BEREA, OHIO – The 2013 Baldwin Wallace University softball team will look to compete for an Ohio Athletic Conference title this spring.
The Yellow Jackets opens the season on March 10-14 when they travel to Arizona to play in the Tucson Invitational Games (www.tigsports.com/softball). BW opens play against Dickinson (Pa.) College on March 10 at 1:00 p.m. and then plays Edgewood (Wis.) College at 3:30 p.m. Overall, BW plays 10 games on the trip.
Veteran softball Head Coach Tom Spencer has compiled a 319-270-1 career mark, including a 180-139 mark in two tenures at BW. He returns 10 lettermen, including six starting position players and his top pitcher from last season.
Headlining the roster and the infield are a pair of starters and All-OAC selections in junior third baseman Lauren Feciuch (Kent/Field) and sophomore shortstop Brittany Lightel (Tallmadge).
Feciuch, who made the move from shortstop as a freshman to third a year ago, earned second-team All-OAC after leading the team with a career-high .387 batting average. She also had career-highs and led the team in hits (48), runs (23), homeruns (5), runs batted-in (26) and stolen bases as she was a perfect eight-of-eight. Feciuch also was second in doubles with 13. She made the transition nicely to third as she had a career-best .970 fielding percentage, which was tied for third on the team. For her career, Feciuch is hitting .339 with 77 hits, 21 doubles, three triples, seven homeruns, 45 RBI and a perfect 11-of-11 in stole base attempts.
In her first season, Lightel batted .352 to rank third on the team. She had 43 hits, scored 17 runs with six doubles and eight RBI.
The other returning starter in the infield is junior Academic All-OAC first baseman Kaity Mullen (Avon Lake), who moved from third to first last season. Mullen led the team with 271 putouts and a .996 fielding percentage. She batted .287 with 29 hits, 18 runs scored, five doubles, three homeruns and 19 RBI. For her career, Mullen is batting .323 with 70 hits, 38 runs scored, 11 doubles, seven home runs and 45 RBI.
The biggest hole for Spencer to fill will be at second base as freshman Alison Fiorucci (Seven Hills/Holy Name) will be called upon to fill the void left by the graduation of three-year starter Katie Finley. In addition to Fiorucci, sophomores Mackenzie Brua (Avon), Erica Dickman (Sandusky/Margaretta) and Jenna Sammon (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) along with freshmen Angelina Ciraci (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Central Catholic), Nikki Gannon (North Ridgeville) and Taylor Kinsey (Jeromesville/Ashland) will all push for playing time.
In the outfield, senior Alyssa Brown (Hudson) and junior Ashley Elber (Huron/Edison) are the two retuning starters. Juniors Kate Carabin (Norwalk/St. Paul) and Nikki Peskura (Strongsville) each saw time in different outfield positions last season.
Brown, who transferred in from Tiffin in 2012, will also see action at designated player. She batted .324 with five doubles, a homer and 15 RBI.
Elber, who earned All-OAC accolades as a freshman in 2011, can play all three outfield positions. She had a .256 batting average with four doubles, a triple and nine RBI last season. For her career, she is hitting .361 with 14 doubles, two triples, seven homers and 35 RBI.
In addition to Carabin and Peskura, look for junior Melissa Vermes (Middleburg Heights/Midpark), sophomore Kristin Esquibel (Whicta Falls, Texas/Hirschi) and freshmen Jessica Chidsey (West Salem/Black River) to see action in the outfield.
The battery returns two starters in juniors Tabitha Murray (Mogadore/Field) and Sami Brown (Kent/Field).
Murray, who is the lone returning starter on the mound, tied for the team lead in wins last season (7) with graduated and all-time wins leader Sarah Baker. She appeared in 21 games and had a 2.73 earned run average with 81 strikeouts, 37 earned runs in 95 innings of action.
Murray, the 2011 OAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-OAC selection, also saw action in the outfield and as the designated player. She was second on the team with .367 batting average and had 47 hits, a team-high 14 doubles, a triple, three homers and 21 RBI. For her career, Murray is hitting .377 with 19 doubles, one triple, nine homers and 47 RBI. On the mound, she has a career ERA of 2.37 and a record of 13-8 with 116 strikeouts in 141.2 innings pitched.
Also on the mound, Peskura saw action in four games, and sophomore transfer Lauren Mims (Wellington) will be called on to give a spot start or pitch in relief.
Brown, who split time behind the plate a year ago, will handle the bulk of the catching duties this year. She appeared in 23 games, including 19 starts. For her career, Brown has appeared in 45 games, including 40 starts, and is hitting .211 with four doubles, one homer and six RBI.
BW begins its northern schedule on Tuesday, March 18 when it travels to Geneva, Pennsylvania to play Geneva College in a non-conference doubleheader at 3:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets opens their OAC schedule on Saturday, March 23 when it hosts Otterbein University in a doubleheader at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds Field at 1:00 p.m.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact SID Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu and Assistant SID Jeff Miller by telephone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.c0m/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
