The leadoff spot of a softball lineup is a delicate designation, one that needs to be carefully chosen and utilized effectively.

That’s why Tanya Rose leads off for Syracuse.

Rose, a prolific senior outfielder for the Orange, led off the first game of Friday’s double-header against Connecticut with a double. It was one of the three hits the Orange managed to garner in the 2-0 loss. Rose blasted a home run over the centerfield fence to open the second game, one SU eventually won, 8-5. A good leadoff batter earns the moniker of a ‘table-setter,’ and that’s exactly what Rose does.

‘I set the tone for the game,’ Rose said. ‘How I see the pitches and that first at-bat sets the momentum for rest of team. It pumps them up and gets them going.’

The leadoff hitter also gets more at-bats over the season. Thus, it makes sense to feature SU’s all-time leader in virtually every offensive category.

You think it’s important to feature a good batting average at the top of the lineup? No one has a better average than Rose over a career.

How about stolen bases? Check that one off for Rose, also.

Walks? Total bases? Runs scored? You bet.

‘Very rarely does she have a bad at-bat,’ head coach Mary Jo Firnbach said. ‘She has a good eye for the zone. Even when she strikes out, she takes a lot of pitches. Tanya has a good strong cut, and she’s not usually fooled.’

Connecticut certainly did not fool her. On Friday, she went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, an RBI, a run scored and two walks.

Rose confesses that when she gets to the plate, her only objective is to hit the ball and get on base. The extra-base hits and power surge is not on her mind. Although when she gets mad, that’s a different story.

‘I got two strikes on me both times, and once I get two strikes on me, I get mad,’

Rose said. ‘I was really fired up. I usually don’t smile, but I had a huge grin on my face.’

Even with Rose’s hitting prowess, Firnbach wants to ensure that everyone else in the lineup follows her lead.

‘You can’t count on (Rose) leading off with a double or home run,’ Firnbach said. ‘Sometimes when she’s not coming through that way she puts a little too much pressure on herself, but this year we have plenty of good hitters to back her up.’

Rose’s power made Firnbach consider moving her down into the middle of the lineup earlier in her career, but the coach feels there is one ready to take over the pivotal lead-off spot. Firnbach mentioned the speedy right fielder Tiffany Robinson as a candidate. Robinson would have to cut down on her strikeouts, although her 2-for-4 performance in the second game was a good indictor of things to come.

That being said, Rose doesn’t want to give up her slot at the top of the order. She relishes the chance to get as many at-bats as possible and get on base for her teammates.

‘I like seeing pitches, I like getting things going,’ Rose said. ‘I just really like leading off.’

Published on April 1, 2005 at 12:00 pm