FROM: Dave Woody
Re: Crusaderette Softball 2004
This is my 9th year as head coach,
having
previously served as assistant since 1993.
Christi Harris is in her 7th year as
my assistant coach, having previously played at PCHS.
Last year, we finished with a record of
4-15,
losing to Wirt County in the Sectional Semi-Finals. We lost a
number of very close games, and do not feel that the record is
indicative of our talent level. We learned a lot by playing hard
every day, and grew up a good bit as the season progressed. I
believe we will do much better this year.
This team is young overall, but has a great deal of experience in
playing time. We are hopeful that the right combination of
youthfulness, talent, and experience will give us the opportunity to
have much more success than we did last year.
Key Losses:
Katie Ferguson graduated as our only Senior from
last year's team, leaving a position in Left Field to be filled.
Courtney Voshel, expected to be our starting First
Baseman, was seriously injured in a car accident, and still has leg
surgery to get through, so likely will not play this season.
Likely Varsity Lineup:
[arranged like a depth chart, the one in bold is
likely to be the starter ~ this
is likely to change daily for awhile]
P - Jessie Collins & Veronica
Lech, Stephany Windland, Katy Hurley
C - Megan Schilling, Ashley Fraser, Stephany Windland,
Danielle Carpenter
1B - Michelle Offenberger,
Stephany Windland, Veronica Lech, Jessica Bickert, Danielle Carpenter,
Katy Hurley
2B - Jessica Bickert, Ashley Fraser, Veronica
Lech, Michelle Offenberger, Marley Petrella
SS - Veronica Lech & Jessie
Collins, Stephany Windland, Danielle Carpenter
3B - Stephany Windland,
Ashley Fraser, Veronica Lech, Michelle Offenberger, Jessica Bickert,
Katy Hurley
LF - Ashley Fraser,
Michelle Offenberger, Megan Schilling, Danielle Carpenter
CF - Danielle Carpenter, Stephany Windland
RF - Kendra Criss, Marley
Petrella, Ashley Fraser,
Megan Schilling, Michelle Offenberger, Jessica
Bickert
DH - Katy Hurley
ROSTER
Seniors
Jessica Collins, P/SS/OF ~ Started
every Varsity game the last three years (54 total), and is thoroughly
capable of starting
at any position. Unfortunately, I can only play her in one spot
at
a time. Is our #1 Pitcher in terms of experience and progress, so
will get the toughest assignments right now. Our defense would be
better if she could play Short full-time. Plays very
hard every day, setting a great example for the younger girls.
Was Second Team LKC last year as a Utility player, and hopes to go to
Glenville on scholarship. Has a lifetime .235 BA and .358 OBP
with 26 Stolen Bases. Has a pitching record of 3-15 with 56 Ks
and an overall ERA of 5.95
Jessica Bickert, 2B/1B/OF ~ Has a
great eye at the plate (37 BB last 2 years) and a solid swing which she
needs to employ. Came on strong at the end of last year.
Has good speed, having recovered nicely from a broken ankle
in
the 2001 Sectional Semifinal. Good attitude and work ethic.
Responds well to challenges. Lifetime .167 BA should fool many
opponents into taking her lightly. Her .421 lifetime OBP is much
more indicative of her talent.
Megan Schilling, C/OF ~ Has the
potential to be the most valuable player on this team. She seems
finally to be fully healthy, and should be able to build on last year's
excellent offensive season. She was in the top three last year in
nearly every offensive category. Is showing more plate
discipline, confidence, and power this Spring. Needs to build on
her defensive skills for us to be successful. Has a lifetime BA
of .263 and OBP of .426
Courtney Voshel,
will not likely play due to serious leg injury. Batted .296 last
year to lead the team, and gave us a stable presence at 1B. Will
be difficult to replace.
Juniors
Kendra Criss, 2B/OF ~ Has not
yet showed a lot at the plate, but has had good experience in the
field, and
should be more confident this year. Is an excellent "attitude
person", and a joy to be around. Did absolutely everything
she could to make our team better last season, even when there was no
glory in it.
Stephany Windland, 1B/3B/SS/P ~ May
not
be able to play her best position (1B) due to our other needs and her
other interests, but is a solid and steady presence on the field.
Her .278 average last year gave her a .252 lifetime average, and she
has an OBP of .392. She has considerable power, and has learned
to keep her emotions at the plate under control. She did a good
job at 3B last year, and will likely help our infield stability.
We are expecting a big year from her.
Danielle Carpenter, OF/C ~ Had an
outstanding year in Center field last year, as well as hitting her
stride at the plate. She has good instincts, gets a good jump on
the ball, covers a lot of ground, and has a strong arm, which helped
her make the LKC First Team. Dani was
our second-highest average hitter last year, and is likely to improve
this time around. Her .294 average will likely get even better
this year, and she has some power and speed.
