Plattsburgh State Softball

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2006 SUNYAC Champions
2006-07 NCAA Regional / 2007 NCAA World Series

Nov. 29, 2009

Softball Has Six Named Scholar All-America

STARKVILLE, Miss. - A program-record six softball players at Plattsburgh State have been recognized as girls got game/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes for the 2008-2009 academic year. Amy Woo and Ashley Napear picked up their second-straight honors, while Tanya Fedyshyn, Lauren Clark, Bri Allen and Erin Florkiewicz were first-time recipients.

The girls got game/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honor is based on the cumulative grade point average of the student-athlete for the entire academic year. To earn recognition, one must have maintained at least a 3.5 GPA during both semesters of the academic year.

Woo, a junior last season, was third on the team with a .312 batting average, 23 runs and 21 runs batted in. She tied for first on the team with four home runs. Defensively, Woo recorded 102 putouts and 55 assists for a .935 fielding percentage at second base. Woo was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division District I Softball Third Team and the NFCA All-Northeast Region Third Team following the 2009 season. She is majoring in Latin American studies at Plattsburgh, with a minor in Spanish.

Napear, also a junior, started all 41 games she played in during the 2009 season and racked up a team-high 232 putouts and .976 fielding percentage at first base. Napear was fifth on the team in batting with a .289 average, including five doubles and two home runs. She is studying criminal justice.

Fedyshyn and Allen both made appearances in the circle for the Cardinals during their inaugural seasons. Allen led the starting rotation with a 1.90 earned run average in 154.1 innings pitched. She went 10-14 for the year with 141 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Fedyshyn served as relief for the team, making 11 appearances and posting a 1.11 ERA. Allen is a fitness & wellness leadership major with a minor in marketing, while Fedyshyn has yet to declare a major.

Florkiewicz was a utility player for the Cardinals during her freshman season, seeing time in the outfield, behind the plate and as a designated hitter. She drove in three RBIs off of 12 hits and recorded two doubles and five runs. Florkiewicz is majoring in fitness & wellness leadership, along with a minor in athletic training.

Clark was Plattsburgh's lone senior and started 33 games behind the plate, making 37 total appearances. She was second on the team with 211 putouts and made 17 assists. Clark posted nine hits, six RBIs, two doubles and one run during the season. She graduated from Plattsburgh with a degree in international business.

Oct. 22, 2009

Softball Playing Special Olympian Athletes, Raising Money

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State softball program and athletes from the Special Olympics of Clinton and Essex counties will be playing a community softball game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cardinal Park on the Field House complex. The public is invited to attend.

In addition, the Cardinals squad led by interim coach Stephanie Zweig will be conducting a 50-50 raffle during the second half of the Plattsburgh-Ithaca women's soccer game, starting at noon, and first half of the Plattsburgh-Potsdam men's soccer contest, beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets are $1, 10 for $5 and a "wingspan" is $10. The winning ticket will be drawn at halftime of the men's game. Half the proceeds benefit the local chapter of the Special Olympics. The Special Olympian athletes will also be introduced to the fans immediately after Plattsburgh and Ithaca are finished playing.

Both soccer programs will be honoring their senior members as part of their respective pregame festivities. The women will be hosting the nationally ranked Bombers. The men, meanwhile, look to capture an outright State University of New York Athletic Conference regular-season championship and earn the right to host the conference tournament's final four with a win versus the Bears.

Aug. 31, 2009

Zweig Named Interim Softball Coach

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Plattsburgh State has named Stephanie Zweig as the school’s interim head softball coach following the departure of former head coach Sean Cotter, who resigned after 10 years at the helm. Cotter is now the head coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

“In light of Sean leaving just before the start of the school year, we have been given very little time to find a replacement. However, we are very lucky and fortunate to have a former Plattsburgh standout and assistant coach of Stephanie’s caliber to be able to name as our interim head coach,” athletic director Bruce Delventhal commented.

Zweig was hired as the assistant coach for the Cardinals in 2008 after four years in the circle as a starting pitcher. She twice earned State University of New York Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-Northeast Region honors and was a three-time Jewish Sports Review All-American. As a sophomore, Zweig earned the SUNYAC Award of Valor and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third Team All-America laurels.

“The Plattsburgh State softball program has been a big part of my life for five years now. I could not be more honored to be given this position. I look forward to building upon an already stellar program and am thrilled to be able to continue the traditions established during coach Cotter’s tenure,” Zweig said.

Plattsburgh will open its search for a new head coach in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Zweig will coordinate the team’s fall season and prepare the Cardinals for the upcoming spring season.

Aug. 6, 2009

Media Guide Cover Voted "Best in the Nation"

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Plattsburgh State Sports Information Office of Director Patrick Stewart (Ohio '89) and Assistant Director Julia Hada (Heidelberg '07) was honored recently at the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Convention held at the Mariott Rivercenter.

The sports information office received "Best in the Nation" laurels for publications and writing excellence during the 2008-09 academic year from a national committee for Women's Hockey cover in the Single-Sport Category, Women's Hockey book in the Single-Sport Category and Softball cover. Plattsburgh's submissions were entered in Division C, which includes 400-plus NCAA Division III and junior college institutions.

The Cardinals' sports information office led the entire SUNY system – and was the lone representative in the State University of New York Athletic Conference membership – to receive the CoSIDA national certificates. The three certificates sets a school record for the most in a single year.

