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Notebook: Pitt softball off to strong start
Pitt posted an unimpressive 23-35 record last season.
The Panthers, however, have established some credentials early this year by opening their schedule over the weekend at the Florida International Tournament in Miami with victories over a pair of nationally ranked opponents and winning all four games, including a 2-0 decision over the host team in the championship contest.
"This is the best start we've ever had. Our players came away from that tournament energized and confident in their abilities," said Michelle Phalen, the only coach to lead the Pitt softball program since its inception in 1998.
Pitt (4-0) beat Florida International on Sunday behind sophomore Kayla Zinger's second pitching victory of the tournament. Zinger pitched 62/3 innings and scattered eight hits before freshman Cory Berliner got the final out with a strikeout.
Zinger pitched a total of 132/3 innings in two games and did not allow a run. She also pitched a complete-game victory in the Panthers' 3-0 upset of No. 16 Virginia Tech on Friday. Senior Jessica Dignon, a Baldwin High School product, sparked Pitt with a two-run homer.
Berlinger pitched a pair of complete games in victories of 3-1 over Texas-Arlington on Friday and 2-1 over No. 25 Missouri on Saturday, when Dignon also hit a two-run homer, providing the Panthers with their only runs against the Tigers in the first inning.
"We played exceptional," Phalen said. "Our pitching was outstanding, and our defense was also great. A lot of people made some great plays to get us out of some bad situations."
Phelan, a former catcher for Missouri, said she received some congratulatory e-mails and text messages from acquaintances at her alma mater.
"That surprised me," she said. "I didn't really know the people associated with the program now, but it just goes to show that people are still watching."
Pitt heads back out this weekend for more tournament action, taking on Morehead State in the first round of the Longwood (Va.) Classic. Eastern Michigan and Bucknell also are in the field. The Panthers won't open Big East play until March 29-30 at Villanova. In between, four more tournaments and a two-game series at Maryland are scheduled.
Home improvements
Westminster (Pa.) has begun a renovation process at Harold Burry Stadium at an estimated cost of $1.7 million. Installation of lights and artificial turf are included, as is the construction of the Joseph B. Fusco Plaza and an entranceway named in memory of Jerry C. Neff.
"The great thing about artificial turf is its flexibility for serving different sports and activities and its capacity for heavy use," Westminster athletic director Jim Dafler said. "This project will end up benefiting just about every student at Westminster College."
Fusco played at Westminster before leading the Titans football team to four NAIA national championships as coach from 1972-90 and being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Neff, a former men's basketball player at Westminster, was a member of the school's board of trustees and co-founder of the athletic department fund-raising arm known the Towering Titan Organization. He died on Oct. 2, 2007.
King of the rings
Kevin Tann, a former Penn State gymnastics star and currently an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions, won the still rings championship of the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas on Saturday, giving him titles in the event in three consecutive years. The former six-time All-American and two-time NCAA rings champion at Penn State dominated the competition, topping the second place-finisher by nearly a full point.
One up, one down
Slippery Rock reversed a decision to disband its women's swimming program this season, announcing the program will remain in operation for one more year, through 2008-09. The NCAA Division II school, however, upheld a decision to discontinue women's water polo after the completion of this season. Slippery Rock will be left with 10 women's sports and seven men's sports following the 2008-09 season.
District musings
Leigh Sulkowski, the former four-time NCAA Division III All-America guard at Washington & Jefferson and a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School, was named to the D3hoops.com Women's Basketball All-Decade Team. Sulkowski, a 2006 graduate of Washington & Jefferson, finished her college career with a total of 2,034 points. ... Senior Ryan Cruthers and freshman Denny Urban, of the Robert Morris men's hockey team, were selected as College Hockey America offensive player of the week and rookie of the week, respectively, Both players notched a total of four points each in a pair of victories over Wayne State (Mich.). ... The Gannon women's water polo team is ranked No. 9 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll, representing the only non-Division I program to appear in the national rankings.
