An Off-Season In Review, And A Look Ahead

Happy New Year!
This entry marks the first of several 'blogs for the upcoming 2010 Cardinal Softball campaign. The coaching staff thanks you for your interest in the Plattsburgh State Softball program. We gladly welcome such support for our squad with open arms and much appreciation.

It's been an interesting and eventful off-season for the program. First and foremost, Plattsburgh's head softball coach for the past 10 seasons, Sean Cotter, is no longer at the helm. Cotter offered his resignation late last summer upon accepting an offer to become the head softball coach at The University of Massachusetts Lowell, a Division II institution. At UMass Lowell he'll take over the reins for Harry Sauter, who will remain on the staff as an assistant coach after serving 15 seasons as head coach. During his tenure as PSUC's head softball coach, Cotter brought the program to unprecedented heights including 10 consecutive SUNYAC Softball Tournament appearances, 2 SUNYAC Regular Season Championships, 1 SUNYAC Tournament Championship, 2 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances (including 1 Northeast Regional Championship and World Series berth in 2007 and 1 Regional Final appearance in 2006). With 254 career victories under his belt at PSUC, he departed as the winningest coach in the program's history. The returning players as well as the current coaching staff thank Sean Cotter for a decade of service and commitment to the program. We wish him nothing but the best.

With the departure of Cotter, the search began late in the summer of '09 for his replacement. Ultimately our Athletic Director Bruce Delventhal promoted former Cotter assistant Stephanie Zweig to the position of Interim Head Coach for the 2010 season. Zweig made her coaching debut last season with the Cards, serving primarily as the team's pitching coach. She, herself, is a former Cardinal standout and one of the all-time great Cardinals. Serving as a pitcher from 2004-2008, Zweig earned all-conference honors in recognition of her excellence in 2006, 2007, and 2008. She was honored as SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons -- 2006 and 2007. She was also a leader of the Cardinal squads that reached the Northeast Regional Final in 2006 as well as The Division III Women's College World Series in 2007. An accomplished player with a year of coaching experience under her belt, Zweig takes over for Cotter and carries high expectations and enthusiasm into the 2010 season. She will be assisted by returning assistant coach Mark Roberts as well as newcomer Jamie Prudhomme. Prudhomme, a former Cardinal player under Cotter from 2002-2006, will primarily work with the outfielders of the team while Roberts will mainly assist the catching unit.

On the heels of a disappointing 2009 campaign, the Cardinal Softball program has seen some big changes and shake-ups. The leader of our program essentially since its beginnings is gone. Two of the best pitchers ever to grace "the circle" at Cardinal Park are now 2 years removed. Last season's staff ace is gone. We've had players come and go, some graduating and some leaving for other reasons. But even with all of these facts present, there has been an undeniable sense of optimism and excitement amongst players and coaches alike. There's a definite buzz around the program. We have new players, new assistants, and a "new sheriff in town" in Coach Zweig. There's a renewed faith and a new feel to this team that many returning players have admitted they did not feel throughout all of last season. A strong senior class in Amy Woo, Danielle Gjergji, Ashley Napear, Nicole McKee, and Nicole Pomponio will return to cap off their careers and hope to bring closure to their 4 years in style.

With preliminary Fall Semester practices behind them as well as a "Fall Ball" doubleheader with St. Michael's, the Cards will hold their first practice of the Spring Semester on Monday, January 25. Starting at 7:00pm on that date it's foot-on-the-gas and no looking back for the team. Fittingly, our team motto for the year is "No Regrets." We look forward to a productive couple of months as we near our season opener at the Dot Richardson Tournament in Clermont, Florida in March.

Thanks for stopping by. More to follow.

Plattsburgh Softball 2010
"No Regrets."