Dayton Softball Reflects On Monumental Season

The Dayton softball team was a work in progress to start the 2010 season but by season's end they were a work of art in many eyes.  

Perhaps it was because the Bulldogs won only two games in 2009 but finished this past campaign just one game under .500—an unthinkable feat if you asked anyone outside the Bulldogs locker room.  

But once they hired Dayton alum Wendy Saladino and the players began to buy into her philosophy and build their confidence, the young Bulldogs team ended up accomplishing more than any Dayton softball team had in over a decade.     

"We fell short but that shows we still have work to do," said Saladino shortly after the season finale last month. "Hopefully they'll work even harder in the off-season and won't get too comfortable."     

The hard-nosed Saladino, herself a former college softball legend at Montclair State University and alternate on Team USA, drove her players to believe in themselves and not worry about how young and inexperienced they were.   

"Coach Saladino really helped boost my confidence and I know she helped many, if not all, of our team's confidence this year," said freshman ace pitcher Breanne Mooney. "She gave us something to believe in."   

Mooney was thrust into the staff's linchpin role because of the debilitating shoulder injury to last year's ace, Gabby DeFronzo. When it was apparent DeFronzo couldn't contribute this season, Saladino put her trust in an unproven freshman. And Mooney rarely disappointed.     

The righty hurler was appreciative of Saladino's guidance and is already chomping to get back into the groove.     

"It's an awesome feeling to know that we achieved most of our goals and to know that we were so successful," said Mooney who will be playing on summer and fall teams, while working with her personal pitching coach, to ready for the 2011 season. "My expectations are even higher for next year considering where we got this year, when no expected what happened. We definitely surprised and proved many people wrong."    

The Bulldogs will be poised to improve despite losing three key seniors. The arrival of promising newcomers and a current batch that has a year of experience under their belts, Dayton could advance even further in post-season play.  

"These seniors are going to be very hard to replace," Mooney said referring to catcher Casey Friedman, third baseman Allie Policastro, and reserve outfielder Melissa Mansur. "They were so encouraging and positive and they were full of leadership that it is going to be hard without them next year. But I know the juniors and seniors will step into their places and do just as good a job."    

Although Mooney had a very successful season by any account, she knows she needs to work on a lot of aspects of her game to be a better leader and player.  

"I am planning on getting better and improving on things that I had trouble with this season such as batting," said Mooney who also admitted she tired frequently down the stretch.  

To help the development of Mooney – and the rest of the team -- Saladino will put each on a stringent off-season conditioning program. One thing she wants from her team is better stamina, particularly from her regular pitchers, Mooney and fellow freshman Amanda Stein.   

"I'm going to put them in a conditioning program and I'll follow up with them on that," said Saladino who offered her biggest peeve, besides the errors, were the walks. "Every walk scores. I'd say like 80 percent of the time, if you walk someone they're going to score and it's going to come back and bite you, so we'll fix that before next season."  

Friedman agreed that Dayton will need to improve on the little things but had the utmost confidence they'll get rectified. She said the best part of her experience was being a major part in laying the foundation.   

"It feels amazing to be apart of such a great success my senior year and I only wish I could be apart of it again," said Friedman who will attend UMass in the fall. "Coach Saladino pushed us to concentrate on the fundamentals everyday in practice and we gained confidence from her bringing our team success. Next year if they keep that mentality up, they will go far again."  

Hoping to continue Dayton's winning ways next season – and play a larger leadership role – is left fielder Kendall Bohannon. Although not a team captain, she was always one of the first to rally the team during tough moments.

Admittedly not a workout warrior, Bohannon said she'll use this summer as a way to mend that.   

"It's hard for me to keep a set workout because I never have the want to exercise, so I hope Coach follows through with her plan to give us a routine," said Bohannon who said she'll mostly use the batting cages, beach runs, and exercise bikes to improve conditioning.     

Bohannon also said as a newly minted team leader she'll take it upon herself to bridge the gap from newcomers to veterans.  

"To up my status, I'll have to show the girls how much of a leader I can be," she said. "I know I can lead a group or team without being a dictator or bossy. Once everyone gets to know each other, next year it'll be easier [to gel]. We were a strong team and will be [next season]."    

She added that what really set Saladino apart from the previous regime was trust. Bohannon struggled to start the 2010 season and was benched, yet didn't really understanding what she was doing wrong. But a mid-season meeting with Saladino picked up her morale and showed her that the coach had the best interest of the player and team.         

"In the beginning of the year, I wasn't playing much and she had me sitting the bench," recounted Bohannon. "I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong, so I asked her and she sat me down in practice and told me that she believes I can be awesome but I just have to prove it more. So, I tried harder and it paid off. It showed me she actually followed her words and it kept me working harder."   

Saladino had that type of bond with most her players -- whether they were a noted team star or key reserve. Such a connection was one major reason for Dayton's success.

"Being a part of the team this year was amazing," said reserve outfielder Ali Diamond, noting how the team became so tight-knit over time. "Coach Saladino really made a big difference. Her positive attitude every game, and the way she never gave up on us, was a huge confidence booster. She gave us that extra drive to want to win. As Coach would say, she kept us hungry to win."  

Each returning player felt it was an honor in being a part of the first layer of what will hopefully be a winning tradition. To each player, team camaraderie and the journey itself, trumped all personal goals.  

"It was awesome to be part of one of the most successful seasons of Dayton softball," Bohannon exulted. "I helped make up a little part of the history and it's sweet."   

Second baseman Krista Delia, whose perspective belies her sophomore status, agreed.   

"It was amazing to be a part of something as special as this," said Delia who said her leadership came in the form of leading by example. "Since I was only a sophomore last season, and being one of the youngest, the only way I felt I could be a leader was to hit well or play well in the field [particularly in tight ballgames]. By doing that I felt I showed my team that we have fight and we'll never give up…I will continue to grow my leadership on this team."   

Saladino was pleased to know that most of the returnees will continue to play together this summer on club teams, so she can "better keep tabs of them."   

Delia thinks that playing together year-round can only enhance team chemistry.  

"I am playing on a travel team during the summer for Springfield with a bunch of the girls on the team," she said. "It is great that a majority of us stay together to play over the summer."  

Saladino only hopes it'll make for a stronger bond. Although the first-year coach was pleased with their overall play, her grading system still drives a hard bargain.     

"There's a different grade for different things but I'd say for improvement, definitely an 'A,'" Saladino allowed. "For outcome, though, I'd say a 'C+' because there's room for improvement but that's because I'm hard grader."  

Tough grading system or not, anyone who followed the Bulldogs' plights in previous years know that the 2010 softball team passed this season with flying colors.