Rebecca Gray, OF ~ Learned a great
deal last year and has a great attitude. She is still learning
the game, but adds much with her approach to life and the game.
Mackenzie Bango, OF ~ Statistician
last year, but wanted to be part of the game. Has much to learn,
but is giving a good effort, and learning fast.
Sarah Bell,
2B/OF ~ New to the program this year, but has shown a great attitude
and a willingness to improve in any way she can. Has a great
sense of humor, and will be a positive addition to the team. Will
get some experience as a Pinch Runner in varsity games because of her
enthusiasm and "can do" attitude.
Sophomores
Veronica Lech, P/IF ~ One of the
key
young contributors on this squad. Best Freshman Pitcher we've had
in a long time, she needs to develop more confidence in her abilities
this year.
She has demonstrated a willingness to work hard and be more serious
this year, which should help her adjust to the vagaries of the
game. Our best lineup may involve her being the #1 Pitcher if she
can develop the proper mental attitude. She fields well, and has
the potential to hit much better than her .171 average last year
shows. Her OBP (.510) shows her knowledge of the strike zone and
her hustle. Also has excellent speed, and is quite fluid.
Ashley Fraser,
C/IF/OF ~ Yet another
key to our success this year. A very talented young lady who can
play many positions. Has excellent glove skills, a strong arm,
and a solid bat. She led the team in Steals last year (11), had a
very good first-year average (.250), and an excellent first-year OBP
(.421). We need her best effort to achieve her potential in order
to succeed this year. She is versatile, and has many useful
abilities.
Michelle
Offenberger, 1B/OF ~ A newcomer to our program, she may step
into one of the available starting slots. She has good
speed and an eye for the ball. We hope she will hit confidently
and be an immediate contributor.
Freshmen
Kristyn Day,
2B/OF ~ Is learning our game quickly, and has a very positive
attitude. Likely to stay JV most of the year, but may be used in
pinch-running situations. Has a great approach to the team
concept.
Katy Hurley,
3B/1B/P ~ Swings a mean bat, and is very well-liked by all
teammates. Katy has a great deal of summer league experience, and
keeps everyone on the team in a good mood. Has a chance to
contribute positively to this team as a hitter, and is learning the
fundamentals of pitching, which she is picking up quickly.
Marley Petrella,
2B/OF ~ May be the fastest learner on the team. She sets a great
example by paying close attention to everything she is asked to do, and
is therefore making rapid progress on a daily basis. Is likely to
contribute to the quality of our team this year.
Meagan Rafferty,
2B/OF ~ Giving softball a try, and doing very well at it so far.
Another youngster with much to learn and a great attitude about
learning. Stays very positive, and will definitely learn much
this year.
OUTLOOK
This group has an excellent opportunity to
excel. We are loaded with experience, despite being rather
young. We are returning 7 girls who each started 19 games last
year, and have a total of 232 games of career experience. If we
can draw confidence from that experience, I think we have the potential
for an excellent season.
Over the past few seasons, our hitting especially
has suffered from a lack of confidence. Most of these girls seem
to be swinging much more freely this Spring, and I hope it will carry
over into the season. We have far more potential than we have
shown, but those 7 returners had a collective average of .240 which I
look to improve significantly this season. Each of these girls
knows the strike zone well, so we put a lot of runners on base even
when we do not hit well. If we string together a few hits in
early games this season, I think it will go a long way toward building
their confidence.
Our baserunning looks to be a strength again, as our
girls are fleet and technically sound. They have good instincts,
and I may have to "turn them loose" a bit more this year. I want
them to be more aggressive than they have been in the past, and the
stats are likely to show our success.
Defensively, we should be much better overall.
Our infield should be quicker this year, and nearly every candidate for
a spot can cover much more ground than our past groups. We may be
able to start 4 "Shortstops" in a regular infield lineup, which should
give us
a good chance to stop anything hit on the ground. Our outfield
will have more overall speed than any group we have ever had, so we
should be narrowing down the field greatly. We allowed far too
many "gap" hits last year (bloops, seeing-eye grounders, etc.), but
should have a good chance to decrease that number significantly this
time around.
Both of our top Pitchers got good experience last
year, and deserved better support than they received. With ERAs
under 5.40, they should have had better results, but the game sometimes
allows your weaknesses to get the better of your strengths. With
improved defense and hitting, I think our pitchers will be able to
throw more confidently, and have better success.
I think
confidence builds upon confidence, and success in one aspect of our
team game may generate confidence in other areas as well.
Considering the number of close games we lost last year, just a few
more successful results could change our outcomes significantly.
A few more timely hits, defensive gems, or nasty pitches could turn our
record into something to be proud of. This group deserves some
success, and I hope they experience it.