BEREA, Ohio – A group of new faces will look to guide the 2016 Baldwin Wallace University softball team to the school's first ever Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship.
Head Coach Tom Spencer, who enters his 12th season in Berea and his 18th career season, welcomes back nine letterwinners, seven position players, two pitchers and three every day starters from a year ago. The key to Spencer's season will be to mold all of the new faces with the returners into a cohesive unit.
BW returns just one starter in the outfield in junior Mackenzie Nelsen (Powell/Dublin Scioto). Nelsen had a .310 batting average with one double, her first career homerun and a career-best 26 putouts. Junior Nicolette Kunath (Columbia Station/Columbia), sophomore Lena Kortis (Massillon/Perry), who will also see action at catcher, and freshmen Krista Jennings (Luckey/Eastwood) and Abbie Thompson (Madison) all have the chance to join Nelsen as starters.
In the infield, the Yellow Jackets return one starter and three other players that saw time a season ago. Headlining the group is junior DJ Rogers (Warren/Champion) as she returns after starting the last two seasons at third base. Rogers, who was an All-OAC selection as a freshman, batted a career-best .279 with three doubles, two triples and 16 runs batted-in (RBIs). Junior Alex Miller (Akron/Coventry) and sophomores Sierra Bennett (Tallmadge) and Nicole Fletterick (Columbia Station/Olmsted Falls) either started or played backup roles a year ago. Bennett batted .304 with two doubles, a triple, a homerun and seven RBIs. Fletterick had .237 batting average with two doubles and seven RBIs. Miller, who also saw time at designated player, batted .258 with her first collegiate homerun and nine RBIs. Freshmen Alexis Boledovic (Berea/Berea-Midpark), Erica English (North Olmsted) and Paige Loveless (Mechanicsburg) all have a shot to start in the infield this season.
In the circle, BW returns both of its starters and two pitchers that saw action in relief last year. Juniors Samantha Dostall (Oberlin/Firelands) and Erica Morgan (Brook Park/Midpark) started every game in 2015. Dostall recorded a career-high 65 strikeouts and a career-best nine wins a year ago. Morgan, the OAC Rookie of the Year in 2014, tallied a career-best 86 strikeouts and had five wins. Sophomore Jaki Bender (Wampum, Pa /Mohawk) and Nelsen each made their first collegiate relief appearances last season. Bender had two appearances with two strikeouts and Nelsen made three with two strikeouts. Junior Christine Lyzen (Columbia Station/Columbia) joins the rotation both as a starter and a relief pitcher.
Behind the plate sophomore Tori Young (Tallmadge) returns as the incumbent at catcher after starting in 30 games. Sophomores Sarah Stambol (Lorain/Clearview) and Kortis and freshman Sami Minor (North Royalton) provide depth to the backstop. Stambol appeared in six games with two starts with nine putouts and her first collegiate hit and run scored.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2016 season in Kissimmee, Florida at the annual Rebel Spring Games with 12 games against Division III opponents. BW also plays non-conference doubleheaders against Adrian (Mich.), Case Western Reserve, Hiram, Pitt-Greensburg (Pa.) and Wooster. The Yellow Jackets open OAC play on March 25 at the University of Mount Union.
