Eagles Open Season in Myrtle Beach

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – As Juniata softball head coach Sam Kszepka heads into her first season at the helm, she knows that her Eagles will have improve their offense if they want to be successful this year. Kszepka (pronounced Shepka) will be counting on a core of returning veterans and a group of five freshmen to turn things around. As a team last year the Eagles batted .267 as they finished with a 9-20 record.

"I am happy with where we are right now," Kszepka said as she gathered her squad for a five-day trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.  "We have implemented a new hitting strategy and the girls have adjusted well to all the changes we are trying to make and I am hopeful that this will enable us to be more offensive this year."

The Eagles will play five consecutive double headers down at the Snowbird Classic beginning on Monday, March 11 when they tangle with Gettysburg College at 9 a.m. before tackling Penn College a 11 a.m.

Junior Rachel Smith (Martinsburg, Pa./Home School) leads the returning cast of veterans.  Last year she batted .344 and led the Eagles with 22 RBIs. Smith also appeared in 13 games on the mound in addition to splitting time in the field.  Junior Kelsea Decker (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro) returns to the mound where she compiled a 7-9 mark with a 4.05 ERA last year. Senior outfielder Paige Robertson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) will look to improve on her team leading .357 batting average and senior Steph Frith (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) also returns in the outfield after batting .320 in 2012.

Kszepka, an All-American pitcher at William Patterson, says her biggest concern is numbers and she knows that there will be holes to fill. "We have fifteen players on the squad and only one catcher so that is a major concern. But we have six and a veteran group of outfielders. We are going to play a number of different infielders as we look to blend in our freshmen."

Among the newcomers are pitcher/first baseman Aly Smith (McVeytown, PA/ Mt. Union) and Jasmine Assad (Lambertville, NJ/ South Hunterdon Regional) who is listed at pitcher and middle infielder.

After their trip down south, the Eagles will return to Pennsylvania to face Penn State Harrisburg for a doubleheader on March 19. Juniata will open their home and Landmark Conference schedule on Saturday, March 23 when they play host to Catholic University for a doubleheader at 1 p.m.

While the task may seem daunting, Kszepka feels her squad is ready for the challenge. "We want to make the Landmark Conference tournament," she said.  "We have to improve our numbers overall and have set goals in all areas such as batting average and fielding percentage. We have a positive attitude and hopefully that will carry over on to the field."

Kszepka most recently served as an assistant coach at Bucknell Universisty and helped guide the Bison to the 2010 Patriot League Championship, their first in program history. She has also coached at Norfolk State University and Susquehanna University. Serving assistant coaches are Ed Habbershon who served as interim head coach for part of last season and Eric Banks.

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