By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team opens a 40-game schedule with a trip to South Carolina.

The Bears will play 10 games over a six-day span during spring break at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in North Myrtle Beach and Little River, S.C., starting Sunday morning.

BSU begins against Penn State-Harrisburg at 9 a.m., followed by a game against Saint Elizabeth University of Morristown, N.J., at 11 a.m.

Ten players return from a team that went 15-28-1, including 9-5 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

BSU got off to a 2-16 start last March but bounced back to make it to the championship round of the MASCAC tournament for a fourth season in a row.

The Bears have finished their last two seasons with losses to Framingham State University in the final round after defeating Framingham State for the MASCAC title in 2021. The teams have played in four straight conference championship rounds.

After being stopped two consecutive years by the Rams, BSU is looking to get past that roadblock and return to the NCAA tourney for the first time since '21.

"We're hoping to change that this year," said assistant coach and BSU Hall of Famer Angela Vecchione. "They definitely are hungry. That is without question. They are eager and they are hungry.

"As long as they focus on what they need to focus on, I think we"'ve got a really good chance. We've got a good group with half our team back. We've got a team that works hard and wants to play and wants to win. Let's see how it all plays out.

BSU returns three pitchers who all appeared in at least 25 games last season.

Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) started 21 games and worked in relief in six others while McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) started 18 of her 25 games and Tatiana Burcy (Hyde Park, Mass.) was a reliever in 21 of her 25 games.

They will be joined by transfer Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.), who was 9-4 in 15 games for Framingham State, and freshmen Lily Gagnon (East Haven, Conn.) and Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.).

"Our pitchers have put in some great work in the offseason," said Vecchione. "They look really, really good. They all have a different style of pitching, which is good for us."

Senior outfielder Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) returns after making the All-MASCAC second team last season.

Jolly hit .328 with six doubles, four triples and a home run while driving in 23 runs. She also had six outfield assists and stole eight bases.

Other returners on the 22-player roster include junior Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.), who is moving from the outfield to catcher after batting .326 with a team-leading 44 hits; junior second baseman Kailey Collins-Fiore (LaGrange, N.Y.), who started 37 games; sophomore catcher/infielder Emily Eastman (Cranston, R.I.); junior infielder Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.); sophomore outfielder Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.); and infielder Katie Tobin (Chestnut Hill, Mass.).

Key newcomers include freshman shortstop Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.), Framingham State transfer Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.), a sophomore who hit .322 with four homers and 23 RBI in 46 games for the Rams, freshmen Kyleah Plumb (Taunton, Mass.), Kayliz Ortega (North Andover, Mass.), Haleigh Harris (Byfield, Mass.), Lily Gioiosa (Dartmouth, Mass.), catcher Sidney Schwartz (Chelmsford, Mass.) and outfielder Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.).

"I think our outfield is going to be a strong point," said Vecchione. "We have a lot of speed there and can really read the ball. We've got a lot of depth in the outfield. We'll be in good shape there.

"I think we're going to compete at the plate. I think we have some girls who have some power and some girls who can make solid contact. As long as we can execute at the plate and stay with our mechanics, I think we'll be OK."

BSU got better as the season went on a year ago following the rough beginning in March. The Bears are hoping to get in a groove earlier this time around.

"As the year went on, as we got closer to the end of the regular season, we were more solid all around," said Vecchione. "We weren't making as many mistakes as we did earlier in the season and kept getting better."

BSU is picked to finish third in the MASCAC preseason coaches poll behind Framingham State and Worcester State.