SB : Syracuse moves into national rankings for 1st time in program history
On the heels of its best start in program history, the Syracuse softball team is ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 for the first time in its 12-year history.
‘I was in class when I got a text from my friend breaking the news,’ junior pitcher Jenna Caira said. ‘I didn’t leap out of my seat, but I definitely whipped my laptop out and went straight to the SU Athletics site.’
After going 4-1 in last weekend’s Lipton Invitational at the University of Florida, SU received 27 votes in Tuesday’s USA Today/NFCA poll to move to No. 25 in the nation. At 16-3, the Orange is nearing the end of a rapid early-season tournament travel slate with a gaudy record to show for it.
Though it’s a small goal on the path toward grander accomplishments, SU players said they have been eager to garner some national respect. And they aren’t hiding their satisfaction.
‘We won the Big East last year and returned all our starters, yet they still picked us to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason,’ junior second baseman Stephanie Watts said. ‘It felt good to finally get some respect.’
In the midst of a historic start, SU is ahead of schedule in terms of capitalizing on its preseason potential. So far, the Orange’s only three losses have come to Alabama and Florida, which are ranked No. 3 and No. 2 in this week’s rankings.
But SU head coach Leigh Ross is making sure her team keeps everything in perspective.
‘Our main goal is the same as it was to start the season,’ Ross said. ‘And that’s to reach a super regional.’
Like Ross, the players aren’t fluctuating from their preseason goals. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t letting this early fast track get to their heads.
‘There’s no ceiling for this team,’ junior outfielder Lisaira Daniels said. ‘Of course our goal is still to reach a super regional, but why can’t we get to the College World Series?’
The College World Series is a lofty goal for a program that never even reached the Top 25 in more than a decade of previous existence. But if this early-season run is any indication, that potential ceiling could continue to rise as SU develops into a team that can win in a variety of different ways.
Prior to the Lipton Invitational, Syracuse grew accustomed to prevailing in low-scoring nail-biters. Of SU’s first 12 wins, eight were by just a single run. In its first 14 games, the SU offense scored more than four runs just four times.
But in four victories last weekend, the Orange won by an average of seven runs per game. SU scored more than four runs in two of those wins, including a 15-run outburst against Gardner-Webb.
The SU pitching staff is the main reason for the unexpected national ascension, though.
Ace pitcher Caira headlined a banner weekend that saw the Orange staff throw four shutouts and 26 consecutive scoreless innings in the final four-plus games of the tournament. Caira was named Big East Pitcher of the Week after going 2-1 with a 0.78 ERA in four appearances. She also recorded 26 strikeouts and 17 consecutive scoreless innings.
Ross said much of the team’s recognition in the national polls this past week is a product of Caira standing out. And she said Syracuse’s new home in the national polls should become a permanent fixture.
‘We don’t want to spend every week looking at the national rankings to see where we’re at,’ Ross said. ‘We just expect it to be a foregone conclusion as the season goes on.’
