Women still have young roster

But depth will carry them through

by Mallory Mulvihill
Sports Editor

The Monmouth College Fighting Scots softball team begin their season in just ten days. Last year, the women's main problem was their lack of experience both on the field and in the coaching spots.

The women didn't have any upperclassmen on the team last year and it was head coach Kari Shimmin's first year. The women, still young, now have four juniors on the roster, but still lack senior leadership. There is a good side to all of this, the women will do nothing but get better this year and in the following years.

The women struggled last season and won only 7 games out of 24, but did show some bright spots especially in the double header win over Knox and the split with tough Augustana. The women lost some tough ones struggling both offensively and defensively, and without the experience needed to bring team chemistry together, the women couldn't find that extra ingerdient they needed to succeed. But with a whole new year and the experience of juniors Drew Robinson, Jackie Hennefent, Crystal Black, and Katie Hamiliton, the women will have a shot to show the Midwest Conference they are a changed team.

Robinson earned herself All Midwest Conference honors last year as she led the team in stolen bases (17), total bases (32), and hits (32). She also led the team in batting average with a .309 and was only caught stealing once. The St. Charles North outfielder will look to improve all those stats this year and be one of the top players in the conference. Hennefent also put in the time as she started all 31 games at third base. She had a .263 hitting percentage and was in the upper eighties in fielding percentage.

Another strong returner is sophomore Emily Willems, who as a freshman started in every game, and also earned herself Midwest Conference honors. She led the team in RBIs (17), led the team assists (79), and only made four errors the whole season. She was second among all starters in batting average with .278, total bases with 31, and hits with 27.

The women also welcome back seven sophomores, including Willems from last year which include: Jennifer Haas, Kattie Jablenski, Kristin Bickett, Mickenzie Jones, Anna Coutts, and Blayre Scott. Jones, Coutts, and Bickett also started every game: Jones at utility, Coutts and Bickett in the outfield. "We were so young last year," said Hennefent, "but I'm confident that this year will be different and I'm excited."

The new roster welcomes in 16 new players, all being freshmen except for one that is starting a year late as a sophomore. "We are deep in every position and that was something we lacked last year," added Heneffent.

The women being their season on Mar. 6 in Fort Myers, Florida against the Rochester Institute of Technology at 9am eastern time. The women will play six games against teams such as: Curry College, Olivet College, Emmanuel College, St. John Fisher College, and Rockford College. The women went winless in this tournament last year, and look to heat up in Florida during the spring break. The women's first home game will be on Mar. 15 against MacMurray College at 2pm.