A look back at 2019
The Dukes reached the 50-win plateau during the 2019 season, finishing the year with a 51-10 overall record. The squad went 20-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play, lost just one game at home, and posted a 13-3 record in true road matchups.
During the non-conference portion of the season, the Dukes opened the year with a loss to Cal, but later recorded victories over Oregon and Tennessee in the same weekend. The remainder of the early-season schedule included victories over Michigan, Rutgers, Duke, Virginia, and Liberty; losses to Minnesota, Arizona, and Arizona State; and a doubleheader split against Virginia Tech.
Once they reached CAA league play, the Dukes dispatched conference competition with fair ease. Their only conference loss came in the first weekend, a 5-3 defeat to Elon. The Dukes bookended the loss with double-digit scoring efforts to open and close the series. After the loss to Elon, the Dukes ran the table, sweeping through 3-game series’ against Towson, Hofstra, UNC-Wilmington, College of Charleston, Drexel, and Delaware. The Dukes earned eight of their in-conference victories by virtue of the run-rule.
As the postseason dawned, the Dukes played some of their best softball of the year. A 3-0 showing the conference tournament included a trio of run-rule victories, two of them over Elon. Just missing out on the opportunity to host a regional, the Dukes received favorable placement as the #2 seed in the Ann Arbor regional. After a 12-inning, one-run loss to Michigan in the winner’s bracket game, the Dukes stormed back to take both games in the regional final and pull off the slight-upset victory and earn a Super Regional berth.
In the Los Angeles Super Regional, the eventual-National-Champion UCLA Bruins recorded back-to-back victories to end the Dukes’ season.
Roster turnover
You don’t get a smaller senior class than one player, but for JMU, that one player was an all-time great in Megan Good, who graduated after pitching the Dukes to the regional win. Other offseason departures included all-conference pitcher Payton Buresch; stolen base leader Kelsey Brown; junior Sydney LaScola; and sophomore Lexi Lomax.
Thanks to the transfer portal, the Dukes shored up their most gaping hole – the pitching circle – during the offseason, adding a pair of arms behind Odicci Alexander. Former Mississippi State hurler Kayla Boseman and the 2019 MEAC Pitcher of the Year Alexis Bermudez each joined the Dukes over the summer. The team also added six freshmen.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths – When Megan Good went down to injury in 2018, Odicci Alexander stepped into the pitching ace role year early, and she excelled. Now in her own senior season, she’s riding two consecutive CAA Player of the Year awards, as well as consecutive All-American honors. She’s likely to earn her 3rd career all-American, and let’s not forget her .341 batting average and thirty-seven career home runs; she’s a difference-maker with her bat, as well.
Weaknesses – Good or no Good, the Dukes are a defending Regional champion, and reign supreme over the Colonial Athletic Association. Expectations are high for the squad, and they’ll start the season with seven of their first ten games against Power Five opponents, including three SEC teams. The early non-conference slate will be a good litmus test on whether the Dukes can be viewed as true contenders.
2020 outlook
Pitching – In 2019, Alexander posted a career-low 1.70 ERA, improving in nearly every statistical category, even when considering a drop in innings pitched thanks to sharing the load with Good. She may not make the headlines like Good did, but she’s an above-average pitcher and one of the nation’s best. Behind her, Bermudez performed well during her time at Bethune-Cookman, and Boseman has a year of SEC experience under her belt. The pitching department is deep, and if the Dukes can develop either Bermudez or Boseman into a solid #2 against quality competition, they’ll be in good shape in the circle.
Offense – We’ve already mentioned Alexander’s offensive prowess, and she’s far from the only quality hitter in the Dukes’ batting order. Kate Gordon returns for her senior season, fresh off of a 2019 season where she posted a .420/23/60 stat line, with her home run mark leading the team. Batting average leader Sara Jubas (.423) and all-conference outfielder Logan Newton (.382/10/45) also return. The Dukes are a formidable offensive unit.
Coaching – Loren LaPorte was promoted to the head coaching role after Mickey Dean’s departure following the 2017 season. LaPorte has continued the Dukes’ run of success, and has managed the team quite well, as she enters her third season at the helm. She should hit the 100-victories mark early in 2020. Her coaching staff consists of Jennifer Herzig – herself a former D1 head coach – and Longwood alum Libby Morris, who will have her first real opportunity to “strut her stuff” as a pitching coach this season.
Wrap-up
While Megan Good’s legendary status is cemented, the Dukes should have no trouble proving that they are a quality team even with Good now graduated. Alexander is an excellent player who should lead the team from the circle, while she and Gordon are just two of several offensive weapons at Loren LaPorte’s disposal. The Dukes are not without question marks and issues — including how well the pitching staff will perform as a whole, and that a weak CAA doesn’t help matters when the postseason rolls around — but don’t sleep on JMU.
