BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College softball Head Coach Tom Spencer expects the 2010 edition of the Yellow Jackets to build on its 24-16 finish a season ago and compete for a spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and ultimately an OAC title this spring.
"Our goals for the year are simple," noted Spencer, who has a 111-91 record in five seasons and two stints at B-W. "We want to win more games than we won last season and we want to qualify for the OAC Tournament with a chance to win an OAC title. Our win total has improved each season since I've been back and we are looking to do that again this year."
Spencer returns 12 letterwinners and six starting position players as well as his top three pitchers from last season.
Look for the B-W lineup to be led by ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV junior catcher Tanya Davis (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) and NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) All-Central Region senior outfielder Mallory Kobak (Independence).
Davis batted .382 last season and led the team with 40 runs scored and 16 doubles. She also recorded three homeruns, three triples, 39 runs batted-in and nine stolen bases in 11 attempts. Davis earned both first-team All-OAC and first-team NFCA all-region honors as a freshman in 2008.
"Tanya is the best pure hitter I've ever coached," said Spencer, who also coached at NCAA Division I Butler (Ind.) University and then at Notre Dame College of Ohio before returning to B-W. "She consistently gets the bat on the ball and makes solid contact."
Kobak batted a team-best .404 in the leadoff spot and set B-W single-season records with 59 base-hits and 34 stolen bases. Her 34 steals and six triples also led the OAC.
"Mallory is our leadoff hitter and really makes us go," said Spencer. "The rest of the lineup feeds off of what she does at the top."
The Yellow Jackets also return All-OAC senior outfielder Chelsea Saunders (Medina/ Highland), junior shortstop Katrina Resek (Strongsville), senior second baseman Lauren Sabolik (Strongsville) and senior third baseman Megan Coyne (Valley City/ Keystone).
Saunders earned honorable mention All-OAC status after finishing second on the team with a .392 batting average and leading the Jackets with a .448 on-base percentage. She also scored 30 runs, drew 13 walks and was successful on 10-of-11 stolen base attempts. Resek hit .302 with 18 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, three homeruns, and 18 RBI. Sabolik started all 40 games and batted .216 with three doubles, four homeruns, and 15 RBI. Coyne hit .325 with 18 extra base-hits and 25 RBI.
On the mound, expect sophomore Sarah Baker (Mentor/ Lake Catholic) to once again anchor the B-W pitching staff. She led the team with a 2.36 earned run average, a 12-8 record, four shutouts, 16 complete-games, and 133.2 innings pitched. She also was named the OAC Pitcher of the Week after posting back-to-back shutouts at the Maryville (Tenn.) Tournament in late March.
B-W's pitching staff also will feature juniors Mackenzie Rohrbacher (Sandusky/ Senior) and Alyssa Brosious (Westfield, N.Y./ Westfield Academy and Central School). Rohrbacher had a 10-7 record with a 2.80 ERA and a team-high 72 strikeouts. Brosious came on late in the season and finished with a 2-1 mark and a 3.45 ERA in 22.1innings pitched.
The B-W roster also contains six newcomers with infielder Katie Finley (Vermilion) and freshman outfielderMorgan Brasee (Wellington) expected to held solidify the Jacket lineup.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2010 season on their annual spring break trip to Tucson, Arizona from March 7-11 where they will play in the Tucson Invitational Games (www.tigsports.com). BW opens play against Madonna (Mich.) University on March 7 at 8:00 a.m. and then plays Peru State (Neb.) College at 2:30 p.m. Overall, B-W plays 10 games on the trip.
The first northern action is on March 27 when B-W opens OAC play with a double-header at rival Capital University at Clowson Field in Columbus at 1:00 p.m. The Yellow Jacket home-opener is March 30 versus the College of Wooster at 3:30 p.m. at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field.
FOR MORE BW Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
