The 2010 softball season is here, and changes abound for the Spartans.
The University of Tampa softball team carries a mostly new lineup into 2010, with pitcher and third base as the only positions to field returning starters.
UT also enters the new season injury-riddled, with key players forced to the sidelines.
Perhaps the team’s most severe blow was the injury to junior pitcher Deanna Henriott. A torn labrum in her hip suffered at the end of last season will keep Henriott out in 2010.
Henriott finished 2009 with a 1.22 ERA and 21 complete games in 24 starts. Her 260 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 190 innings pitched, earned her a first-team all-Sunshine State Conference honor.
The injury leaves senior Heather Van Landingham to carry the load on the mound for the Spartans.
“I’ve been pushing my body to the limit for months,” Van Landingham said of her preparation for the season. She added that she also prepared mentally for the first time in her career to handle the additional pressure.
“She loves having the pressure on her,” Tampa head coach Leslie Kanter said. “She’s ready to go.”
Van Landingham posted an 8-4 record with a 2.54 ERA in 2009, striking out 72 hitters in 93 two-thirds innings. She held opponents to a .251 batting average and completed five of her 16 starts.
With three years already under her belt, confidence in Van Landingham’s abilities on the mound is high.
“She’s probably in the best shape she’s been in,” Kanter said.
The Spartans also open the season without their star catcher, Becky Vyzas.
In her freshman season, Vyzas batted a team-best .386 with five home runs and 24 RBI, carrying the offense.
Her effort was good enough to earn all-South Region second-team honors.
According to Kanter, Vyzas is due to return following the first two weekends of play.
The Spartans are coming off their second straight NCAA South Regional tournament appearance. This year UT was picked third in the SSC in the preseason poll behind Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern.
Despite the downed players, the team’s morale and goals remain virtually the same entering this year.
“Every year our goal is to make it to postseason play,” Kanter said. “Even without Deanna, that’s still going to be our goal. I think we have the team to do it.”
“We are all very confident in our team,” Van Landingham said.
After two February weekends of action in Clearwater and Clermont, Fla., respectively, the Spartans play their home opener March 6 against Palm Beach Atlantic.