PHILADELPHIA- The La Salle softball team looks to continue the momentum they built last season into the new year, as they open up their 2015 campaign at Stetson on Wednesday. The Explorers are coming off a season that saw them return to the Atlantic 10 Tournament after going 9-9 in conference play under head coach Ron Shoemaker who is entering his third season at the helm of the program.
 
"The goal is to advance in the tournament this year and get to a point where you can contend to win it," said head coach Ron Shoemaker. "When you are starting so many first and second year players, just getting there is the big thing, so now when we get back there, their eyes won be quite so big."
 
"Our goal this season is to return to the A-10 Tournament and prove that last season wasn't a fluke," added senior Alicia Aughton. "We want to show that we are progressing and that we do deserve to be there because we are playing better and winning games."
 
Below is a position by position breakdown of the 2015 Explorers.
 
Catcher
The Explorers return an experience backstop in junior Genevieve Gaynor who has made 67 starts in her first two seasons on campus. Gaynor appeared in 34 games last season while making 28 starts behind the plate. The Berlin, New Jersey native drove in four runs and blasting one homerun on the season. Behind the plate she gunned down 30% (6-for-20) of would be base stealers while posting a .974 fielding percentage on the season. Also returning for the Explorers are sophomores Suzanne Swanicke and Kristin Martin. The pair combined for nine appearances behind the plate throwing out .231 percent (3-for-13) of base stealers. Martin scored one run on three hits while driving in two runners on the season.
 
Infield
First Base: Suzanne Swanicke and junior Erica Reis return after splitting the action at first base last season. Swanicke was third on the team with a .300 batting average while driving in 17 runs on the season. She tied for the team lead with 10 doubles on the year and also swatted a homerun while scoring 10 runs. The Yardley, Pa. native fielded at a .992 clip at first base in her 15 appearances at the position. Reis made 13 starts at first, knocking nine hits on the year. She knocked in seven runs on the season while fielding at a .952 clip at first base.
 
Second Base: The Explorers lost their primary second baseman from a season ago in Emily Moran as she graduated in the spring. Sophomore Marisa Kinneer and senior Alyssa Bitsimis return this season after making 10 appearances between the two at second base. Kinneer made seven of her 21 appearances on the year at the position where she knocked in a run and scored three of her own in limited plate appearances. Bitsimis made four starts on the year and recorded three hits while driving in two runs.
 
Shortstop: Sophomore Michelle Hagarty earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie honors a year ago in her first season on campus. Hagarty appeared in 26 games at shortstop and finished with a .943 fielding percentage on the year with 22 putouts and 61 assists. At the plate the Boothwyn, Pa. native hit .294 on the year scoring a team high 30 runs on the year while driving in 14 of her own. Hagarty also tied for the team lead with nine long balls on the season and was second on the team with a .580 slugging percentage.
 
"As a freshman it was really exciting to go to the A-10 Tournament," stated Hagarty. "When we were playing in A-10 games we were playing with more confidence. This year it's the same mindset, we feel like we can go up against anybody."
 
Classmate Marisa Kinneer also made two appearances on the year at short.
 
Third Base: Sophomore Christina Bascara controlled the hot corner for the Explorers during her freshman campaign that ended with a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. Bascara lead the team with a .331 batting average and scored 21 runs on the year. The Yardley, Pa. native also drove in 14 runs and hit four homeruns with 10 total extra base hits. In the field, she fielded .945 with 87 assists and 16 putouts on the year.
 
Newcomers: La Salle adds transfer Mackenzie Obert after she played her freshman year at Hartford. Obert started all 38 games for the Hawks playing a variety of positions. She began the year as the team's primary shortstop but also started games at third and in the outfield. She also has experience at second base from her club softball experience. Obert looks to push for playing time at a variety of positions. She recorded 18 hits with five RBIs and 12 runs scored at Hartford. Obert joins three other Pennsbury High School alums on the Explorers 2015 roster.
 
"Mackenzie Obert is from a high school that I already had three other players on the team from," stated Ron Shoemaker. "She has fit in seamlessly as she has known some of the girls her whole life."
 
The Explorers also add a pair of freshman infielders to the roster with Bridgett Magee and Valerie Pineiro joining the roster after successful high school careers. Magee hails from West Chester where she played at Bishop Shanahan. As a junior, Magee was named All-Ches-Mont 1^st team as a designated player. She hit .460 as a senior with six homeruns. Pineiro played for Williamstown and Audubon High School where she lettered four years in softball. A three time First Team All-South Jersey player she hit .436 with 15 RBIs and three home runs as a junior. Her senior year saw her hit .446 with 27 runs batted in.
 
Outfield
The Explorers return considerable depth in the outfield this season despite losing their primary center field from last season, Megan Hodgson, to graduation. Upperclassmen Erica Reis, Kendra Heyer, Kristin Travers and Linette Siedler all saw time at the corner outfield positions during the 2014 season.
 
In left field Siedler and Reis saw the majority of time for La Salle. Siedler appeared in 24 games a season ago, hitting .291 and scoring eight runs on the year. Reis started 19 games on the season knocking in seven runs while scoring nine herself on the year.
 
