What you need to know about Winthrop spring sports

Several Winthrop spring sports have gotten underway already and the others launch their seasons in the next few weeks. Here’s a look at each Eagles team competing for a Big South championship this spring:

Baseball

Last year: 28-27, 0-2 at Big South tournament

Big question in 2017: senior pitcher Matt Crohan had an injury-shortened 2016 season but was picked Big South preseason pitcher of the year several weeks ago. Big things are expected from the redshirt junior lefty from Long Island, but it’s not clear when he’ll be fully fit to go as he continues to recover from last year’s arm surgery. Coach Tom Riginos hopes he’ll be back by April.

“He’s gonna pitch for us this year,” he said. “Is there a specific date? We don’t know that date and a lot of that depends on him.”

Standout: Anthony Paulsen’s teammates call him “Grandpa” but he hit the ball like a young man in his college prime last spring. Paulsen’s .355 batting clip led the Eagles; they’ll need another effort like that after the graduation of three of the top-four hitters.

Women’s lacrosse

Last year: 20-3, Big South champions, lost to Penn State 16-6 in first round of NCAA tournament

Big question in 2017: fresh off the program’s second straight NCAA tournament appearance former coach John Sung was snapped up by Virginia Tech. Julika Blankenship replaced Sung, who launched Winthrop’s program, and the obvious question is how the Eagles will perform under their new coach. Another key question recently emerged when standout goalie Alaina Girani broke her foot, ruling her out for the season and Blankenship said Monday that another goalie, freshman Sarah McGuire, is also out injured. How will freshman net-minder Chloe Wormsley cope with the sudden pressure?

“It’s tricky losing a goalie that’s so talented,” Blankenship said. “There was no room for any one freshman to say, ‘oh, she’s just a freshman, she can make mistakes.’ There is no time for that.”

Standout: juniors Katie Clark and Kristen Shriver are the leading returning scorers for a team trying to replace graduated attacker Shannon Gallagher, one of the best players in the program’s short history. NCAA added a shot clock, which should speed the game up and could benefit what Blankenship described as a very fit team.

Women’s tennis

Last year: 20-5, Big South champions, lost to South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament

Big question in 2017: Post-2016 saw a big roster reshuffle for Cid Carvalho’s successful program. He’s got one redshirt senior this year and eight freshmen and sophomores and yet the Eagles were still the preseason favorite to win the Big South for the 19th time.

“I’m not sure why they did that,” Carvalho said, smiling.

How the Eagles adjust to college or new surroundings or new teammates and competition will determine whether the Big South’s coaches were on to something or not.

Standout: Lauren Proctor was the Big South player of the year and freshman of the year last season and is a co-captain with redshirt senior Caitlin Cridland.

“They’ve both been doing a great job leading the new players,” said Carvalho. “Lauren is a tremendous player. The sky is the limit for her, so it’s a matter of preparing her. We have goals set up for her to make the NCAA’s and she has aspirations to play professionally after college.”

Men’s tennis

Last year: 10-13, lost to UNC Asheville in first round of Big South tournament

Big question in 2017: like the women, Winthrop’s men only have one senior, Tremayne Mitchell, and he’s recovering from a knee injury. Like the women, John Collins’ team was picked to win the league despite its relative youth. This team differs, though, in its 0-4 start to the season; will the tough non-conference schedule help the Eagles when the Big South portion of the year rolls around?

“We’re a little bit banged up and we’re just doing our best to be patient while we get healthy,” Collins said. “But I really think we’re setting ourselves up to make a run here, going forward.”

Standout: Diego Quiroz is playing in the No. 1 spot as a sophomore. The Ecuadorian was a second team All-Conference pick last season and is 1-1 so far this season.

Track and field

Last year: the Winthrop women placed fifth in the team standings at the Big South championship, while the men finished sixth

Big question in 2017: Ben Paxton’s teams have tended to overachieve during his 24 years, especially considering some of the opposing Big South schools’ track and field programs are fully funded, scholarship-wise, and Winthrop is not. Hammer thrower Marthaline Cooper is the program’s latest diamond in the rough. Can she win a national title this spring, either at the indoor or outdoor championships? She finished sixth last year at the indoor championship and third at the outdoor championship later in the spring, both All-American accomplishments.

Standout: Cooper of course, but there are several others to keep an eye on, including freshman Olivia Paxton, a South Pointe grad and promising 10K runner, and graduate student Alesha Love, who is a contender to qualify for the NCAA postseason in sprints and hurdles.

“The speed I have right now, I know it will transfer to outdoor because indoor is a little bit slower than outdoor,” said Love. “I’m gonna take all my speed and all the coaching I’m getting and transfer it to the outdoor season.”

Women’s golf

Last year: fourth at Big South tournament

Big question in 2017: Jodi Wendt’s team graduated just one senior and has none this year. But a strong fall season begs the question: is this team ready to win now, or is it still building for the future?

“We have a great team, the same team we’ve had the last two years basically,” junior Ashley Sloup said. “Our big goal as a team is to win conference and this is our best year to do it.”

Standout: Sloup produced a conference-best four top-10 finishes during the Eagles’ fall season, including a win at the Winthrop Intercollegiate. Sophomore Julie Reinertsen also posted four top-10s.

Men’s golf

Last year: fourth at Big South tournament

Big question in 2017: Can Zach Seabolt get back to his 2015 best? The senior was the Big South golfer of the year that season but his form dipped a bit last year. He averaged 74 strokes per 18 holes during the fall season, but if he can rediscover his best level, Kevin Pendley’s Eagles could make some noise at the conference tournament.

Standout: Sophomore Sawyer Mills averaged 73 strokes per 18 holes in the fall, top-20 in the Big South, and gives Winthrop a promising supplement to senior Bradley Kauffman and Seabolt, who finished tied for second at the conference championship last spring.

Softball

Last year: 15-43, 4-20 in Big South, 1-2 at Big South tournament

Big question in 2017: Another young Winthrop spring sports team, the Eagles need to answer one big question to improve on last season’s 15-win campaign: can they produce more offense after batting .241 as a team? Getting redshirted shortstop Maddie Antone back will certainly help.

”She was freshman of the year in 2014 and has never hit less than .350 for the season, so we’re really excited to have her back in the lineup,” said co-head coach Kendall Fuller.

Standout: Leah Young is the leading returning hitter from last season and will be relied on heavily this spring, even as she shifts from first base to the middle of the infield.

“I worked on my power, worked on my strength,” she said Monday. “This year I think we’re gonna be very powerful, very strong. Our weight program has really stepped up. Individually, I had to find a bigger role within myself.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "What you need to know about Winthrop spring sports."