BROCKPORT, NY – The SUNY Brockport softball team is set to begin its 2020 campaign on Thursday morning as the Golden Eagles take on Coast Guard (9 a.m.) and Wilmington (11 a.m.) on day one at the 30^th Annual Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.  Thursday's games will take place in Naples, FL at North Collier Regional Park. 

Bench Generals: Head Coach John Dumaw enters his 22^nd season at the helm of Brockport softball and he is the program's all-time leader with 465 career victories.  He has a career ledger of 465-325.  Brockport has won at least 20 games in 15 of the last 17 seasons.  Dumaw will be assisted by Brockport softball alum Morgan Flamholtz who wrapped up her collegiate career last Spring with a lifetime .368 batting average, 98 career hits, four home runs and 48 RBIs. 

Veteran Group Returning: Brockport will look to its veteran leadership for guidance in the Golden Eagles push to earn a spot in the SUNYAC Conference Tournament.  The Brockport roster features seven seniors, four juniors and five sophomores. 

On-Field Captains: Senior Alexis Ross and classmate Meghan Cullen will serve as captains for the 2020 Golden Eagles.  Ross is an outfielder who played in 32 games last season and batted .308, while posting 36 hits and nine RBIs.  Cullen was an All-SUNYAC First Team selection at short stop last season after  batting .407 with 50 hits, 40 runs scored, 16 doubles and 22 RBIs.  She needs nine hits for 100 for her career. She is a lifetime .384 hitter and has shown good pop with seven career home runs.

Players to Watch: Senior Jessica Koneski – an all-conference first team designated player as a freshman – enters her final season in the green and gold with a .389 lifetime batting average, 111 career hits, 87 RBIs and 16 home runs.  She is six home runs shy of the school-record of 22 set back in 2003 by Kim Comtois.  Senior Alison Missavage enters he final season with a .334 lifetime average at Brockport. She needs just three hits for 100 for her career and she has 60 career RBIs and 59 runs scored.  Junior infielder Kacie Hubbard also returns as a dangerous part of the Golden Eagle lineup and she has compiled 56 career games played to go along with 48 hits, 30 RBIs and 24 runs scored over the course of the past two seasons. 

Florida Schedule: Brockport is currently scheduled for 12 games in a span of six days in Florida.  All games are currently scheduled to be played between two complexes: Century Link Sports Complex (Fort Myers, FL) and North Collier Regional Park (Naples, FL).  The Florida schedule consists of games against the following opponents: Coast Guard, Wilmington, Curry, Canton, Crown, Wisconsin-Superior, Alleghany, Cobleskill and Keene State. 

2019 Recap: Brockport capped its 2019 campaign with a 14-20 overall ledger.  They won six games at the friendly confines of the Clark V. Whited Baseball/Softball Complex. The Golden Eagles capped their season with a pair of wins at home against SUNYAC rival Plattsburgh, including a convincing 14-0 win over the Cardinals in the final game of the season. They finished the season with five conference victories. 

Looking to Get Back to the Post Season: Brockport's most recent visit to the SUNYAC Tournament came back in 2015 when they earned the No. 5 seed and advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual SUNYAC Champion Cortland. 

Collegiate Experience is Key: Senior Casey Danko batted .356 last season and finished second on the team with 42 hits while adding 30 RBIs and 32 runs scored in 2019.  Classmate Aren Schwab returns to the outfield this season after posting 18 hits, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored one year ago.  Tori Thuman transferred in from MCC last year and played in 25 games in her first season in the green and gold. Cami Duggan earned great reps in her freshman season as she played in 28 games and recorded 13 hits and four RBIs. Molly Ryan played in eight games as a freshman and looks to increase her role as her career progresses. 

The Pitching Staff: Junior transfer Catherine Johnson comes to Brockport after spending two seasons at Division II Millersville University. In two seasons she posted 18 wins on the mound and led the team in strikeouts each season with 112.  Junior Julia Palopoli and sophomore Megan Van Dorn return to the circle this season for the Golden Eagles with vital collegiate experience under their belts.  Palopoli posted a team-high seven wins last season in 16 starts and she recorded 40 strikeouts.  She now has 13 career victories and 105 career strikeouts for Brockport.  Van Dorn made 15 appearances on the rubber in her freshman campaign last season and picked up two wins, while striking out 18. Macy Kane comes to Brockport after spending last season at Division II Queens College where she posted two wins on the mound.  She began her collegiate career at Suffolk Community College.

Fresh Faces: The Golden Eagles welcome a host of fresh faces to the roster this Spring with the addition of first year's Kayla Pilotti, Clare Aroune, Ashley Shean, Madison Evarts, Morgan Skpowski, Olivia Hayden, Andrea Coyle, Jenna Downey, Amanda Blakely and Annie Dipirro.

Back Up North: Brockport wraps up play in Florida on May 17^th and is scheduled to begin action up north when the Golden Eagles travel to Nazareth College on March 25^th for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Brockport's home opener is also its SUNYAC Conference opener as the Golden Eagles host Buffalo State on March 27^th at 3 p.m.