In right field, senior Kristin Travers and junior Kendra Heyer return from last season. Travers appeared in 29 games on the year while making 18 starts for the Explorers. She hit .193 and drove in five runs on the season while crossing the plate five times herself on the year. Heyer appeared in 28 games while making 26 starts on the year. She hit .175 and scored eight runs on the year. She was second on the team with four stolen bases on the year as well.
 
Sophomore Tori Gollie also returns after making 11 appearances in the outfield last season. In all Gollie appeared in 12 games making one start. She scored three runs on the season while knocking and knocked in an RBI on the year. Classmate Suzanne Swanicke also made appearances in the outfield as she appeared in eight games at the position. While playing in the outfield Swanicke recorded 14 hits in just 24 at bats while driving in five runs and crushing five extra base hits.
 
Senior Alyssa Bitsimis and sophomore Marisa Kinneer both made appearances in the outfield despite primarily being infielders. Bitsimis appeared in two games in the outfield and recorded a hit in her only plate appearance while playing the position while Kinneer played in four games and went 1-for-4 while playing in the outfield.
 
Junior Alli Waddington returns to the fold after appearing in three games off of the bench as a junior. She recorded a hit in her only plate appearance against Sacred Heart and scored the tying run against Dayton in a come-from-behind victory. Sophomore Lindsey Gaines appeared in four games during her freshman campaign. She had three pinch hit appearances and was a defensive replacement at first base against Sacred Heart. The Explorers also add Angelina Refice from Central Bucks West who will look to push for playing time as a freshman. Refice brings speed to La Salle's roster as she was timed at 2.6 seconds from home to first base at the Delaware NFCA Recruiting Camp in 2012.
 
"We are going to rely on Angelina Refice and Valerie Pinero to make major contributions right from the get go," said coach Ron Shoemaker. 
 
 
Pitching
A pair of upperclassmen return for the Explorers after handling the majority of the time in the circle last season. Junior Mary Cate Scott and senior Alicia Aughton are both coming off fine seasons on the rubber for La Salle with Aughton is earning Second Team All-Conference in the circle and First Team All-Conference at designated player during the 2014 season. The Moon Township native appeared in 28 games in the circle making 10 starts. She finished with a 2.89 ERA in 128.1 innings while recording 88 strikeouts and an 11-11 record on the year.
 
"Having most of the team return is great, we have the team chemistry," added Aughton. "It's great to have people who have been recognized for their achievement on and off the field back with us this season."
 
 At the plate Aughton finished the year with a 2.97 batting average while knocking in 25 RBIs and scoring 13 runs. She was ranked second on the team with seven home runs and had a .545 slugging percentage on the year thanks to 11 extra base hits on the year.
 
"This might be Alicia Aughton's year if you are talking about someone to put it all together," said Coach Shoemaker. "Second team All-Conference pitcher and first team All-Conference designated player last year. She needs, and we need her to take that next little step and be that person all the time not just three out of four games."
 
Scott started 32 games while making four appearances in relief as well for the Explorers. In 123.1 innings she racked up 75 strikeouts and a 7-13 record with two saves and a 4.48 ERA. Sophomore Val Buehler also returns for the Explores after appearing in 10 games in relief last season. She threw a total of 17 innings and recorded six strikeouts while finishing with an ERA of 7.82 during her rookie campaign.
 
La Salle welcomes a pair of freshmen pitchers to campus this year who look to push for time in the circle. Taylor Rohrbaugh is a York, Pa. native who was a four year varsity player at York Central High School. She was a three time York/Adams County Pitcher of the Year and was named second team all-state as a designated player as a junior after slugging 30 RBSs, 22 extra base hits and hitting .576. On the mound she went 13-2 with 98 strikeouts in 83 innings as a junior finishing with an ERA of 2.78. McKenzie Peace arrives at La Salle after helping lead Northgate High School to the Georgia 5A State Championship game last season. She was named Coweta County Pitcher of the Year as a senior throwing 203 innings with 173 strikeouts and a .94 ERA with a record of 28-9-2.
 
"Every freshman goes through an orientation cycle and has to figure out the academics," said Coach Shoemaker. "McKenzie Peace from Georgia has a very bright future throwing the ball here."
 
Schedule
The Explorers faced difficulty as weather did not cooperate with their first two scheduled weekends of action at the NC Central Tournament and at Elon. However, they kick off their 2015 season this Wednesday as they head to Deland, Fla. to take on Stetson in a double header before participating in the Stetson Classic that weekend playing Kansas, Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Stetson. The following weekend the Explorers will head to UMBC for the UMBC Spring Classic. They will face Siena, Sacred Heart and Rhode Island in a non-conference game in Baltimore.
 
"As we sit here Kansas is 14-1 and their only loss is to the University of Florida," stated Shoemaker. "We have to use our Florida trip, and put wins and losses aside, as we need to prepare for George Washington and the first conference weekend. There is only one team that goes to the NCAA Tournament from the Atlantic 10 so we need to do everything we can to win the conference." 
 
La Salle opens their conference slate by hosting George Washington on March 21^st. They will also welcome Rhode Island and Dayton for weekend home series in conference. The Explorers travel to Fordham, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, and George Mason this season. La Salle and cross-town rivals Saint Joseph's will play a midweek double header at West Campus Field. The Explorers also host midweek games against Drexel and UMBC while traveling to area rivals Rider, Villanova, and Lafayette during the season.