Head Coach
Margie Knight

Alma Mater
Salisbury St. '79

Record at School
134-48-1 (4 yrs)

Coach's Phone
410-543-6352

Assistants
Dr. Tom Stitcher
Kirstin Gitt
Vicki Hardisty

Final 2000 Record
32-10-1

Final CAC Record
10-0 (1st Place)

Final 2000 Ranking
18th (NFCA poll)

Nickname
Sea Gulls

Colors
Maroon & Gold

Home Field
Sea Gull Field

Surface
all-dirt infield
grass outfield

The Sea Gulls return key players throughout the lineup from last year’s 32-10-1 squad which finished one game away from its second World Series appearance.  Salisbury claimed its fourth straight conference title, registered its fourth straight 30-win season, and made its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. The Sea Gulls finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament’s Northeast Regional and finished 18^th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings of the year. SU begins the 2001 season with that same ranking in the preseason polls.

Head Coach Margie Knight, beginning her fifth season at her alma mater with a 134-48-1 record, welcomes back 13 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's club, which captured its fourth straight Capital Athletic Conference championship. The Sea Gulls carry a 40-game CAC winning streak into the 2001 campaign.

Senior catcher/outfielder April Harned, last year’s CAC Player of the Year, headlines the returnees. Harned, who earned third team all-America honors in 1999, hit .378 with a team-leading six home runs and 41 RBI in 2000.  She begins her senior season already ranked among SU’s all-time leaders in hits (5^th), at-bats (3^rd),  RBI (3^rd), doubles (3^rd), home runs (3^rd), and runs scored (8^th).

Other returning all-Capital Athletic Conference performers include senior outfielder Erin Gross (.303, 8 doubles, 24 runs in 2000), senior 1B Meghan Henning (.307, 12 doubles, 24 RBI), sophomore 3B Lisa Gentilella (.420, 50 hits, 20 RBI), who also earned CAC Rookie of the Year honors, and senior pitcher Terri Amalfitano (18-7, 1.19 ERA).

Other returning starters are junior 2B Jacki Warrington (.272), sophomore SS Kate Garland (.313), and outfielder/pitcher Katie Mullinix (.247, 2-0, 1.58 ERA).  Three other veterans are also vying for full-time spots in the lineup: sophomore OF Kristen Rementer, sophomore OF Jacqui Aliberti, and junior infielder Kellie Smigocki.

In addition to Amalfitano and Mullinix, the pitching staff includes seniors Stacy Slater (12-3, 1.16 ERA) and Erin Willey, (11-6, 3.20 ERA in 1999) who is returning this spring after sitting out last season following shoulder surgery.

Three other newcomers add further depth and versatility. Freshmen Nicole Barnoski and Chrissi White can both play in the outfield as well as behind-the-plate. Fellow frosh Rosie Aley adds depth in the infield.

Last year’s squad finished with a team batting average of .304 while averaging 5.28 runs per game, but the Gulls also finished eighth in the nation with a .965 fielding percentage. With a veteran lineup and one of the deepest pitching staffs in recent years, the Gulls are realistically eyeing another conference title and fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Championship Tournament.