By tim morris
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY Brookdale’s Jessica Williams slaps a tag on a Lackawanna, Pa., base-runner during Friday’s home game in Lincroft.
Bo Scannapieco’s Brookdale Community College women’s softball team is a work in progress.
With just three players returning from the 2002 national championship team, it hasn’t been difficult for Scannapieco to get the point across that this is a new year.
"We’re not the same team," he pointed out. "I told the girls, ‘Last year is last year. You don’t start the season No. 1. You look to finish strong.’
"We have a long way to go," he added. "It will be a challenge to get out of our Region this year. We have some talent. We have to become consistent."
CHRIS KELLY Brookdale’s Kristine Renick, a Middletown North graduate, stretches for a putout during the Jersey Blues’ home game on Friday.
The Jersey Blues are back from their annual trip to the south for the Snowbird Softball Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., from March 15-21 and the Del Tech Stanton Invitational in Delaware from March 22-23.
The 2003 Jersey Blues got off to a 4-3 start playing against highly regarded national competition, and without the luxury of any outdoor practices. It could have been a formula for disaster, but the Blues demonstrated that they have the talent to again play on the national level.
East Brunswick’s Marissa Busch is the cornerstone of the Jersey Blues. It would be hard for the national championship tournament MVP to top last year when she was 22-4, threw 16 shutouts and led the nation with a scrawny 0.64 earned-run average. However, Busch is that dominant a pitcher. The sophomore has gotten off to a strong start with the new-look Blues. She is 3-1 with a 0.55 earned-run average, the best in the country. She has tossed two shutouts and has 12 strike-outs in 18.2 innings of pitching.
"Marissa is year older and more confident," said Scannapieco. "She has pitched better in every game. Location and velocity are her strengths."
That is certainly not good news for teams looking to knock the Blues off in the Garden State Athletic Conference and Region.
Last year, the Blues had the country’s best one-two combo with the graduated Dara DeVincenzo (21-5) and Busch combining for a 43-9 record. It’s still too early to put Toms River South lefty Ryan Lafferty up with DeVincenzo. However, she looks like she is a very solid No. 2 starter and could give BCC the same one-two knock-out punch the Blues had last year. She went 1-1 in Myrtle Beach, but struck out 22 in 16.2 innings.
Nicole Maltais, a sophomore from Middletown North, who was a member of the 2002 champions, is the third member of the starting rotation.
Brookdale will need some overpowering performances from its pitchers in the early going because the team is struggling defensively as Scannapieco is mixing and matching his players.
"We’re down on numbers and it shows on defense," explained the Jersey Blues skipper. "I’ve had to put players in positions they haven’t played before and it’s going to take time for them to adjust. That’s why you play 40 or 45 games."
One of those players is Freehold Township grad Kristen Tozzi. The freshman was a first baseman with the Pats and had never played catcher before. But she was the best candidate for the job and, being a team player, has stepped in. She has shown that she will be able to handle the position.
It didn’t help that the team’s first practice outside wasn’t until it had played its first game of the season. Weather kept the Blues inside this winter and that was not good for players breaking into new positions.
Scannapieco was encouraged by the way the defense got better with each game. In time, he believes the team will be solid.
The Blues will present a different look offensively.
"We going to have a different make-up," noted Scannapieco. "Last year, we used the hit-and-run and steals. This year we have a lot of power and not a lot of speed. We’ll be more of a big inning team.
"I think we’ll score as much as we did last year, but in a different way," he added.
The heart of the order is outfielder Jessica Murray, Lafferty, Tozzi and Busch.
Murray, a newcomer from Toms River East, was 12-for-21 on the Southern swing. She had two doubles, two triples and two home runs and six RBIs, while batting .571.
Lafferty batted .353 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs.
Tozzi debuted batting .364 with five doubles and five RBIs, while Busch batted .400 with four doubles and six RBIs.
For speed, newcomer Deidre Trujillo from Southern Regional provides it at the top of the line-up. The soccer star has been away from softball for a year and is a little rusty, but has already shown what she can do, scoring six runs.
Rounding out the 2003 Blues are: the third returner from last year Jennifer Thompson, an outfielder from Ocean Township; infield/catcher Lauren Jensen, Red Bank Catholic; infielder Catie Lomicky, Middletown North; outfielder Jena Masiello, Marlboro; infielder Kristina Rencik, Middletown North; and infield/catcher Jessica Williams, Central Regional.