Head Coach Tom Spencer, who enters his 12th season, welcomes back two seniors, 10 letterwinners, seven position players, three pitchers and four every day starters from a year ago.  The key to Spencer's season will be the solid play of his infield as he returns three starters.   He also returns one starter in the outfield and three pitchers, who started a combined 25 games.

The Yellow Jackets return two All-OAC infield players as well as the OAC Rookie-of-the-Year in senior first baseman Mackenzie Brua (Avon), sophomore third baseman DJ Rogers (Warren/Champion) and sophomore pitcher/outfielder Erica Morgan (Brook Park/Midpark).

Brua earned first-team all-conference honors and was selected second-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region after having a career year in the field and at the plate.  In the field, she recorded a career-best .981 fielding percentage with career-highs in putouts (254) and assists (11).  Brua batted a career-best .344 with career-highs in doubles (10), homeruns (9), runs scored (36) and runs batted in (29).  Her nine homers ranks tied for fifth all-time in BW single season history and tied her for second in the OAC last season. For her career, Brua is batting .291 with 11 doubles, nine homeruns and 42 RBIs.   In the field, she has 397 putouts and 15 assists.

Rogers garnered honorable mention all-conference honors as she had an immediate impact on the Yellow Jacket infield after appearing and starting in all 37 games.  She batted .272 with 17 runs scored, one homer, three doubles and 16 RBIs.

Joining Brua and Rogers in the infield will be senior second baseman Brittany Lightel (Tallmadge), sophomore Alex Miller (Akron/Coventry) and first-year players Sierra Bennett (Tallmadge), Nicole Fletterick (Columbia Station/Olmsted Falls), Frankie Haupricht (Polk/Mapleton), Amber Koontz (Litchfield/Buckeye) and Sarah Stambol (Lorain/Clearview). Lightel, who earned All-OAC honors as a freshman, has started 110 of 112 career games at shortstop and second base.  Last season, she batted .256 with three doubles and 14 RBI.   Miller batted .318 in 22 games with one double and three RBI.

Morgan became just the second BW freshman to earn Rookie of the Year (Tabitha Murray in 2010) after finishing her inaugural campaign as the ace of the Yellow Jacket pitching staff with a team-best 8-6 record.   She had a 3.21 earned run average (ERA) in 18 appearances, including 12 starts with 63 strikeouts in 93.2 innings pitched.  At the plate, she batted .255 with one double, three homeruns, two of which came in the final game of the season and seven RBIs.

Joining Morgan in the circle will be sophomore Darcy Daniel (Sandusky/Perkins) and Samantha Dostall (Oberlin/Firelands) as well as first-year pitcher Jaki Bender (Wampum, Pa./Mohawk).  Daniel had a .328 ERA in 10 appearances with five starts.   She posted a record of 1-2 with 12 strikeouts. Dostall had a 3.66 ERA in 10 appearances with eight starts.   She had a record of 4-4 with 36 strikeouts.  At the plate, Dostall batted .333 with one double and one RBI.

 

In the outfield, junior Allison Fiorucci (Seven Hills/Holy Name) returns as the lone starter after starting all 37 games in right field a year ago.  Sophomore Mackenzie Nelsen (Powell/Dublin Scioto) and freshman Alicia Hack (Pickerington/North) have the opportunity to become every day players in the outfield while Daniel, Dostall and Morgan all will see some time when not in the circle.   Fiorucci, who started 36 games at second base as a freshman, batted a career-best .300 with career-highs in doubles (8), triples (2) and 20 RBIs.   She also had a career-high tying two homeruns.  Nelsen batted .333 in 10 games with two starts and one RBI.

Behind the plate sophomore Brianna Jesionek (Parma/Holy Name) returns as the incumbent at catcher after appearing in eight games with six starts.  Freshmen Tori Young (Tallmadge) and Stambol will push for playing time. 

The Yellow Jackets open the 2015 season in Tucson, Arizona at the annual Tucson Invitational Games with two games versus NAIA opponents as well as 10 games against Division III opponents.   BW also plays non-conference doubleheaders against Case Western Reserve, Geneva (Pa.), Hiram, Pitt-Greensburg (Pa.) and Wooster.   The Yellow Jackets open OAC play on March at home against Capital University.