Garden City, N.Y. -  2012 will be different. That's what the Adelphi University softball team is counting on. Each of the past three seasons the Panthers have come agonizingly close to an NCAA berth, with records of 32-14, 32-24 and 29-25, but this year will be different.
 
"I don't make excuses for missing the NCAAs in our recent years.  The fact is, if you win the games you're supposed it doesn't come down to chance,” Head Coach Paige Smith explained. “We were consistently good and inconsistently great in 2011."
 
There is not a single player on this year's squad from Adelphi's 2008 NCAA Regional participant, but the Panthers do return seven of their top 10 bats from a year ago and their number two pitcher. That returning core of players have achieved team success, earning the Northeast-10 Academic Team Award, qualifying and qualifying for the NE-10 playoffs, but they have that one hole in their team resume, which makes them hungry to prove this year will be different.
 
"This year we have a team that understands you cannot let up for even a second.  They are determined in everything they do and sometimes their competitive nature scares me,” Smith commented.  “I swear some of them would slap their mother for a win.  We have bought into a system and have created a culture for winning."
 
Adelphi's key losses come behind the plate, at third base and on the mound, having lost Deandra Leo, the single season home run record holder, Shay Craig, the team's best bat and 2011 ace Leighann Bell to graduation. However, Coach Smith is excited about the newcomers and about the returners who have stepped up to fill the void.
 
"My core group of starters are upperclassmen with great leadership.  Some have been starting for two years, others have been waiting for this chance for a while now.  The best thing about this team is that there isn't a drop-off in talent from one player to the next,” Smith stated. “I really mean it when I say that this year I will be switching up the lineups more than I typically do.  We have a balance of speed and power and the ability to 'tweak' the lineup in order to maximize our offensive strategy for any given opponent."
 
Infield
 
The infield was anchored by Amanda Krier, Heather Salerno and Jeanine Leo, along with Craig last season. Leo, the team's most productive returning hitter, batting .312 last year with an astounding 12 doubles and 26 RBI and will control the middle of the infield from her short stop position with second baseman Salerno. A rock in the line-up, Salerno saw action in all 54 games, posting the same stellar fielding percentage as Leo (.933), while slapping 34 hits and stealing nine bases.
 
After a brief positional battle, Krier made her home at first base, courtesy of her .991 fielding percentage and .299 batting average. Krier also hit for power, stroking 11 doubles and driving in 13 runs.
 
Newcomer and high school All-New York selection, Victoria Wink has put a strangle hold on the third base spot that was vacated with the graduation of Craig. The slick fielding Wink will be asked to not only fill the hole in the field, but pick up some of the slack lost with the graduation of the hard hitting Craig, who was tops on the team with 35 RBI in 2011.
 
Fellow new faces, Meghan Heiser and Renee Marchewka are also competing for time on the infield. Heiser's big bat could earn her some reps at first base and Marchewka's versatility will make her valuable anywhere inside the diamond.
 
Catcher
 
The Panthers lost power and poise with the graduation of Deandra Leo, who set a single season record for home runs with 11 and handled the pitching staff like a sculptor a year ago. However, her understudy for the past two seasons, junior Elizabeth Lindner returns, after patiently waiting and learning behind Leo.
 
Lindner showed good pop at the plate, going 10-36 last season and has a strong arm, which will give opportunistic base runner cause to pause before attempting a steal. Lindner's handling of the pitching staff has become a strength, thanks to hard work and a helping hand from Leo, who has moved to the other side of the fence, as an Adelphi Assistant Coach.
 
Heiser, a catcher and first baseman by trade, will also see time behind the plate this spring, helping to add power to the line-up and give Lindner a rest from time to time.
 
Outfield
 
The outfield is going to be an area of strength for the Panthers in 2012. Adelphi has speed occupying all three fields and depth to keep fresh legs running the outfield grass all season. Junior Emily Dorko will lead this year's group from her spot in center field. The speedster is the table setter for the offense, hitting .302 with 25 runs scored and a team-high 35 stolen bases in 2011.
 
Left field was patrolled by Amy Ogden last spring and the junior returns a year removed from a solid, .296 campaign that saw her rack up 47 hits. Ogden was also 15-19 in stolen base attempts a year ago and is part of Adelphi's three headed speed monster that will occupy the outfield in this spring.
 
Right field currently has a vacancy sign on it, with the loss of Paige Rhodes, but freshmen Jaclyn Binstock and Kayla Rieger are locked in a heated contest along with sophomore Courtney Sullivan to occupy that spot. Sullivan hit .175 in limited action last season, but has shown good power, thanks to a year of working out, while Binstock eats up ground with her speed in the outfield and Rieger has shown good instincts. All three will see time in the outfield this year.
 
Senior Kristina Cavallo saw action in 13 games last season and is also competing for time in the outfield. With good acceleration on the base paths, Cavallo is always a threat to steal when pinch running.
 
Pitching
 
Just two of Adelphi's five pitchers from a year ago return, led by last year's clear cut #2 Katie Andrews. Andrews led the team with a 2.10 earned run average and posted a strong record of 11-7 in just her first season of collegiate softball. She tossed 143.1 innings last year and struck out 168 batters, a year stronger and more comfortable with the college game, Andrews will be counted on to lead a young staff.
 
Natalie Camarda is the other holdover from 2011, going 1-1 with a 4.94 earned run average, used primarily in relief a year ago, Camarda has electric stuff and according to coach Smith has been throwing very strong this spring.
 
Junior Laurin Watts and senior Devon Kelly will round out this year's staff. Watts, a transfer, was a four-time Alabama All-State selection in high school and throw's straight gas. At 5-10, Watts is every inch a power pitcher and is vying for top billing on this year's squad, along with Kelly and Andrews.
 
Kelly attended SUNY New Paltz as a freshman, before transferring and finally ending up as a Panther. Kelly has battled injuries for the past few years, but is 100% healthy and the crafty righty is now showing great mound presence and vying for a spot in the rotation.
 
Schedule
 
Four College World Series participants and 14 programs that competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament highlight Adelphi's 2012 softball schedule. The schedule also features 11 home dates, which will be played on the newly renovated Janet L. Ficke Field and a southern swing through Florida.

The Panthers will open their schedule on Friday, March 9 in Kissimmee, Florida taking on Division II College World Series Participants, Minnesota State – Mankato and Saginaw Valley. During their seven day trip to Florida, Adelphi will also take on California – PA, Indiana University – PA, Wayne State, Caldwell, Shippensburg, Tiffin and the University of Indianapolis, who all participated in NCAA Regional Tournament play.

Adelphi will open their home slate on campus for the first time since 2009, taking on cross-town rival and College World Series participant C.W. Post on March 22, in the first day of a three day home stand that will also feature Northeast-10 opponents, New Haven and Southern Connecticut State University.

That begins the meat of Adelphi's NE-10 schedule, which has the Panthers playing eight straight conference opponents, before an April 9 meeting with East Coast Conference power Dowling College offers a brief respite. An April 20 match-up with Molloy College will be the final regular season game on Janet L. Ficke Field in 2012 and Adelphi's final test against a 2011 NCAA Regional Participant, while the Panthers will close out the regular season on Sunday, April 22 at Southern New Hampshire.

The Northeast-10 Championships are slated to begin on April 24 with first round play and proceed to Tournament action, April 27-29.

The Brown and Gold have a challenging schedule ahead of them, but with a brand new stadium, a mix of grizzled veterans and hungry newcomers this year's Adelphi softball team vow that 2012 will be different.