Hamilton, NY — The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ University softball team has announced that senior Rachel Smith (Annandale, Va.), junior Dorothy Donaldson (Lakeland, Fla.) and junior Nichole Rawson (Palmdale, Calif.) will serve as team captains for the 2004 season.'xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office' />
Smith was named first team all-Patriot League as a utility player last season and currently ranks 12th in career hits (107). She is also ranked 17th in runs scored (56), 11th in at bats (398), tied for 16th in RBI (45), tied for 14th in doubles (14) and is 13th in total bases (131). Smith is a versatile player who has seen time at virtually every position aside from the pitching battery. Last season she started seven games at first base, 11 in left field and 14 as the designated player.
Donaldson is one of the most dominant players ever to enter the Patriot League. She is a two-time first team all-Patriot League selection and two-time all-Mid Atlantic performer in the outfield. She currently boasts the third best batting average in school history (.377), and is eighth all-time in RBI (66), 10th in doubles (21), tied for second in home runs (21) and seventh in total bases (184). Donaldson was the Patriot League’s second leading hitter last season behind former teammate and Patriot League Player of the Year Melissa Rawson. She was selected to participate in the 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference and is serving her second year as team captain.
Rawson joins her twin sister Natalie on the Raider squad after transferring from Marist College. Rawson pitched and played third base for the Red Foxes and was an all-MAAC selection in 2001. She batted .274 in two seasons and Marist while scoring 33 runs and driving in 39 more. The talented power hitter also smashed 10 doubles and 10 homeruns. Rawson’s work ethic and contagious enthusiasm won her the respect of her teammates and coaches who elected her team captain in her first year with the team. Rawson’s older sister Melissa graduated last spring and played both volleyball and softball for the Raiders.
The Raiders open the 2004 season in a tournament at George Washington University the weekend of Feb. 28-29.