Chris Boire perfected the covers with conceptual guidance from the SID office and the sports' coaching staffs. The women's hockey cover – voted "Best in the Nation" three-years running – features the Cardinals' 2009 senior class and the program's 2007 and '08 national championship trophies. The book, increased to 32 pages, is chock full of player/coach biographies and expanded historical pages. The softball cover celebrated 10 years of the program sponsored as a varsity sport at Plattsburgh State, with a collage of action photos representing each season since 1999 that formed the number "10."

Click on the links to view the award-winning guides…

Women's Hockey: http://www.plattsburgh.edu/athletics/cardathletics/media/womenhockey.php

Softball: http://www.plattsburgh.edu/athletics/cardathletics/media/softball.php

Stewart has garnered 27 CoSIDA publications and writing certificates, including 16 Best in the Nation plaudits. Hada, who was hired in November, earns her first three awards of her career. Boire also worked on Plattsburgh's Best Cover citations for 2004 Women's Soccer, 2003-04 and 2007-08 Men's Hockey, 2006 Men's Soccer, and 2006-07 and 2007-08 Women's Hockey.

Plattsburgh's other national rankings in the CoSIDA publications contest for this academic year include Softball book, 8th; Baseball book, 11th; Women's Soccer book, 13th; and Men's Soccer book, 16th.

Aug. 5, 2009

Coach Cotter to Leave Plattsburgh, Headed to UMass-Lowell

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Sean Cotter will be leaving his post after 10 years as head softball coach at Plattsburgh State to spearhead the softball program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a NCAA Division II institution. Cotter will take the reins of the River Hawks from Harry Sauter, who retired after 15 seasons.

"It has been a tremendous 10 seasons for me and the team here at Plattsburgh. I have loved every minute of it and I am certainly going to miss the players, the alums, and the Sports and Wellness Department. They have been great to me. Plattsburgh has one of the best coaching staffs in Division III and I wish each of them the best. I'm excited to see the next steps in Plattsburgh softball history, as the table is certainly set for a good run during the next couple of years," Cotter commented. "I would especially like to thank my coaching staff throughout the years, athletic director Bruce Delventhal, President Dr. John Ettling, (Vice President of Student Affairs) William Laundry, and, very much so, former athletic director (and current Director of First-Year Programs) Peter Luguri for taking a chance on a young kid to lead a young program a decade ago."

UMass-Lowell Director of Athletics Dana Skinner added: "Sean Cotter is obviously a very accomplished coach and he brings a high level of energy and passion to the softball program. He has also been a highly visible ambassador for the sport and we believe his many contacts will be beneficial in building broad support for River Hawk softball."

During his tenure with the Cardinals, Cotter led the squad to 10-straight State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament appearances, one SUNYAC Tournament Championship title, two SUNYAC Regular Season Championship titles, and two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. He leaves as the winningest coach in the program's history with a record of 254-172 (.596).

Cotter coached 22 All-SUNYAC players, seven All-Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate honorees, 25 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region award-winners, six NCAA Regional All-Tournament competitors, two NCAA World Series All-Tournament team members, two NFCA All-Americans, was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2006, and the NFCA All-Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

Taking over the program in only its second year in existence, Cotter immediately turned the club into one of the most solid in Division III. The Cardinals went 15-18 his first season at the helm and made their first SUNYAC Tournament appearance, improving from just nine wins a season before.

The 2006 season was a season of firsts for Plattsburgh, with the team winning both the SUNYAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship titles and earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. A year later, Cotter led the team all the way to the NCAA Division III World Series and the team finished fourth in the nation.

While his presence will be missed, Plattsburgh Athletic Director Bruce Delventhal wishes nothing but the best for Cotter.

"Sean built one of the SUNYAC's finest softball programs during his tenure at Plattsburgh. His student-athletes displayed excellence not only on the field, but in the classroom and in the community as well. He is leaving us with a wonderful foundation for the future of Plattsburgh softball. There is no doubt that he will be missed, but his spirit will always be part of our softball program. Every member of the Plattsburgh State Sport and Wellness Department wishes him the very best of luck as he takes another step in his outstanding coaching career," stated Delventhal.

(TRANSACTION: Plattsburgh State - Sean Cotter resigns as softball coach to take a similar position at Massachusetts-Lowell)

Softball

The softball team, established as a full intercollegiate sport in 1998, has already been established as a top conference contender. The team has improved each year, with season win totals of 9, 15, 21, and 31 in the first four seasons. Already in that short period of time, the Cardinals have appeared twice in the SUNYAC playoffs and earned a bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament.

The commitment to excellence is evident in all facets of Cardinal softball, from the pre-season preparation, to their involvement in community service projects, to the all-new Cardinal Softball Field, one of the top softball facilities in the Northeastern United States. Each spring, the Cardinals begin their season with a trip to California, to participate in the highly regarded SunWest Tournament. The team competes in one of the top athletic conferences in the nation, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), and the conference champion gains automatic entry into the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The women's softball team, like all intercollegiate athletics teams at Plattsburgh State, focuses on a commitment to competitive excellence, academic achievement, and community service.

Contact Information

For more information about Softball at Plattsburgh State, please contact:

Interim Head Coach Stephanie Zweig
Phone: (518) 564-4144
E-mail: zwei8619@plattsburgh.edu

Plattsburgh State Softball

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