The Positives from Syracuse Softball’s Rough Start to its Season
By: Adam Gotkin | @adam_gotkin
2023 has been a year full of downs for Syracuse Softball. The Orange are just 12-18-1 and are 3-10-1 in ACC action. The ‘Cuse have the 2nd worst team batting average and 3rd worst team ERA in the conference. Syracuse is the only ACC team to score less than 100 runs this season. That’s a lot of negatives and there isn’t any way around it. Head Coach Shannon Doepking will admit it herself that this team has struggled mightily this year. But even with all of the struggles, there are a plethora of positives from this season so far.
To start, Syracuse has the youngest team in the ACC this year. The Orange have an ACC high 10 freshmen on the team. And the freshmen have made a huge impact. Madelyn Lopez leads the team on the offensive side, with a batting average of .348 and and OPS of .945. Lopez wasn’t even a starter at the beginning of the season but found her way into the starting lineup and never looked back.
The top pitcher this year for the Orange has been another freshman. Madison Knight leads the pitching staff in ERA at 3.81. Knight has gotten better and better throughout the season and most recently against NC State, threw a no-hitter. The first no-no for Syracuse softball since 2018. Knight pitched 11.0 Innings against the Wolfpack and gave up just 3 hits, 1 run, and struck out 14. She also went 2/2 at the plate.
The Orange have improved throughout the year. In the past month, the Orange swept a doubleheader against reigning MAAC champions Canisuis, split a series against Notre Dame, and won a series against NC State.
The ‘Cuse look to keep their momentum going this week. First, the ‘Cuse have a midweek doubleheader against UAlbany. The Great Danes are just 12-12 this season overall and have yet to play a power 5 opponent. Morgan Petty leads UAlbany with a batting average of .397 and an OPS of 1.066. As a team, they hit over .300 and average over four runs a game. They do give up over four runs a game though as the pitching has struggled this year.
After UAlbany, Syracuse takes on North Carolina in a weekend series. The Tar Heels are 17-24 and are 6-8 in the ACC. UNC sits in the bottom half of the ACC in both team batting average and team ERA.
ajgotkin@syr.edu | @adam_gotkin
