2014 Schedule | 2014 Roster | Media Guide
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team is coming off its most successful season in program history. It won its first-ever conference championship, and was 60 feet away from winning the Division II National Championship. Building off that success, the Golden Bears look to use a versatile approach, and continue to work hard to remain in the national spotlight.
 
In 2013, Kutztown won its first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and its second consecutive Atlantic Region Championship. Needing to win the conference championship to even make it into NCAA postseason play, Kutztown carried a 14-game winning streak and a perfect 12-0 mark in the postseason to the national championship game. It was the first time KU softball competed in the national title game. Kutztown tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a full count and two outs, but fell in extra innings to Central Oklahoma.
 
Despite losing four seniors due to graduation, Kutztown has built a great deal of experience, having participated in the NCAA Championships in two straight years. Led by another group of seasoned veterans, along with a strong mix of improved role players and newcomers, Kutztown's success as a program has set its own expectations - to compete for a national championship once again.
 
Head coach Judy Lawes returns for her 27th season at the helm of the Golden Bears. Lawes has had a winning record in each of her 26 seasons at KU and holds an overall record of 811-435-2 (.651), which ranks among the top 25 active Division II coaches in terms of winning percentage.
 
Lawes won her 800th career game last year in the opening game of the PSAC Championship Tournament. As of the 2013 season, Lawes is the 19th NCAA Division II coach to reach the 800-win mark. Among active coaches, Lawes is one of 11 to have reached the 800-win plateau.
 
"The national championship is such a great accomplishment, you can never just expect it," Lawes said. "The work ethic of the players and coaching staff has helped build our program to where it is today. We keep adding onto what we have done in the past, and I think we are doing more now than we have ever done in order to be successful as possible.
 
"Going to the national championship has certainly helped peak our programs exposure on the national level," Lawes continued. "It has helped us in so many ways; it's given us more choices of future student-athletes, it's helped the quality of our camps and clinics, and it has ultimately helped us breed success."
 
With the addition of Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown into the PSAC, the division layout has been altered from three divisions (East/Central/West) to two (East/West). As a part of the East division, KU will square off against the other seven schools in the East twice throughout the regular season. Playing against Kutztown in the East will be West Chester, Mansfield, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, and Millersville.
 
The top four teams from each division will move on to the PSAC Tournament on Apr. 30 in Quakertown, Pa. The tournament has been adjusted to a true double-elimination tournament.
 
With the divisional opponents, Kutztown is slated to have 28 conference games, the most in school history. Conditioning and depth could make the difference in determining whether a team can compete at a high level throughout the entire conference season without dropping off. Kutztown considers itself ahead of the curve in terms of its physical fitness, as it has continued year-after-year to find additional ways of conditioning to keep its winning tradition alive.
 
"Coming into preseason camp, this is the best conditioned team that we've ever had here in my 27 years," Lawes said. "Some of it comes from the conditioning programs we give them, but you can also see that the majority of our team has bought into and embraced what we are trying to build as a program moving forward."
 
As much as previous success can build a team's confidence, being able to put the past in the past, and focus on the task at hand can play a much more significant factor in future success. The Golden Bears have the confidence and ability to make another deep run in the postseason, but cannot afford to stray from the script that has proven to be effective.
 
"I believe we can be as or even more successful than we were last year, but we have to continue to do all the little things right," Lawes said. "When we work on skillset drills and working on mechanics, we need to make sure we continue to use those skills in larger drills and in games. It is still very early, and we do not know yet how our team make-up will be once we hit our conference schedule, but this team truly believes that it can accomplish great things this year."
 
PITCHING STAFF
 
Kutztown's pitching staff enters the season as the team's greatest strength, and has the ability to be one of the best staffs in the country. It returns two juniors who both had success at the national level last year, and all signs point toward even greater improvements heading into the 2014 campaign.
 
Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) is coming off her first season in the Maroon and Gold after transferring from Hofstra. She pitched more innings, started in more games, and had more shutouts than anyone in the PSAC. She held a 2.42 ERA with a 21-13 record while going the distance in 23 of her 45 appearances. A down-ball pitcher with great finesse, Ficara seems to have only scratched the surface of her long-term potential.
 
Fellow junior Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) ended the season on a phenomenal tear, both as a starter and as a closer. She had multiple scoreless streaks lasting double-digit innings in the postseason, and stepped in as Kutztown's closer down the stretch. The PSAC East Freshman of the Year in 2012, Kociencki thrived in her role as the closer as she earned three saves, a single-season record at Kutztown. If Kociencki can prove that she can pitch an entire season like the way she pitched at the end of 2013, look for a dominant 1-2 punch for Kutztown and for the power pitcher to add onto her 11 career shutouts.
 
