The Hawks, coming off their first-ever back-to-back 30 wins seasons, welcome back six starting position players and two all-league caliber pitchers.

Leading the charge for head coach CHRIS WAJDA's troops will be the dynamic pitching duo of KIM LYALL and SCARLETT REUTER. The only major changes in the starting lineup are in the infield. After a one-year hiatus, MANDY SCHRAMM returns to second base to once again form a double-play combination with twin sister STACEY SCHRAMM who moves from second base back to shortstop where she started every game in 1998 and 1999. Last season's starter at shortstop MARYANN SOARES will move to catcher to fill the void left by the graduation of Chrissy Didieo and the departure of Sandy Morris. Senior SHANNON LYMAN and freshman KIM LOMBARDI are the leading candidates to earn the starting spot at first base. Lombardi and Lyman will also add depth on the mound. 

All three outfielders return from last season as sophomores TAMMY LASCAR, PAULA PETROCELLI and MALEKA BROWN will patrol the outfield from left to right. STEFFANIE TYSKA, who started 19 games in the outfield also returns for the Hawks.

PITCHERS
The Hawks return all three pitchers from last season. The ace of the staff is junior KIM LYALL. Lyall earned Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 after posting a 15-6 record and a 1.64 earned run average. Last season, Lyall continued to progress as she set a school and conference record with her 0.78 ERA en route to a 13-4 mark. She also fanned an MU-record 129 batters in 2000, eclipsing her own record of 120 set as a freshman.

Senior SCARLETT REUTER is the veteran of the staff and returns for her fourth season as a Monmouth starter. Reuter possesses an impressive 47-21 career record on the mound and needs just four wins to pass Donna Witt as the Hawks all-time leader in victories. Last season, Reuter posted a 16-6 mark and a 1.72 earned run average.

Senior SHANNON LYMAN and freshman KIM LOMBARDI provide depth to the pitching staff. Lyman has pitched in 13 games during her career, including 10 starts and owns a 5-3 record. Last season, Lyman was 3-3 with a 2.22 ERA. Lombardi was an all-state performer at nearby Red Bank Catholic High School and tallied a remarkable 82-14 record during her prep career.

CATCHERS
The ability to replace Chrissy Didieo at catcher will be one of the keys for a successful season for the Hawks in 2001. Didieo provided Monmouth with stability at the position, both offensively and defensively.

All-NEC performer MARYANN SOARES will move behind the plate after spending last season as the starter at shortstop. Soares, a junior college transfer, hit .304 and lead the team with four home runs and 37 runs batted in during her first campaign with the Hawks. Soares isn't entirely new to the position as she played catcher for Kearny (N.J.) High School as a senior in 1997.

Junior LAURA BORRELLI will serve as the backup at catcher after seeing limited action last season.
 

INFIELDERS
The strength of the infield is up the middle where all-league performers MANDY SCHRAMM and STACEY SCHRAMM will play second base and shortstop, respectively. Mandy Schramm was a two-time All-Northeast Conference performer and earned 1998 NEC Rookie of the Year honors, but missed the 2000 season. A speedster, Mandy Schramm ranked second on the Hawks in runs (39) and stolen bases (26) in 1999. Last season, twin sister Stacey Schramm moved from her natural position of shortstop to fill the void at second base and earned first-team All-NEC honors. Stacey Schramm, who started all 46 games last season, will move back to shortstop. Last year, she set a school record with 16 sacrifice bunts and she had a team-high 19 stolen bases. 

Sophomore ANGELA COSTELLO will serve as a backup at second base and shortstop. Costello appeared in 15 games as a freshman, primarily for defensive and pinch-running situations.

Sophomore ELISSA CONNELL returns to start at the hot corner. As a freshman, Connell appeared in 33 games, including 32 starts.

Senior SHANNON LYMAN is battling Monmouth's only newcomer KIM LOMBARDI for the starting role at first base. 
 

OUTFIELDERS
The Hawks have youthful experience in the outfield. Monmouth will have three sophomores roaming the outfield in 2001, but they all started over 35 games for the Hawks as freshmen.

Centerfielder PAULA PETROCELLI possesses the most skill of the trio offensively and defensively. Petrocelli ranked third on the squad in hitting last season with a .288 batting average and posted team highs with 33 runs and 13 doubles. In the field, Petrocelli played flawlessly as she recorded 59 total chances, including a team-high eight outfield assists, without an error.
MALEKA BROWN will start the season in right field where she started 37 games last year. TAMMY LASCAR gets the nod in leftfield. Lascar also started 37 games in 2000.

Sophomore STEFFANIE TYSKA and junior COLLEEN LYALL will also see action in the outfield. Tyska is one of Monmouth's top prospects on offense and could also be penciled as a designated player in certain situations. She hit .316 last season and produced 12 runs and 18 hits in just 22 games. With improvements on defense (4 errors in 21 chances) and at the plate (2 walks/19 strikeouts), Tyska could see more action this season. 

Lyall has been hampered by injuries early in her career at Monmouth. She showed promise in 1999 as she hit .333 with six RBI in 11 games before suffering a torn knee ligament. Last season, she was limited to just 18 games.
 

SCHEDULE
Monmouth's 46-game schedule starts on March 4 with 10 games at the Rebel Games in Ocoee, Florida. The Hawks return North for a pair of doubleheaders at Maryland and Lehigh, before commencing their home slate and league schedule as they host Fairleigh Dickinson on March 24. 

The remainder of the league schedule has Monmouth traveling to top contenders UMBC and Long Island, as well as Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), Mount St. Mary's and Wagner. The Hawks host Robert Morris, St. Francis (Pa.), Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut State. In non-conference play, the Hawks will host Seton Hall, Manhattan and Villanova, while traveling to Rutgers and St. Peter's. 

This year's Northeast Conference Tournament returns to Brooklyn, N.Y., and gives host Long Island the edge in winning a second crown in three years.
 

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Long Island, UMBC and Robert Morris figure to be Monmouth's top obstacles en route to the NEC Championship. 

LIU won the regular-season title last season with an 18-2 mark and the Blackbirds captured the tournament crown and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1999. Last season, UMBC lost the first game of the NEC Tournament  to Long Island, 4-3, and went on to allow just one run in its next four games as the Retrievers won the tournament title and represented the Northeast Conference in the NCAAs. Robert Morris has finished in the top three in the conference in each of the last six seasons, including regular-season titles in 1997 and 1998. 

The second tier in the NEC includes St. Francis (Pa.), Quinnipiac, Wagner and Mount St. Mary's. All four squads showed flashes of brilliance in 2000, but lingered around the .500 mark in NEC competition.

Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart and St. Francis (N.Y.) will be hard pressed to get out of the NEC cellar.