Georgia Southern head softball coach Natalie Poole doesn’t quite remember the name of the restaurant her Eagles ate at that day. She does remember that after a first-round loss on Day One of the 2006 Southern Conference tournament, the Eagles needed to regroup for a couple of hours.
“After the first game, we had a little bit of a heart-to-heart,” said Poole. “I think when it came to the fight, we weren’t really locked in. I told them that at this point, we weren’t coaching them anymore. If you want it it’s gotta come from you. We went and got something to eat, left the park for awhile… We ate at this restaurant we had never eaten at before. I can’t even remember the name of it.”
Rejuvenated and on the brink of elimination, GSU reeled off five straight wins in three days to win the tournament and advance to the NCAA regionals for the first time ever. Come May, they have reservations to stop by that mysterious locale again.
Expectations
With championships come expectations, and the Eagles have already been picked to win the SoCon by the leagues coaches. Poole said expectations have made her team approach the season in an entirely different way.
“I think that our kids in the past have been so conference-minded, that we haven’t really paid attention to the prep time,” said Poole. “We have really spent a lot of time focusing on practice. (Today) we begin Phase Two of our season”
Poole and the Eagles discussed the preseason accolades, congratulated themselves and realized the respect they’ve gained by their peers. But the sixth-year head coach told her team that that discussion would be the last time GSU heard about who’s supposed to be No. 1.
The lineup
and pitching
The biggest hole in the lineup of the 2007 Eagles is at the top. Shanita Black, an irreplaceable lead-off hitter and centerfielder, was lost to graduation. Poole, who called Black a “momentum starter” said the biggest challenge will be to get her new lead-off hitter not to emulate the record-setting Black.
“(Black) was definitely the epitome of a leadoff hitter,” said Poole. “When we thought about replacing her we went out and looked for kids that were good momentum starters.”
The Eagles will look to freshman second baseman Nina Iduate at the top of their lineup, and hope to make speed a key facet of both the top and bottom of the order. The middle of the starting nine will be a combination of decent speed and power.
Southern, like any other team, will tinker with the lineup over the first few weeks of the season. Six seniors return to the squad, including pitchers A.J Street and Logan Free, outfielder Aurora Johnson, infielder Katie Smith, first baseman Heather Smith, third baseman Maria Laurato and infielder Ashley Bluestein.
Street and Free are part of a pitching staff that Poole said has developed a coach/player relationship. Cutting down on walks and untimely hits will be key if Eagle pitchers are to be successful. Junior pitcher Melissa Laliberte has been named to the preseason first team All-SoCon team.
The Schedule
The aforementioned “Phase Two” of GSU's season begins today as the Eagles begin their non-conference season in Atlanta for a doubleheader at Georgia Tech.
"I definitely think we have our challenges laid ahead of us," said Poole. "We never go out with an easy schedule. We always go out to play some really tough competitors to kind of prepare us for what we will see in the conference."
Georgia Southern will play in three tournaments, including the GSU Invitational beginning on Friday, the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic starting March 2 and the Capitol Classic in Sacramento, Calif., on March 16.
The Eagles will square off against big names such as Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Purdue and Minnesota. Southern will open up the season at home with a doubleheader Tuesday, welcoming Florida State.
As for play in the Southern Conference, Poole expects Western Carolina, UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State and Furman all to be near the top of the league.
She wouldn't rule out the always tough Cougars of the College of Charleston, either.
“After the first game, we had a little bit of a heart-to-heart,” said Poole. “I think when it came to the fight, we weren’t really locked in. I told them that at this point, we weren’t coaching them anymore. If you want it it’s gotta come from you. We went and got something to eat, left the park for awhile… We ate at this restaurant we had never eaten at before. I can’t even remember the name of it.”
Rejuvenated and on the brink of elimination, GSU reeled off five straight wins in three days to win the tournament and advance to the NCAA regionals for the first time ever. Come May, they have reservations to stop by that mysterious locale again.
Expectations
With championships come expectations, and the Eagles have already been picked to win the SoCon by the leagues coaches. Poole said expectations have made her team approach the season in an entirely different way.
“I think that our kids in the past have been so conference-minded, that we haven’t really paid attention to the prep time,” said Poole. “We have really spent a lot of time focusing on practice. (Today) we begin Phase Two of our season”
Poole and the Eagles discussed the preseason accolades, congratulated themselves and realized the respect they’ve gained by their peers. But the sixth-year head coach told her team that that discussion would be the last time GSU heard about who’s supposed to be No. 1.
The lineup
and pitching
The biggest hole in the lineup of the 2007 Eagles is at the top. Shanita Black, an irreplaceable lead-off hitter and centerfielder, was lost to graduation. Poole, who called Black a “momentum starter” said the biggest challenge will be to get her new lead-off hitter not to emulate the record-setting Black.
“(Black) was definitely the epitome of a leadoff hitter,” said Poole. “When we thought about replacing her we went out and looked for kids that were good momentum starters.”
The Eagles will look to freshman second baseman Nina Iduate at the top of their lineup, and hope to make speed a key facet of both the top and bottom of the order. The middle of the starting nine will be a combination of decent speed and power.
Southern, like any other team, will tinker with the lineup over the first few weeks of the season. Six seniors return to the squad, including pitchers A.J Street and Logan Free, outfielder Aurora Johnson, infielder Katie Smith, first baseman Heather Smith, third baseman Maria Laurato and infielder Ashley Bluestein.
Street and Free are part of a pitching staff that Poole said has developed a coach/player relationship. Cutting down on walks and untimely hits will be key if Eagle pitchers are to be successful. Junior pitcher Melissa Laliberte has been named to the preseason first team All-SoCon team.
The Schedule
The aforementioned “Phase Two” of GSU's season begins today as the Eagles begin their non-conference season in Atlanta for a doubleheader at Georgia Tech.
"I definitely think we have our challenges laid ahead of us," said Poole. "We never go out with an easy schedule. We always go out to play some really tough competitors to kind of prepare us for what we will see in the conference."
Georgia Southern will play in three tournaments, including the GSU Invitational beginning on Friday, the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic starting March 2 and the Capitol Classic in Sacramento, Calif., on March 16.
The Eagles will square off against big names such as Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Purdue and Minnesota. Southern will open up the season at home with a doubleheader Tuesday, welcoming Florida State.
As for play in the Southern Conference, Poole expects Western Carolina, UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State and Furman all to be near the top of the league.
She wouldn't rule out the always tough Cougars of the College of Charleston, either.