"As a coaching staff, we've talked with Dom and Mary about building more of a mental edge for their junior years," Lawes said. "They both want to be strikeout pitchers, and we think this is the year when both of them can be very successful. We want them to focus on every pitch, knowing exactly where they want every pitch to go, and why."
 
Kutztown adds great depth to its pitching staff this year after carrying just two featured pitchers last season. It welcomes three incoming freshman who will all contribute during the season and compete for spot starts. Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) is a great athlete who can also hit and play shortstop and the outfield; Brittany Guerrieri (Greentown, PA/Wallenpaupack) could be featured as a pitcher and possibly some other positions throughout the infield; and Demi Murray (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) is a left-handed pitcher who could mix well with other pitchers in one game, as she greatly contrasts each of Kutztown's other four pitchers.
 
Kutztown's staff has great depth, and especially with a long and vigorous conference season, look for Lawes and her staff to utilize all of these pitchers to expose each of their different styles.
 
INFIELD
 
Nearly the entire infield will have a new look this season. Mixed between returners and newcomers, expect to see players in numerous position during the season, especially in Kutztown's four tournaments to open the season. By mixing up the lineup and giving players experience at multiple positions, Kutztown's goal is to have a set lineup in place once the conference season begins 19 games into the season.
 
Senior Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip (Hofstra)) returns at first base after an all-region season last year. A transfer from Hofstra with Ficara, Smith burst on the scene last year with an all-conference and all-region performance. She led the PSAC with 53 RBI, and tied for second in home runs with 14, which tied her for eighth in school history for a single season. Smith's power and plate discipline also resulted in her leading the conference with 40 walks, as opposing pitchers would rather put her on first base than watch the lefty hit a home run deep over the right field fence. Smith is one of the most intelligent hitters on the team, so look for her to continue to pose a significant threat in the lineup, who can change the outcome of a game with one swing.
 
Sophomore Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) spent all last season in the outfield, but could see time at second base this season. She appeared in 55 games last year as an outfielder and a pinch runner, but has strong abilities in the infield, specifically second base. Freshman Ashley Lechner (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) was recruited to play second base, and could even work her way into the starting lineup based on her progression early in the season.
 
Sophomore Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) was Kutztown's starting second baseman in the postseason last year, but will move over to shortstop moving forward. She has great range with a strong arm that will help replace Kutztown's graduating conference player of the year at shortstop last season (B. Knipe).
 
Freshman Marka Ballard (Redwood City, CA/Mercy Burlingame) is the projected starter at third base. Ballard has great hands and can help Kutztown's lineup offensively. She has played all of the infield positions during her high school and travel-team career.
 
Sophomore Lindsey Kelley (Stafford, VA/North Stafford) was one of Kutztown's designated players last year, but moves into the projected starting catcher position due to the graduation of last year's senior catcher, and one of this year's assistant coaches, Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg). Kelley is a powerful hitter and had some memorable moments in the postseason last year, and should continue to progress throughout the season as her playing experience increases. Freshman Justine Rossi (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area) joins the program and is also expected to compete for playing time.
 
OUTFIELD
 
Senior Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) will back up the two middle infielder positions, but will see most of her time in the outfield this season. She batted a career-high .354 last season, and does most of her damage once she hits the base paths. She is fourth in school history with 73 stolen bases, including a career-high 20 in 2012.
 
Fellow senior Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) shares Booth's quickness in the field and on the base paths. She has stolen 46 bases in her career, fifth all-time, and is coming off a career-best 57-hit season with 10 doubles.
 
Booth and Hetzler enter their fourth seasons with the program, and have been in the starting mix their entire careers.
 
"Morgan and Jackie have been really key to our run production and the leadoff spots in the lineup," Lawes said. "They are two of our fastest and most explosive players, and they have experienced a lot of success. I'm sure that they want to go out on a high note with successful senior seasons."
 
Depending on the progression of Lechner at second base, Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) could see most of her time in left field, while also aiding as a viable substitute in center field. Senior Stephanie Curry (Winchester, VA/Millbrook) is a four-year member of the Golden Bears and has seen sporadic playing time during her career, partly due to injuries. Curry, along with freshmen Stephanie DiNolfi (Norristown, PA/Norristown) and Marissa Linquist (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford), add depth Kutztown's outfield moving forward.
 
Sophomore Krista Schauder (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) and freshman Lisa Lawson (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) are both solid power hitters, and can contribute at the designated player position. Nierintz, a pitcher, could also see time in the outfield.
 
START OF SEASON
 
The Golden Bears open their fifth consecutive season with a trip to Pembroke, NC, to compete in the UNC Pembroke Invitational on Feb. 6-7. KU went 3-2 at the event last year. It is one of four season-opening tournaments for Kutztown.