Dowling College

Senior Kristina DeMeo and company will look to defend their 2009 ECC Regular Season Title.

                The Dowling Softball teams looks to defend their East Coast Conference Regular Season crown in 2010 and earn their 5^th appearance in the NCAA tournament.  

The 2009 Season saw the Golden Lions earn a 34-20 overall record and a 15-3 conference mark, earning them the regular season title. Dowling advanced to the Semi-finals of the East Regional before being eliminated by Caldwell College.

Dowling will look to mold a solid core of returners, 12 including 5 starters, with an incoming group, of 4 freshman and 2 transfers, ready and eager to compete. With the departure of slugging All-American Jackie Hannan, senior Kristina DeMeo (Bayshore, NY) will look to anchor the Golden Lions attack in the middle of the line-up. Freshman phenom Emily Slack (East Islip, NY) will look to expanded on her stellar freshman season in which she was named to NFCA East Region 1^st team honors, Daktronics East Region second team and ECC First Team by continuing her first team offensive output and gritty play behind the plate.

With the departure of two four year starters in Kacie Pinto and Keri Boystak, the Golden Lions will look to Krystil Hofmann (Glendale, NY), Deana Tortorici (Levittown, NY) and Devin O’Brien (East Hampton, NY) to earn time patrolling the gaps. Tortorici will look to use her strong throwing arm in leftfield to keep base runners at bay and O’Brien will look to return from injury in 2009 to contribute in this years campaign. Because of late season injuries Hofmann, a former pitcher, was pushed into service in Dowling’s playoff run where she excelled with a .353 batting average in 17 at-bats with 1 double and 1 RBI. She will look to carry that late season success into 2010 where she is slated to anchor the outfield defense in center. Returning for her Four and final season is hard nosed outfielder Kristina DeMeo (Bayshore, NY). Her bat in the middle of the line-up and senior guidance to a younger roster will be invaluable for Coach Dejong’s team in 2010. 

With the graduation of All-American Jackie Hannan and surging senior Stephanie Compitello the corners will be highly contested spots. Four freshman look to crack the starting line-up, on the dirt for Dowling, which will add energy and athleticism to the fold. Danielle Messina (West Babylon, NY) hopes to add gritty defense to the hot corner as well as a quick bat to set the table at the top of the Golden Lions line-up. Mid-year transfer Stephanie Tarango (Fontana, CA) adds quick hands and a smooth swing which will be a definite asset. Laila Santiago (Brooklyn, NY) looks to add depth and stability to the middle infield positions. Junior Kristen Weeks (Middle Island, NY) and Caitlin O’Brien (East Hampton, NY), along with freshman Jillian Minix (East Greenwich, NJ) will battle to fill the giant shoes of Jackie “The Hammer” Hannan. Minix will also provide assistance behind the dish for sophomore standout Emily Slack (East Islip, NY), who will look to improve on her first year in blue and gold in which she batted .329 with 8 doubles, 13 roundtrippers, 46 RBI’s, and a .627 slugging percentage. Sophomore Jessica Roque (Warren Grove, NJ) and junior Lisa Compitello (Bohemia, NY) are returning to the middle infield positions in which they combined for 107 appearance in 2009. Compitello will also add speed and a constant bat as she led the Golden Lions in hits last season. Roque will provide defensive leadership as well as some power in the meat of the lineup, as she was third on the team with 6 dingers during last year’s campaign.    

The Golden Lions graduated hurler Stephanie Plochochi who ranks among the top in several Dowling Career records, but instead of rebuilding the Golden Lions simply reloaded. Not only are they returning third team All-Conference pitcher Jamie Stalter (Bohemia, NY), solid third year player Katie Cameron (Patchogue, NY), and former volleyball standout Kali Kuhl (Temperance, MI), but coach Dejong added former Suffolk County Pitcher of the Year Jessie Stavola (Montauk, NY), who transferred from the University of Connecticut. Also transferring from Riverside Community College is junior Felicia Mendoza (Bloomington, CA).  Mendoza will add experience and steady leadership to the staff. Rounding out the pitching staff is freshman Megan Sweezy (East Islip, NY) who will look to earn time in the circle and push the other members of the staff. 

The Golden Lions will start off the 2010 campaign with their traditional spring trip to Kissimmee, Florida for the Rebel Games. Dowling will face two regional opponents while in Florida in the University of New Haven Chargers and the Wilmington University Wildcats. New Haven traveled to Golden Lions Stadium for a double header in 2009 coming away with a split. After returning from their southern swing Dowling will face 2009 World Series participant Le Moyne for a double dip. On March 30^th the Golden Lions will begin conference play against the NYIT Bears. On April 22^nd Dowling will travel to Garden City to take on former conference rival Adelphi. The highlight of the conference schedule will come against the C.W. Post Pioneers when they come to Brookhaven for the Golden Lions final home game of 2010 on May 1^st in which the Golden Lions will look to avenge a 2009 doubleheader sweep.