bracket. As regular season champs, JMU drew the top seed and squares off against fourth-seeded Towson while Hofstra and Elon face each other in the 2/3 game. I expect Coach Dean will continue to alternate his two aces with Good starting game one and Ford taking game two with three-time All-CAA award winner Heather Kiefer ready to step in if needed. That pitching depth, ironically makes JMU the best suited of the four teams to bounce back should it drop a game, but with major RPI ramifications on the line, the Dukes will be looking to remain in the winner’s bracket as long as possible.
Towson in the first round is an intriguing matchup for Madison. The Tigers gave the Dukes fits during the regular season meeting between the two teams, forcing them to rally twice in the late innings to take a double-header up in Maryland. Last year, Towson was at its feistiest come tournament time. They made a run to the championship round and battled JMU tough, before ultimately falling in the title game. Missy McCormick will battle Megan Good in the circle and with six regulars batting over .300 this is not a team to be taken lightly in the opening game.
Hofstra features a pair of talented pitchers in Morgan Lashley (19-1, 1.85 ERA) and Taylor Pirone (15-10, 1.96 ERA) while bringing a deep and talented lineup. Add to that a pedigree that has seem them win the CAA tournament more than every other school combined, and I’m sure they are coming to Harrisonburg with an expectation of upsetting the Dukes. They’d be my bet to meet JMU in a championship game.
Elon is a balanced team with several good pitchers, but no one who quite matches up with Good, Ford, Lashley and McCormick. When you get to double elimination tournaments where you could play as many as five games in three days, having depth in the circle is nice, but you need that ace to carry you. They’ll more than anyone else, probably need to advance through the winners bracket, but they do have the lineup depth to make run at the title.
The CAA is probably guaranteed two NCAA tournament participants with JMU and Hofstra in good shape. Should Elon or Towson take the title, the CAA would be looking like a three-bid league for the first time in its history. My prediction is JMU, on its home field and with NCAA seeding implications on the line, runs through the tournament and is lifting the trophy come Friday.
