Wentworth Institute of Technology: Athletics > Varsity Sports

The only women’s sport at Wentworth played during the spring season, softball has become very popular in recent years. An energetic, enthusiastic, and exciting group of student-athletes eagerly take the field with the intent of advancing Wentworth to the next level of play and to the upper echelon of The Commonwealth Coast Conference.

Formed in 1986, the Wentworth softball team initially competed only against local colleges and played on a public softball field separated from the Wentworth campus. The completion of Sweeney Field and Carr Diamond in 1996 changed all that and provided the Leopards with a state-of-the-art, on-campus facility featuring artificial turf, lighting, and a home field advantage second to none.

After both the 1998 and 2001 squads established school records for wins (10 and 14, respectively), the 2003 edition of the Leopards had a breakout season, finishing with a new school record 19-15 mark and advancing to the second round of the CCC Tournament. The 2004 Leopards returned to the CCC Tournament and ended with a 15-15 record, marking the first time the team has posted consecutive .500 or better seasons. In 2005, the Leopards cracked the 10-win plateau for the third consecutive season, but made an early exit from the CCC Tournament.

While the three years that followed saw the Leopards win just eight games combined and suffer lengthy losing streaks in both overall and conference play, the team remained competitive and gained experience for future seasons.

The 2009 Leopard softball team took a step toward returning to its successful ways of the early 2000s. Wentworth began its season with a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., where the Leopards posted a 2-6 record. Three of those losses came by a combined six runs, while two came to a Division II program.

While posting a 3-3 record in their first six games back home, the Leopards stood at 5-9 - surpassing the number of wins the previous two teams had collected - and a win over Regis on Mar. 28 snapped a 50-game conference losing streak dating back to the 2006 season.

While the next four games were losses, three of the four were by one run and Wentworth would respond by winning three of the next four games, which included snapping an 11-game losing streak to Roger Williams. However, over the course of the next 10 games the Leopards would claim just one win to conclude the season with a 9-23 record. The nine wins were more than the three previous seasons combined, while 11 of the losses came by a total of 15 runs, including eight by one run.

Three members of the Leopards earned post-season honors, with seniors Krista Kelley (Medford, Mass.) and Kim Cabral (San Antonio, Fla.) and sophomore Bridget Souza (Medford, Mass.) each earning a spot on The Commonwealth Coast Conference All-Conference Team as honorable mention selections. Kelley batted ..315 (35-for-111) with nine doubles and six stolen bases, Cabral hit .278 (22-for-79) with six doubles and a home run, while Souza hit .312 (29-for-93) with five doubles, two home runs, and 21 runs batted in. As a team Wentworth earned TCCC Team Sportsmanship Award for the third time in four seasons.

Sophomore Lizz Harvey (McConnellsburg, Pa.) led the team by batting .367 (33-for-90) with five doubles, six home runs, and 24 RBI, while junior Caylee Johanson (Windsor, Conn.), a transfer from Central Connecticut), hit .348 (32-for-92) with eight doubles. She also picked up six of Wentworth's nine wins in the pitching circle.

Despite the loss of four seniors, the Leopards return three of their top four hitters and all three pitchers. With an additional year of experience under their belts as well as a strong recruiting class, Wentworth should be in contention to make its first postseason trip since 2005.

Distinguished Players

Players have recently earned individual honors at both the conference and national levels. In 1995, Karri Alexion '95 was the NCAA Division III stolen base champion, averaging nearly two stolen bases per contest. During the 2000 season, Lindsay Kist '00 was honored as the CCC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2003, pitcher Jena Beauregard '06 was named the CCC Rookie of the Year. Alexion was inducted into the Wentworth Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002, followed by Angel Basselet '98, who went in the following year. Kist, who also excelled in soccer and basketball, was inducted in 2005.

Schedule

The Leopards play a 35-game schedule, including 24 games against CCC foes such as Endicott, Roger Williams, Salve Regina, Curry, and the University of New England. The Leopards have also traveled to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina as a part of their Spring Break trip.

Meet the Coaching Staff

Bob Long is in his 12th season as the Wentworth softball coach. Long, a two-time (2003, 2009) recipient of the conference's coach of the year award, coached from 1997-2006 before returning to the diamond in 2009. He has also served as Wentworth's head men's soccer coach since the 1997 season. He is assisted by Carrie Rodman (Emmanuel '03), a former pitcher and coach at neighboring Emmanuel College.