A place with concrete walls and a Teflon roof hardly sounds like an ideal softball field. More like a prison.

But the Syracuse softball team was forced to practice in the Carrier Dome for the last three months, as the harsh winter prevented the Orangewomen from a single day of outdoor practice.

Syracuse gets its first outdoor action this weekend when it travels to Las Vegas to participate in the UNLV Tournament. The tournament begins a series of road games the Orangewomen will play before their April 9 home opener.

‘We’re used to not practicing outside,’ Syracuse head coach Mary Jo Firnbach said. ‘When you’re not in a warm climate you come to expect that.’

To SU’s disadvantage, the other teams at the tournament — UNLV, Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe — have already played several games, let alone practice outdoors.

‘You could look at not playing in games as a disadvantage,’ senior Julie Dunn said. ‘The fundamentals are still the same.”

The new season begins with high expectations for the Orangewomen. Last season, SU’s third year, the Orangewomen finished third in the Big East, qualifying for the conference tournament.

This season, SU enters the year ranked No. 2 in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll.

‘We have the potential to win the Big East,’ sophomore outfielder Tanya Rose said. ‘We have the defense and pitching, and offensively, we have a lot more power.’

Syracuse will have more experience, too. This year is the last for SU’s first class of seniors. Included in this group are Dunn, outfielders Kristen Collins and Christina Holowich and pitcher Tara DiMaggio.

‘They were my first recruiting class,’ Firnbach said. ‘I’ve seen them grow so much.’

As a sophomore, DiMaggio led SU with a 1.51 ERA. She followed that last year with a 2.78 and her third-straight year with at least 100 strikeouts. She will lead a pitching staff that includes sophomore Taylor Peterson, who led the team last year with a 1.85 ERA. Utah Valley State Junior College transfer Haley Larsen will also join the staff.

Among SU position players, Dunn and Collins head a freshman-laden group. First baseman Jennifer Orpitelli and outfielder Cassie Morales should receive significant playing time. Shortstop Alexis Switenko, a likely starter, will be the first SU player ever to wear No. 44.

‘The freshmen are amazingly talented,’ Dunn said. ‘(In) things I’ve worked four years to become good at, they just do better.’

Rose will also play a large role. Last season, she earned Big East Rookie of the Year honors and was a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection. She batted .378, good for fourth in the league, and set SU single-season records in hits (54), total bases (77) and stolen bases (13).

‘I always feel like I have to outdo myself,’ Rose said. ‘People have high expectations for me.’

The season begins today against Louisiana-Monroe at 1, followed by a 6 p.m. game with UNLV. On Saturday, the Orangewomen face Tennessee at 1 p.m., and then, bracket play begins.

After the UNLV Tournament, the Orangewomen head to Southern Illinois for a tournament and Florida for two more, in Orlando and Miami.

‘This year should be awesome,” Dunn said. “We have a big powerful combo of old and new.’

Said Larsen: ‘With our hitting, other teams are going to be more intimidated.”

Published on February 20, 2003 at 12:00 pm