Canisius College head softball coach Mike Rappl believes the 2010 schedule is the second toughest slate in the program's 31-year history. Luckily for the Golden Griffins, the Feb. 12 start date is the earliest start in program history, so the Blue and Gold won't have to wait very long to take on some of the nation's top softball programs.

The Griffs are set to open the year up at the three-day, six-team USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament, which is being hosted by the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. Canisius will take on Florida Gulf Coast and the host South Florida Bulls on day one - two teams that combined for 81 wins a season ago. In the season's first three days, the Blue and Gold will also play games against East Carolina (40-15 in 2009), Georgia Tech (the defending ACC Tournament champion) and No. 3/5 Florida, the national runner-up to Washington at the Women's College World Series last June. Starting the season in a tournament field that boasts a combined 2009 record of 256-71 would scare most coaches, but Rappl sees the challenge as another calculated step in the continued effort of building a program that competes at the national level.

"We're going to see some of the country's best programs right off the bat, and our players understand that they'll need to be ready to go from day one," Rappl said. "This is the second-hardest schedule we've played, behind the 1998 schedule when we opened up playing half a dozen ranked teams. As a coaching staff, we decided that we're going to go play some of the best teams and we agreed that seeing top-level competition will not only be helpful this season, but down the road as well."

Canisius will play in a total of four non-conference tournaments this season, starting at the USF event. The goal in the non-conference schedule is the same this season as it has been in the past - prepare the Blue and Gold for MAAC play, which will begin April 3, at long-time rival Niagara. The regular season will wrap up May 8, at Marist, and Rappl hopes his program will make its 20th trip to the MAAC Softball Championship, which will be held at the Demske Sports Complex May 13-16.

"We hope that we're in the MAAC Tournament every year, that's one of our team goals from the start," he said. "This year is no different, and we don't feel any extra pressure for us just because we are the host school. Like it is for every team in every season, you need a lot of good fortune and you need to stay healthy to qualify, but I believe we have the depth to be in the mix."

INFIELD

Rappl is pleased with the defensive depth that this year's roster provides in both the infield and outfield, and he plans on using a number of combinations on the lineup card, depending on who is getting the job done both offensively and defensively. Juniors Emily Helbig and Kerry Ulmer will both see time at first base this season, and both players got extra playing experience this past summer when the Griffs spent a week in the Dominican Republic on a foreign tour. Helbig hit .258 last season with 10 RBIs and ended the year as the first player in school history with more than 70 fielding chances to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Ulmer hit .222 with four RBIs in a reserve roll for the 2009 squad.

At second base, Canisius will look to sophomore Lauryn Chris and redshirt freshman Katie Medina. Chris played in 44 games in her rookie campaign where she posted a .235 batting average to go with 17 runs scored. Medina missed her freshman year with an injury, but Rappl is excited to add her left-handed bat to the lineup.

"I thought [Lauryn] did a good job last year when she was called upon and Katie came here as one of the best athletes we've had in a while. She won nine varsity letters in high school and she has the ability to hit for power and average."

Sophomore Katie Lancellotti will be the team's primary shortstop this year after she played in 51 games as a freshman, where she hit .248 with six doubles, six home runs, 25 runs scored and 28 RBIs. Junior Paige Freiberger will move to the third base spot where she will be counted on to replace the offense and defense the Griffs lost with the graduation of four-year starter and 2009 MAAC Tournament MVP Cameron Norton.

Freiberger hit .270 last year with nine doubles and 11 RBIs to go with 24 runs scored and 20 walks. A team captain for the 2010 season, Rappl will be counting on her and senior Michelle Fridey to provide leadership to a fairly young roster.

"I'm looking forward to Michelle and Paige stepping up as the leaders of this team," Rappl said. "We only have five upperclassmen on the roster, so we'll need the other juniors to play a roll in the leadership department as well, but our two captains will serve as the voice of this team and I believe these two are ready to take on that responsibility."

OUTFIELD

The Griffs will once again have speed to burn in the outfield, led by junior Lauren Hope, who starts this season as one of the members of the Preseason All-MAAC Team. The school's all-time stolen base leader after just two seasons, Hope will be patrolling left field for the Griffs after she hit .274 with six doubles, five triples, a homer, 23 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 2009.

Sophomore Lizzy Gatto will be the Blue and Gold's primary option in center field after she played in 49 games as a rookie in 2009. Gatto, who was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base chances last season, hit .273 with 11 extra base hits and 23 runs scored. Fellow sophomore Lauren Falzone will get the nod in right field after playing in 45 games last season. She led the team with six assists from the outfield last year, and ended the season as one of six players with five or more stolen bases. Sophomore Amanda Cannizzo and freshman Chloe Contreras will provide depth in the outfield, and according to Rappl, he feels he won't skip a beat with any of his potential outfield combinations.

"It's really nice to have the ability to play a number of players in a number of roles," he said. "This is a competitive league and it's a long season. The good teams are the ones that can use players in different roles when called upon and still get contributions."

BATTERY

Canisius' biggest loss from a season ago may have come in the circle, where the Blue and Gold saw Mallory Aldred and Juliette Bowers graduate after posting their names throughout the school's record book. Aldred, who holds the program's career record in saves with 21, moved into the starter's role last season and posted a 19-9 record with a 2.16 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 158.2 innings of work. Bowers posted 37 wins in her four years as a Griff and became the fifth pitcher in school history to be named the MAAC's Pitcher of the Year in 2008 after she went 20-3 with 132 strikeouts. The lone returning arm to this year's staff belongs to sophomore Caroline Main, who appeared in 17 games last season and fanned 32 in 49 innings of work.

"In the summer during our trip to the Dominican Republic, Caroline really pitched well and kept hitters at the national-team level off balance," Rappl said. "She had a few bad breaks last season, but she's worked to improve her game."

Freshman Amanda Baun will get the ball plenty in her rookie campaign after she won four varsity letters at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif. Baun fanned 400 batters in her scholastic career and came to Canisius with a high school ERA of 0.70 to go with just 32 walks.

"I like that our pitchers want the ball," Rappl said. "Caroline and Amanda are both intense and they understand what they need to do to be successful. Amanda has made steps to be more consistent and I'm confident she has the talent and desire to be good at this level."

Amanda Cannizzo will serve as the third pitcher on the staff to help spell Main and Baun. She pitched in high school and is a good all-around athlete, having also earned four varsity letters as a basketball player at nearby Sweet Home High School.

Fridey will be the team's primary backstop once again, and Rappl is happy to have a veteran catcher to deal with a younger pitching staff. Fridey was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team a few weeks ago, and starts this year as the top returning hitter for the Griffs after she posted a .276 batting average with eight extra-base hits, 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Freshman Stephanie Pfentner will see time behind the plate as well when she's not batting in the designated hitter position, a job she'll share with Cannizzo. A two-time all-state choice, Pfentner hit .374 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in her high school career at nearby Clarence High School. Fellow freshman Taylor Klun will provide depth to the Griffs' roster at the catcher spot, and Rappl says each player brings a different piece to the position.