March 4, 2008

LANCASTER, Pa - Four seasons removed from the last winning softball campaign at Franklin & Marshall, Diplomat fans have been looking for a reason to smile. That being the case, the addition of a dentist might be the right prescription for the Diplomats. Enter Dr. Michael Cooperstein, Franklin & Marshall's new skipper.

Cooperstein, more commonly known as "Coach Coop", brings nearly two decades of coaching experience to Lancaster. On the collegiate level, Cooperstein spent five seasons (2001-2006) as an assistant at Saint Joseph's University. Two of those seasons were spent as the bench coach and hitting instructor, while the other three were spent overseeing the squad's pitchers and infielders.

With his help, the Hawks battled their way into the Atlantic 10 Conference playoffs four times. The 2004 squad finished second in the Atlantic 10, snapping the University of Massachusetts' 73-game, home-winning streak in the process. That team was the first Saint Joseph's squad to play for an A10 championship. Three of Cooperstein's players earned Academic All-America honors.

Now he is set to change the softball culture at Franklin & Marshall.

"We are going to start by focusing on the fundamentals of the game and being ready to compete," says Cooperstein. "The desire is there to win, now we need to build the mental toughness to do it."

Through fall ball and the early spring practices, Coop has seen the eager nature of his players, and he is eager to break off an inherited schedule featuring two preseason top 20 teams: Moravian and Wisconsin River-Falls. He will do so by tweaking the components of his roster, more specifically by building versatile players who can play where needed.

"There is going to be competition for playing time up and down the lineup."

In the circle, Bonnie Crouthamel and Ali Tyler will see the bulk of the work. The pair of seniors are seasoned veterans, and have made tremendous strides in the fall and early spring under the direction of pitching coach, Ken Rhoades, a veteran of Division I softball at St. Joe's. Second-bagger, Meredith Morgan, could also twirl if called upon.

"We have the talent in the circle to win ballgames," says the new coach. "The run support will come from a lineup that features speed and power."

If healthy, Jess Feldman will likely be the sparkplug, bringing tremendous speed to the leadoff spot. She worked five triples a year ago and sported a .419 on-base percentage. Her 23 runs scored led the squad. Defensively, Feldman works at shortstop with tremendous range. If she is not healthy, Kristina Fietkiewicz will slide into short. Coach Coop is confident that Fietkiewicz can slide anywhere into the lineup defensively, while her bat dictates that she be in the order from day one.

An athletic player, Morgan will shore up the middle of the Diplomats defense, manning the post on the right side. She started 21 games at second in 2007.

The Diplomats feature experience on the corners. Robyn Jones, one of the three team-elected captains, will hold down the hot corner, while another captain, Kat Clinchy will occupy first base. Jones posted a .973 fielding percentage last year and hit .343 with 20 runs driven in. Jones will be spelled by Samantha Basuk. Basuk, who also plays second, offers soft hands and a solid bat. Clinchy hit .258, with 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored. She posted a .982 fielding percentage.

The third captain is catcher, Lauren Incorvaia. Armed with a cannon on her right shoulder, Incorvaia caught the attention of Diplomats baseball coach, Bill Walkenbach, who ranks her arm up against any of her male counterparts in the Centennial. Described as a Division I talent by her new coach, Incorvaia's achieved perfection behind the plate last year, having hit .354, having knocked in 16 runs and having scored 15 times. She is hard on herself to a fault.

"Lauren has the talent to be the Conference's top player," says Cooperstein. "Once she lets go of the last play and worries about the next one, she will be."

Liz Iannaconi will spell Incorvaia with solid defensive skills and a big bat. She will also see time as a designated player. Alyssa Yackle could also work in at catcher, but she will see more time in the outfield.

Yackle did not see any playing time last year, but she will find a spot in the lineup this season, possibly leftfield. She has a nice stroke at the plate, and is pure hustle between the lines. Barbara Sasso is an identical type of player, but is struggling through injury at the moment. A healthy Yackle and Sasso could platoon in leftfield.

In centerfield, Jessika Mancino will bring her tremendous range and ability to track the ball to F&M's defense. At the plate, she will transition into the role of slapper allowing Cooperstein to capitalize on her lightning quickness in the upper half of his lineup.

Caitlin Elfring will flank Mancino in rightfield. Elfring has a great glove and demonstrates excellent fundamentals in all aspects of the game. She has a servicable bat having hit .262 with seven runs batted in last year.

The team's only freshman, Karalynne Clark, will see time in all portions of the outfield this season. A quick learner, Clark ahs improved greatly through preaseason and is ready to make an immediate contribution.

"We want to win right now," says Coach Cooperstein with a smile. "We have great leadership and a wealth of talent. We just need to put it all together."

He'll get a chance to see his team start putting the puzzle together this weekend. F&M is set to open its season this Saturday at Gallaudet.