George Washington University Athletics
Softball Opens 2021 at The Vern
2/18/2021 5:10:00 PM | Softball
Colonials face Howard and Villanova
After its scheduled season opener was postponed due to icy conditions last weekend, GW softball is set to begin the 2021 campaign Friday afternoon on its home field on the Mount Vernon Campus.
Picked atop the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Colonials are slated to welcome Howard for a 3 p.m. start on Opening Day before hosting Big East favorite Villanova for a doubleheader on Saturday.
Find the full 2021 season preview here.
VETERAN PRESENCE: GW returns seven student-athletes who made at least 19 starts over its 24 games last spring: Jenna Cone, Jessica Linquist, Faith Weber, Sidney Bloomfield, Hannah Eslick, Maggie Greco and Alessandra Ponce.
Sierra Lange, who missed last spring due to injury after being an All A-10 First Team pick in 2019, is also back to help in the circle, at the plate and in the field.
The Colonials also added a pair of seasoned graduate transfers in Olivia Vinyard (Yale) and Amber Lotz (Houston Baptist). Combined, the newcomers have seen action in 227 collegiate games.
FOR STARTERS:Â GW will try for its first win in a season opener under Head Coach Shane Winkler.Â
Last spring, the Colonials were part of the first D-I game of the season vs. BYU in Mexico at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and engaged in a memorable pitchers' duel. Weber kept a shutout into the seventh inning before the Cougars won it, 1-0, on a walk-off single.
GW last started 1-0 in 2018 when it secured a 12-2 win over Florida A&M, boosted by home runs from Lange and Cone.
TRIPLE UP: Lange and Bloomfield enter the season tied for second in program history with eight triples apiece. GW Athletic Hall of Famer Elana Meyers Taylor holds the record with 15 three-baggers during her decorated run in Buff and Blue. Find the complete program record book here.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:Â Howard also makes its season debut after it was scheduled to host the Buff and Blue last weekend. Led by MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Kalita Dennis, the Bison have been tabbed as the favorite in their conference's Northern Division. They were 3-21 during the shortened 2020 season, despite the excellence of Dennis, who hit .382 with 11 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs over the 24 contests.
Villanova enters the new season with lofty expectations after going 14-13 vs. tough competition last spring with a pair of victories over ranked foes. The 2019 Big East Player of the Year, Paige Rauch solidified her place among the top two-way contributors in the nation, hitting .405 with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs and going 12-4 with a 2.25 ERA across 90 1/3 innings in the circle.
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennialÂcelebration, honoring the historic milestone with a variety of initiatives meant to highlight the best of the Buff and Blue. To learn more about the #GW200 festivities, click here.
GW softball's first-ever recruit, Meyers Taylor enjoyed a decorated career in Buff and Blue before going onto Olympic glory in the sport of bobsled.Â
A two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection and GW's first-ever All-Region honoree on the diamond in 2007, the Georgia native is the first American woman to win three Olympic bobsled medals, taking bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, silver at the 2014 Sochi Games and another silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. She became the first softball alumna elected to the GW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 and had her No. 24 retired in a ceremony at The Vern later that year.
Picked atop the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Colonials are slated to welcome Howard for a 3 p.m. start on Opening Day before hosting Big East favorite Villanova for a doubleheader on Saturday.
Find the full 2021 season preview here.
VETERAN PRESENCE: GW returns seven student-athletes who made at least 19 starts over its 24 games last spring: Jenna Cone, Jessica Linquist, Faith Weber, Sidney Bloomfield, Hannah Eslick, Maggie Greco and Alessandra Ponce.
Sierra Lange, who missed last spring due to injury after being an All A-10 First Team pick in 2019, is also back to help in the circle, at the plate and in the field.
The Colonials also added a pair of seasoned graduate transfers in Olivia Vinyard (Yale) and Amber Lotz (Houston Baptist). Combined, the newcomers have seen action in 227 collegiate games.
FOR STARTERS:Â GW will try for its first win in a season opener under Head Coach Shane Winkler.Â
Last spring, the Colonials were part of the first D-I game of the season vs. BYU in Mexico at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and engaged in a memorable pitchers' duel. Weber kept a shutout into the seventh inning before the Cougars won it, 1-0, on a walk-off single.
GW last started 1-0 in 2018 when it secured a 12-2 win over Florida A&M, boosted by home runs from Lange and Cone.
TRIPLE UP: Lange and Bloomfield enter the season tied for second in program history with eight triples apiece. GW Athletic Hall of Famer Elana Meyers Taylor holds the record with 15 three-baggers during her decorated run in Buff and Blue. Find the complete program record book here.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:Â Howard also makes its season debut after it was scheduled to host the Buff and Blue last weekend. Led by MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Kalita Dennis, the Bison have been tabbed as the favorite in their conference's Northern Division. They were 3-21 during the shortened 2020 season, despite the excellence of Dennis, who hit .382 with 11 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs over the 24 contests.
Villanova enters the new season with lofty expectations after going 14-13 vs. tough competition last spring with a pair of victories over ranked foes. The 2019 Big East Player of the Year, Paige Rauch solidified her place among the top two-way contributors in the nation, hitting .405 with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs and going 12-4 with a 2.25 ERA across 90 1/3 innings in the circle.
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennialÂ
GW softball's first-ever recruit, Meyers Taylor enjoyed a decorated career in Buff and Blue before going onto Olympic glory in the sport of bobsled.Â
A two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection and GW's first-ever All-Region honoree on the diamond in 2007, the Georgia native is the first American woman to win three Olympic bobsled medals, taking bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, silver at the 2014 Sochi Games and another silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. She became the first softball alumna elected to the GW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 and had her No. 24 retired in a ceremony at The Vern later that year.
Players Mentioned
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/ SoftballSoftball Gratitude Video
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NFCA All-American Sierra Lange
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Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympics
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Elana Meyers Taylor Heads to Fourth Olympic Games
Friday, February 11