March 13, 2002

ON DECK: The Seawolves compete in their second tournament this weekend at Virginia Tech University's Hokie Spring Classic in Blacksburg, Va. Stony Brook squares up against Canisius and the host Hokies on Friday, March 15, then faces America East foe Hartford and St. Bonaventure on Saturday. The Seawolves close out the tournament with a game against Akron on Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY: The Bonnies are the only team the Seawolves have played before this season, and the two teams have met only once at that. St. Bonaventure handed the Seawolves a 5-3 loss in 2000 in Stony Brook's first year in Division I.

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT FIELD: Canisius is 6-5 on the season, however, the Golden Griffiths have won six of their last eight and outscored their past three opponents 9-2. Rebecca Murphy leads Canisius with a batting average of .438, while Jamie Gorczynaki is hitting .361. Canisius has enjoyed a collective effort on the mound, with Genevieve Garcia leading the way with six appearances and four complete games. Garcia has posted an ERA of just .760, striking out 34 in 36.2 innings.

Virginia Tech (11-7) comes off two straight wins against Hofstra and Georgia State. Amy Voorhess leads the Hokies with a .400 batting average and 13 RBI. Megan Evans has already belted two homers and driven in 11 runs, in addition to a .364 average. The Hokies are led by pitcher Ashlee Dobbe, who has struck out 107 batters en route to a 2.56 ERA.

Akron (2-3) is led by Aaren McBride's .357 average in 14 at-bats. Micah Barbato and Lisa Keenan have split time on the mound, with Barbato posting an ERA of 1.15. Keenan has struck out 24 in 23 innings and has an ERA of 3.13.

Hartford and St. Bonaventure both open their seasons this weekend.

LAST TIME OUT: Stony Brook finished its first weekend of the season with a 2-2 record at the 49ers Invitational at UNC-Charlotte. The Seawolves exploded in their season opener with a 7-0 victory over Radford, and closed out the tournament by overpowering Charleston Southern 9-1. The Seawolves stalled against Tulsa and Charlotte, losing both games by a score of 3-0.

POETZSCH'S PITCHING: Senior pitcher Stephanie Poetzsch was stellar in the Seawolves' season opener, striking out 10 and yielding just four hits in registering the complete game shutout. Poetzsch was credited with the win against Charleston Southern as well, recording five K's and giving up one earned run in the 9-1 victory.

DEBUT OF DiBIASE: Freshman Stephanie DiBiase was stellar in her first game in a Stony Brook uniform, driving in two runs with a homerun blast and an RBI single. Her four hits in nine at-bats lead the team, as does her total of seven bases.

STRENGTH AT SHORT: Freshman Colleen McCarthy has also been solid early, both at the plate and in the infield. McCarthy belted her first career homer in the Seawolves' first game, part of a 1-for-3 effort on the day. McCarthy went 2-for-4 against CSU, and earned an RBI against both Radford and CSU.

ROOKIE REPORT: DiBiase and Colleen McCarthy aren't they only newcomers who made a strong showing last weekend. Jane Stein, who played at both shortstop and third base, was 2-for-3 with two RBI against CSU and went 1-for-3 against Tulsa. First baseman Kristen Brust was great in her Seawolves debut, going 3-for-4 and cranking her first collegiate homerun in the opener against Radford.

ROSY OUTLOOK: If the Seawolves' first four games are any indication, sophomore Lindsey DeLaRosa will be strong at the plate for SBU in addition to her skills on the mound. DeLaRosa was 2-for-4 with an RBI against Charleston Southern and also picked up a hit against Charlotte.

SWEET SIXTEEN: The Seawolves blasted 16 hits against CSU en route to nine runs in only five innings of play. Stony Brook also had a strong showing against Radford with 13 hits. SBU has totaled 36 hits in just four games, compared to just 25 for its opponents.

AMERICA EAST DEBUT: Stony Brook's game against Hartford this weekend will pit the two America East foes against each other for the first time. While the game won't count in the conference standings, it serves as the first time this season the Seawolves will face an America East opponent.