As part of the interactive series, Campus Connection,
America East continues to travel across the conference featuring a team from
each of our nine institutions. As part of the show, we also have the chance to
learn some of the basics of the sport from our student-athletes.
In this episode we traveled to the University at Albany to
catch up with the softball team. We talked about the conference season, the
success of the program and what it was like winning the title in 2011. We even
had the chance to put our pitching and hitting skills to the test.
Chris Cannata, in her 18th season as head coach
at Albany, has been named America East
Conference Coach of the Year four times and is winningest softball coach in
program history. Under her direction, the Danes have captured four America East
titles since 2005. Also this season Cannata picked up her 500th win.
Seniors Katie
Wambold and Diane MacDowell had the chance to be part of the championship experience
last year describing it as a surreal. After losing a large senior class to
graduation last year, the 2012 Danes have worked on their aggressiveness at the
plate and on the basepaths.
Wambold and
MacDowell feel that this year’s team accomplished the goal of functioning as a
strong unit, playing well offensively and defensively in all the positions. MacDowell,
an outfielder, has committed just three errors in 63 chances and is batting
.278. Wambold, an infielder, is batting .269 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and
five doubles. As memorable as the 2011 America East Championship was they are
still taking it game-by-game focusing on this year’s tournament.
Albany enters this week’s America East Championship as the
No. 3 seed after posting a 13-5 league record in 2012.
The 2012 America East Softball Championship action gets
underway at Boston University this Thursday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m. For more
information visit Championship
Central.
With only a few days remaining before the America East
Softball Championship, check out this video feature to see America East up at
bat.