May 5, 2009

BRONX, N.Y. - Saint Joseph's softball team makes its 12th appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship this Wednesday when the fifth-seeded Hawks face the fourth-seeded Fordham Rams at 1 p.m. at Bahoshy Field on the campus of host Fordham. Saint Joseph's, which went 1-2 at last year's conference tournament, is making its second postseason appearance in three years under head coach Terri Adams. Should the Hawks win Wednesday, they would face top-seeded Massachusetts at 1 p.m. on Thursday. If SJU loses its opening game, it will face the loser of Saint Louis versus St. Bonaventure at 5 p.m on Wednesday.

Click here for Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 Championship Notes.

HAWKS CLAIM FIFTH SEED IN ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, Saint Joseph's proved voters wrong by finishing fifth overall with a 9-7 conference record. Needing a win in its regular-season finale at St. Bonaventure, the Hawks posted 4-0 and 3-0 wins at the Bonnies to secure the fifth seed. The Hawks have faced four of the five A-10 postseason teams, with a doubleheader versus Charlotte (March 29) cancelled due to rain. SJU's statistical breakdown versus A-10 Tournament opponents is to the left.

FOUR HAWKS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
For the second-straight season Saint Joseph's has garnered multiple all-conference honors, this time with four Hawks earning individual accolades. Junior catcher Brooke Darreff and freshman third baseman Monica Aguilar were selected to the A-10 All-Conference First Team, while senior outfielder Erika Rosenwinkel and senior pitcher Dani Gonzales earned All-Conference Second Team honors. The four award winners brings the Hawks' all-time total to 32 All-Conference honorees, while Aguilar is the first Hawk named Rookie of the Year as well as an All-Rookie Team selection. SAINT JOSEPH'S ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
With a berth in the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship, the Hawks make their 12th appearance in the conference's postseason and second under head coach Terri Adams. The Hawks have posted a 9-22 record all time, and advanced to the 2004 A-10 title game. The following is a year-by-year breakdown of Saint Joseph's record at the A-10 Championship.
1993: 1-2
1995: 1-2
1997: 1-2
1998: 1-2
1999: 1-2
2001: 0-2
2002: 0-2
2003: 1-2
2004: 2-2
2005: 0-2
2008: 1-2

AGUILAR NAMED ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Posting arguably the best freshman campaign in Saint Joseph's history, third baseman Monica Aguilar earned the program's first Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honor. Starting all 41 games at the hot corner, Aguilar enters the week leading the Hawks in hits (44), runs (33), doubles (10), and defensive assists (116), while ranking second in batting average (.370), home runs (4), slugging percentage (.588) and on-base percentage (.437). A four-time ASA national champion, she has been stellar in conference play, batting .438 with 15 runs, 21 hits and seven RBI. Twice named A-10 Rookie of the Week, Aguilar was also voted to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, along with earning First Team All-Conference honors.

DARREFF NAMED TO ATLANTIC 10 FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE AGAIN
For the second straight season, junior Brooke Darreff has proven to be the best catcher in the Atlantic 10, earning her second straight All-Conference First Team honor. Leading the Hawks with a .391 batting average and .457 on-base percentage, Darreff has slugged a career-high four home runs, while driving in 29 runs and scoring 15 times. The 2008 A-10 Player of the Year, Darreff has posted an astounding 96 hits the past two seasons, while batting .427. She enters this week 20th in program history with 115 hits.

ROSENWINKEL CLIMBS ALL-TIME HIT LIST
Averaging 39.7 hits per season, senior outfielder Erika Rosenwinkel has already proven to be one of the top hitters in program history. An Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team selection, Rosenwinkel enters the week tied for 14th all-time in Hawk history with 159 career hits.

GONZALES AMONGST SJU'S ALL-TIME PITCHERS
An Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team pick two years straight, senior pitcher Dani Gonzales has amassed impressive numbers. A four-year starter, Gonzales found her groove as a junior, posting a 1.64 ERA, with a career-best 144 strikeouts. This season, Gonzales has continued to be the ace of the Hawks' staff, recording a career-best 13 wins, to go with six complete-game shutouts, surpassing her career-total of five from the previous three seasons. Despite having a 2.62 ERA, Gonzales has been solid in A-10 play, posting a 1.81 ERA to go with five complete-game shutouts. She currently ranks fifth all-time in SJU history with 355 career strikeouts.

TWO HAWKS NAMED TO CAMEL STAMPEDE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Posting solid performances in the season-opening Campbell University Camel Stampede, sophomore outfielder Laura Cardone and senior pitcher Dani Gonzales earned All-Tournament Team honors. In the four-game tournament, Cardone batted .500 (6-for-12), while scoring five runs from the lead-off spot to spark SJU to a 2-2 record. On the mound, Gonzales went 2-1, allowing just four earned runs, while striking out 15.

ROSENWINKEL EARNS SECOND ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADE Senior outfielder Erika Rosenwinkel caps her SJU career with a pair of outstanding seasons, earning Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference honors this year. An All-Conference First Team selection after leading the nation in doubles per game (0.45) a season ago, Rosenwinkel has slugged a career-best eight home runs in 2009 and driven in a team-high 32 runs, to go with a .590 slugging percentage. Rosenwinkel enters the Atlantic 10 Championship batting .328 with 40 hits and 24 runs scored while starting all 41 games this season in right field for Saint Joseph's.

ATLANTIC 1O ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP HAWKS
Over their 11 Atlantic 10 postseason berths, the Hawks have had 13 players named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team. Below is a list of previous Saint Joseph's honorees.

Player (Years)
Teresa Andreani (2001) Candace Clark (1997, 1999)
Jill Clementi (2003)
Cara Deldeo (2004)
Lauren Hughes (2004, 2005)
Christina Kowalski (1999)
Linsey McNamara (2003)
Kristin Nau (2002)
Meghan O'Brien (1993)
Dana Travis (2003, 2004)

ADAMS AT THE ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Having returned the Saint Joseph's softball program to one of the top teams in the conference and region, the Hawks' Terri Adams is making her second appearance at the Atlantic 10 Championship as a head coach. Last season, the Hawks made the A-10 Tournament as a fifth seed, going 1-2. Prior to 2008, Adams served as an assistant at Temple, helping the Owls to five straight A-10 postseason from 200-2004, including earning the conference title in 2004. And before coming to Hawk Hill, Adams spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Fordham, helping the Rams to the 2006 A-10 Championship.