Syracuse finished last season ranked a program-best No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Having graduated key players, the Orange found itself relegated to familiar territory at the start of the 2013 season, falling outside of the Top 25 once more.

But it doesn’t faze the Orange.

“We try not to really worry about the politics stuff because it kind of gets in our head and if we feel that we’re good enough, then that’s all that really matters,” junior first baseman Jasmine Watson said.

Fresh off of a 3-1 showing at last weekend’s Cougar Classic, the Orange will look to add to its win column at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, formerly the Cathedral City Classic. SU makes the cross-country trek to Palm Springs, Calif., to face ranked opponents Florida and Stanford, as well as San Diego State, Colorado State and Long Beach State.

The level of competition in the five-game slate makes it one of pitching-ace-turned-assistant-coach Jenna Caira’s favorite trips of the season. The tournament features teams that will capitalize on the smallest errors, making tight play especially important as SU heads toward the brunt of its schedule, Big East play.

“We just have to make sure we play our A-game,” Caira said. “We can’t let up because these are the type of teams that we’ll be facing and are going to jump on the opportunities when we don’t make mistakes, so we really have to limit those.”

The Orange will look to build off of and learn from last weekend’s Cougar Classic. Syracuse fell to James Madison at the tournament’s close, despite notching its first three wins of the weekend. Following strong hitting throughout the first three games, the Orange went cold at bat against James Madison, falling 8-0.

Last weekend’s loss to James Madison aside, Lindsay Taylor’s pitching was a bright spot, Caira said. Taylor has developed a stronger handle on the change-up and, moving forward, Caira said she’d like to see the sophomore move batters in the box more.

Remaining on point and not letting the team’s spirits dip – even if the team falls in a scoring rut as it did against Madison — is vital, Watson said.

“We were all down and that can’t happen,” she said. So, I think it’s just when you see someone down, don’t feed off of it, pick them up and we then feed off your positive energy.”

For senior captain Veronica Grant, a Southern California native who will be returning home to play in front of family, a successful tournament begins first by remaining in the moment, trusting in one another’s play and not worrying about the team on the other side.

“I think that’s a major key, not thinking about the name on the jersey. People will be like, ‘Oh, you’re playing Stanford.’ It’s just another team. We need to treat it like it’s just another team and play our hardest.”

Published on February 21, 2013 at 2:14 am

Contact Debbie: [email protected] | @debbietruong