BSU Spring Sports Preview
The snow is melting, and we’re getting closer to Spring, which means Spring Sports is coming back here at BSU. We have Baseball, Softball, and Women’s Lacrosse coming up in a few weeks, here’s what to expect from the teams this season.
Baseball: The Bridgewater State Bears Baseball Head Coach Greg Zackrison is in his 4th season in the position. Zackrison talked about how the Bears led the MASCAC Conference in pitching in the 2021 Spring season, and also wanting to improve on the batting offense for this season.
Key players: Pitchers Graduate student Matt Josselyn, senior David Kerns, juniors Tyler Dasilya-Mediros and Matthew Seavey, and sophomore Jay Wladkowski will help solidify the strong pitching for this season. There are two senior position players with shortstop Patrick Cashin and first baseman Johnathan O’Donnell.
The Bears had an 11-18 record last season with a 4-6 conference record in the COVID Shortened season. They were also split with Westfield State and swept by Worcester State last season. So, coach Zackrison said that this season he wanted revenge against those two teams.
The Bears will start their season in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where they will play 8 games, which starts on March 4th. MASCAC Conference play will start against MCLA in a three-game series starting on April 1st. Their last two conference series will be against Worcester State and Westfield State, which will end on May 7th.
Softball: The Bears’s Softball Head Coach Lindsey Couturier is heading into her 5th year in the position. The team is coming off a MASCAC Conference Championship, in which it qualified them for the Regional tournament in Texas. Courtier said “It was really great to see the kids excel the way that they did.”
Couturier also talked about how the Softball student athletes and how hard they work on the field, classroom, and in the weight room and also having high expectations for the team this season. ‘
Key players: All players from last season are returning this season and added 5 freshmen and a sophomore transfer on the outfield named Madison Flamme, who transferred from Eastern Connecticut. Key players are Outfielder Graduate Student Alexandra Ruprecht, senior pitcher Kelley Reichert, and senior shortstop Megan Sharon.
The Bears will play 9 games in Florida for the Spring Games tournament, in which it starts on March 5th. MASCAC Conference play will start on April 2nd at MCLA. Their last two doubleheaders will be at home against Mass Maritime and Worcester State, ending on April 29th.
Women’s Lacrosse: The Bears Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Erika Adams is heading into her 7th year in the position.
Adams’s expectations for the season is to win the MASCAC Conference Championship, as she said it Is every year.
Key Players: Graduate Student Midfielder Kelsi Brennan and senior defender Taylor Carroll are both using their 5th year of eligibility. There are also 9 other seniors on the team. Junior Goalkeeper Olivia Kerrigan started all 10 games last season, and will be returning to start for this season.
The Bears had a 4-6 record with a 1-3 Conference record in the 2021 season, Coach Adams said, “I feel like we really tried to take an advantage to play Lacrosse, it helped humble a lot of student athletes that didn’t get the opportunity to play. I thought it was great for us, it was a good learning experience. We focused a lot on enjoying the moment and making the most of every opportunity that we we’re given.”
The Bears will start their season on February 22nd when they face Coast Guard Academy, and they will be home for the next game against Mount Holyoke on February 26th. The first two conference games will be away in Westfield State and Plymouth State before they play at home against Fitchburg State on April 9th. They will end with 2 games at home against Salem State and Worcester State, which will end on April 30th.
