TAMPA (Feb. 8) - USF softball players and coaches have avoided the question as long as possible. But as the Bulls prepare to begin at home Thursday against the Michigan Wolverines in the USF-Rawlings Invitational opener, it's finally time for some answers.
Is there life after pitcher Georgina Corrick?
Certainly, things will be different for USF softball. Corrick, a three-time All-American and the first pitcher in NCAA history to claim the Triple Crown by leading the nation in wins (37), strikeouts (418) and ERA (0.51), has exhausted her eligibility.
"It was kind of nice to be at the ballpark and know you're going to keep the opponent at zero for a pretty long time,'' USF coach Ken Eriksen said with a laugh. "I mean, Georgina Corrick was special. No doubt about it. What she did will never be forgotten around here. At the same time, in all sports, we know that nothing lasts forever. We've been through this evolutionary process before.''
Dating back several eras, Bulls pitching aces such as Monica Triner, Leigh Ann Ellis and Sara Nevins all graduated — and USF softball continued to thrive.
Eriksen said he expects the same from his squad this season.
"We have pitchers who are going to step up, we have great athleticism, we have great depth and we are really good from the neck up, meaning we have a really, really smart ball club,'' Eriksen said. "We don't have George (Corrick) available to us any more, but our expectations haven't changed one bit.
"The last four years, we relied heavily on Georgina Corrick. Now we're in AC — After Corrick — you know what I mean? But this program is always going to be about playing great competition, getting into the NCAA Tournament and competing for a national championship. Our dreams are still getting to where we want to be. And we have some talented kids, no question about that.''
Eriksen said USF's pitching staff will be boosted by the presence of 6-foot-1 senior Gabriella Nori, a product of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas who transferred after four standout seasons at Lehigh University. She was last season's Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player and led the Mountain Hawks with 121 strikeouts in 132.2 innings while going 12-12 with a 3.27 ERA. She helped Lehigh to the NCAA Regionals, where she collected a victory against Weber State.
"She will be a great player for the transition of our pitching staff, somebody who has been there before, somebody with lots of experience and maturity,'' Eriksen said. "We've got good competition throughout the pitching staff and we'll be constantly looking at how they're all developing to determine the specific roles.''
The Bulls also have a bevy of freshmen — Payton Dixon, Morgan Grubb, Jaden Martinez — along with senior Antoinette Hill and junior Lexie Kopko who will all contend for spots in the rotation.
"Obviously, I think the legacy that George (Corrick) left is going to be here forever,'' Bulls senior outfielder Meghan Sheehan said. "She really, really left her mark. But I have all the faith in the world in our pitching staff. I feel like they will give us the best shot to win. I feel great about it.''
"We have a pretty deep pitching staff, which is exciting,'' USF infielder Megan Pierro said. "I think we're going to utilize every single pitcher in different ways because they all have different aspects to their pitching styles. At the same time, we need to produce as a lineup.''
Sheehan (.293 batting average, team-leading 30 RBIs) and Pierro (.276, 28 RBIs, 19 stolen bases) and catcher Josie Foreman (.285, eight home runs, 29 RBIs) are expected to be USF's offensive catalysts. Freshmen Alexa Galligani and Kathy Garcia-Soto, along with holdover senior outfielder Emilee Hanlon also have caught Eriksen's eye,
But Eriksen said he expects more contributors — many, many more.
"You might see us operating like a basketball team with substitutions or like a hockey team with line changes,'' Eriksen said. "We might have 14, 15, 16 different players running out there — and the order of those players might be different in every game. The lineup card could be a scribbled mess in the dugout. Our scorekeeper might struggle early in the season, but she'll have to catch up.
"I think this team is very athletic. I think this team is very smart (3.54 grade-point average). As long as you understand that every game is like a championship game — and you take nothing for granted — I think we're going to constantly be knocking on the door. And if we continue to do that, it puts you in great position to get to the College World Series.''
Eriksen has assembled another competitive schedule — with the likes of Michigan, Florida, Texas, Clemson, Duke, Tennessee and Michigan State on tap — so the Bulls should be well-seasoned for the American Athletic Conference slate and a shot at getting to the NCAA Regionals.
"We have had such great energy in our preseason practices, so I can't wait to see what the energy is like on game days,'' Sheehan said. "I think the diversity of this team will be exciting. From day to day, our lineups might be completely different and that means we have a lot of players with the ability to step up and do the job.''
The Bulls will host five tournaments to begin the season — and they won't leave the Tampa Bay area until a March 31 AAC game at Wichita State. USF will also host the AAC Tournament on May 11-13.
"I love playing at home,'' Pierro said. "It's always fun having the home-crowd support and it's really exciting to know we're hosting the conference tournament in my last year. We have a great opportunity and I think we have the kind of team that can accomplish some big things.''
