January 11, 2002
COLUMBIA, S.C. – With classes resuming Monday, the South Carolina softball team officially begins their spring preparations for the 2002 season. As the pre-season begins to unfold, uscsports.com takes a look at what should be another great season for Gamecock softball.
After winning the 2001 Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Championship, the South Carolina softball team is ready to reload for the 2002 season. Head Coach Joyce Compton welcomes back six starters from last season’s 40-20-1 squad, including All-America pitcher Megan Matthews.
In addition to Matthews, the Gamecocks return four infield starters who played prominent roles in helping Carolina earn its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Along with the talented crop of returnees, Compton and her staff signed six fresh faces, giving South Carolina some much needed depth at every position. Gone from a season ago are: catcher Adrienne Genovese, outfielder Megan Donohoo and utility player Joyce McMillin. They will be missed, but Carolina has a full slate of newcomers and veterans ready to step in and fill their shoes.
THE PITCHING STAFF
With the return of Matthews for her final season in the garnet and black, clearly pitching will again be the backbone of the Carolina squad. The Greer, S.C., native is one of the best hurlers in SEC history. After three highly decorated years in a Gamecock uniform, Matthews has a chance to become the school’s all-time leader in appearances, innings pitched, complete games and strikeouts. The rubber-armed Matthews threw 269 2/3 innings of Carolina’s total of 435.1 in 2001.
While Matthews was a true workhorse her first two seasons, she did receive ample support last spring from standout freshman Stacey Johnson. This year, with one full season of experience already under her belt, Johnson should be able to lighten Matthews’ workload even more, thus making the Carolina staff more formidable. Johnson posted 17 wins as a freshman, and the coaching staff is counting on her to do much of the same again this season.
Along with Johnson, incoming freshmen Meghan Cornett and Aleca Johnson will also provide depth. A pair of finesse pitchers, Cornett and Johnson displayed excellent control during fall drills. Both will also play other positions when not on the mound. Cornett has worked at first base while Johnson has experience in the outfield.
“We have four pitchers this year, and Megan and Stacey will get the bulk of the work,” said Compton. “We know we are going to need to get Cornett some work because she is going to move into the pitching position next year when we will count on her quite a bit. Both Cornett and Aleca have that opportunity, it is just a matter of who takes advantage of it. Stacey, Cornett and Aleca will take innings from Matthews, but we want to put the best pitcher out there who can give us the best shot to win.”
THE INFIELDERS
Carolina’s defensive strength lies in the returning starters at four of the five infield positions. The only loss from last year’s squad was the graduation of catcher Adrienne Genovese. First baseman Danielle Quinones, second baseman Debralee Troesh, shortstop Amber Curtis and third baseman/catcher Adrianna Baggetta each return to give Compton a highly experienced lineup.
Baggetta, after spending some time at the hot corner, will move behind the plate to make up for loss of Genovese. Baggetta has caught on a limited duty during her career, and Compton is confident that she is very capable of handling the chores behind the plate.
Sophomore Samantha Jennings is slated to fill in for Baggetta at third base. Jennings gained valuable experience after Baguette was injured. The coaching staff thinks Jennings will continue to improve her overall game as she gets more consistent at the plate. Freshman Kristin Hall can play second base and shortstop. She could share time with Jennings at third, as well.
Steady-handed shortstop Amber Curtis returns after starting all 61 games as a freshman. Curtis had a great year defensively but struggled somewhat at the plate. After working hard over the summer, Curtis showed signs in the fall that she will have a great sophomore campaign offensively, as well.
Debralee Troesh will handle the duties at second base again this season after a solid year in the field in 2001. She continued to display her sound game in the fall and is an intelligent player who knows the game. She worked hard to gain more consistency at the plate during the fall.
Danielle Quinones returns at first base for her junior season, having been a stable force on the infield the last two years for Carolina.
“I expect to see the continuity between Amber and Debralee go hand-in-hand this year after playing together for a year,” Compton said. “If we are in a tough situation, Debralee is the player I want the ball hit to. Danielle’s offensive skills have improved, but we need to get some more offense from the first baseman’s position this year, she has the capability of doing it. She just needs to build her confidence.”
THE OUTFIELDERS
The South Carolina outfield, revamped during the off-season, welcomes back centerfielder Jodi Fittro as the lone returning starter. Fittro, a solid defensive player who serves as the anchor for the USC outfield, covers her area well and gets great jumps on the ball. The Riverside, Calif., product had off-season surgery on her throwing shoulder and has recovered well. The injury hampered her offensively last season, but she showed signs of improvement in the fall and could bat leadoff once the season begins.
With the loss of leftfielder Megan Donohoo and rightfielder Joyce McMillin, the other two outfield spots are wide open. Sophomore Melissa Sandel is a candidate for the job in rightfield. Before sustaining a shoulder injury, she was getting a lot of playing time last season. After rehabilitating her shoulder over the summer, Sandel enjoyed a successful fall that saw her hitting the ball very well. She also displayed a great arm before her injury last season.
Kim Evans has a chance to be Carolina’s everyday leftfielder. A junior this season, Evans has primarily been used as a pinch runner during her career. Despite little experience in the outfield, she has learned the outfield position well.
Sophomore Nancy Crane affords outfield line-up flexibility, as she is able to play left or right. Crane brings speed and range to the table. She has made great improvements from her freshman season. Her playing time will depend on her consistency at the plate.
“Jodi will provide leadership in our outfield this year as she is the only starter to return,” Compton said. “I think she is throwing better than ever since her surgery. Melissa will play a lot of rightfield She has a good arm and she helped us quite a bit last season on the offensive side. Kim and Nancy both have great speed and they will be used as runners if they are not playing in the outfield. They are both slap hitters who can hit for power.”
With only two seniors and four juniors, the 2002 South Carolina team is young. From top to bottom, talent and depth is what could keep Carolina in the hunt all season.
“We are deep, but somewhat inexperienced in some areas,” Compton said. “We are going to end up playing good offensive players who won’t hurt us on defense.”
USC Head Coach Joyce Compton was also a big story this past fall. Compton, who has won 689 games in her 26 seasons at the helm of the Gamecocks, learned that she would be 2002’s lone inductee into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Compton becomes just the 27th coach to ever receive this honor.
“No one is more deserving of this award than Coach Compton,” commented USC Athletics Director Dr. Mike McGee at the time of the announcement. “Her contributions toward the softball program only exceed her contributions towards the USC athletic department.”
As the 2002 season approaches, Compton enters her 27th year as a head coach with an all-time career record of 897-344-2 (.722). As the all-time winningest coach at South Carolina (1987-present) she has posted a record of 689-228-2 (.751).
Coach Compton will be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame at the NFCA Convention in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Friday, Dec. 6, 2002.
This recognition is just another in a long line of softball awards for Coach Compton. As a Gamecock she has received several honors, including SEC Coach of the Year, three-times the Southeast Coach of the Year and two-times the South Coach of the Year. All told, Compton has coached 23 All-Americans, 21 of them at South Carolina, while registering 26 consecutive winning seasons. The Trenton, N.J. native has also helped advance the Gamecocks to nine NCAA Regional appearances and two College World Series appearances. In 2000 USC was crowned 2000 SEC Tournament Champions.
