May 7, 2008

CHARLOTTE, NC - Saint Joseph's makes its 11th appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship this Wednesday when the fifth-seeded Hawks face the fourth-seeded Fordham Rams at 2 p.m. at the D.L. Phillips Softball Complex on the campus of host Charlotte. Saint Joseph's, which is making its first postseason berth under head coach Terri Adams, previously made the conference's tournament in 2005. Should the Hawks win Wednesday, they would face top seed No. 21/22 Massachusetts at 2 p.m. on Thursday. All games will be streamed live on www.sjuhawks.com.

Click here for Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 Championship notes.

HAWKS CLAIM FIFTH SEED IN ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, Saint Joseph's proved voters wrong by finishing fifth overall with an 11-9 conference record. The Hawks, who finished with the same record as Fordham and Saint Louis, finished fifth as per conference tie-break rules. The Rams (3-1) finished fourth due to their head-to-head record versus SJU (2-2) and SLU (1-3), while the Hawks broke their tie with the Billikens as SJU had a better record (1-1) versus third-seeded Charlotte. The fifth seed is the lowest Saint Joseph's has entered in an Atlantic 10 postseason, but this year marks the first time the Hawks will play in the recently adjusted six-team playoff system.

SAINT JOSEPH'S ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
With a berth in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship, the Hawks make their 11th appearance in the conference's postseason, posting an 8-20 record all time, with an appearance in the 2004 A-10 title game. The following is a year-by-year breakdown of Saint Joseph's record at the A-10 Championship.
2005: 0-2
2004: 2-2
2003: 1-2
2002: 0-2
2001: 0-2
1999: 1-2
1998: 1-2
1997: 1-2
1995 1-2
1993: 1-2

DARREFF NAMED ATLANTIC 10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Saint Joseph's sophomore catcher Brooke Darreff became the first Hawk in program history to earn Atlantic 10 Softball Player of the Year accolades, conference officials announced Tuesday. Currently fourth in the nation in batting average (.472) and ninth in on-base percentage (.550), Darreff has been a catalyst for the Hawks' offense all-season. Posting a team-best 51 hits and 31 RBI, the All-American candidate has reached safely in 36 of 39 contests this season for Saint Joseph's. Darreff, who also was named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team, has been extremely clutch for Saint Joseph's with runners on base, batting .512 with runner in scoring position and .750 with a runner at third and less than two outs.

ROSENWINKEL NAMED TO A-10 ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Converting from catcher to outfield to start the season due to a broken finger, junior Erika Rosenwinkel has delivered her best season yet on Hawk Hill. The Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection heads into this week's A-10 Championship boasting a career-best .347 average and 27 RBI. The Oak Park, Illinois native also enters the week leading both the league and the nation in doubles per game at 0.46.

GONZALES PICKED FOR A-10 ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
After two up-and-down seasons on the mound, junior Dani Gonzales has found her groove this season, turning into the ace of Saint Joseph's staff. Currently third in the conference with a 1.61 ERA, Gonzales was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, having posted an 11-10 record, while striking out a team-high 134 batters. Gonzales has been even better in conference play, boasting a 10-5 record with a 0.96 ERA and 103 strikeouts, while holding opposing batters to a .199 average.

MOIR NAMED TO ATLANTIC 10 ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
An interdisciplinary health services major with a medical bioethics minor, senior outfielder Kelsey Moir became the 38th Hawk in program history to earn Atlantic 10 All-Academic honors. Starting all 38 games in the outfield, Moir has posted a .250 batting average, with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored. Tied for the team lead in stolen bases with seven, she has also excelled in the classroom with a 3.913 grade-point average.

HAWKS' PITCHING STAFF RANKS AMONG CONFERENCE ELITE
The Saint Joseph's pitching staff enters this week Atlantic 10 Championship second overall in team ERA, boasting a 2.06 earned run average over 39 games. Adding to that, junior Dani Gonzales currently ranks third in the A-10 in ERA (1.61), with senior Lauren Cognigni ranking 10th (2.50).

ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
It has taken another three years to return to this stage, but senior pitcher Lauren Cognigni is looking to make the most of her second Atlantic 10 Championship appearance. As a rookie in 2005, Cognigni was hit hard in her postseason debut, suffering the opening-round loss as SJU fell to eventual champs Massachusetts, 10-1. Facing St. Bonaventure in must-win situation, Cognigni was solid in relief, allowing just one run on one hit, while striking out nine in five innings of work. Unfortunately for the Levittown, Pennsylvania native, the Hawks offense never got going as she ended up the hard-luck loser as Saint Joseph's fell to the Bonnies, 1-0, in 12 innings. Cognigni, who finished the 2005 postseason with a 7.78 ERA, did manage 11 strikeouts over her nine innings of work, while walking just three batters.

ADAMS AT THE ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Having turned around the Saint Joseph's softball program in just two seasons, the Hawks' Terri Adams is making her first appearance at the Atlantic 10 Championship as a head coach. Despite this being her first time at the helm of an A-10 club in the postseason, this year's Hawks are not Adams' first team to earn a postseason berth. From 1998-2005, Adams served as an assistant at Temple, helping the Owls to five straight A-10 postseason from 200-2004, including earning the conference title in 2004. Prior to coming to Hawk Hill, Adams spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Fordham, helping the Rams to the 2006 A-10 Championship.

ROSENWINKEL TIES HAWKS' SINGLE SEASON DOUBLES RECORD
Junior outfielder Erika Rosenwinkel has etched her name in the Hawks' single-season record this year. Currently leading the nation in doubles per game (0.46), the Oak Park, Illinois native has matched the Saint Joseph's record for doubles in a season, smacking 18 two-baggers so far this season.