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Softball News
Centre Softball Team Looks to Continue Winning Ways in 2008
Having reached the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament Championship and finishing the 2007 season with a school-record 23 wins, the Centre College softball team will look to have another record breaking season while working towards an SCAC conference championship.
The Colonels are looking forward to a great season and show a powerful level of enthusiasm for the game. Discussing the team and the upcoming season Associate Head Coach Chris Mason said, “This team's desire and hunger seems to be greater than any team that we, the coaches, have ever seen in the past 9 years. We know that the players are expecting to have a successful season and compete for the conference championship.” This season is expected to be excellent defensively for the Colonels as the returning pitching staff had a 3.24 ERA and averaged 4 runs per game. The Colonels have been picked to tie for second with Millsaps in the Eastern Division of the conference. Fellow Eastern Division member, DePauw, has been picked to win the conference championship. Despite the pre-season predictions, the Colonels have their gaze set upon winning a conference championship title.
After finishing with a 23-20 record last season, including a 6-6 conference record which was good enough for third place in the eastern division, the Colonels are looking forward to a very successful year. Last season the Colonels surprised many with their run through the SCAC conference tournament where they ended up placing 2nd behind Trinity University . This season the Colonels return 9 of last season's starters, 7 of which are seniors. In all, the Colonels return a total of 15 players that will look to anchor the team, and have added 5 new players that will also look to contribute this season.
Among the returning players, the Colonels have five 2007 All-SCAC selections. 1st Team outfielder Maggie Blackburn (Lexington, Ky.), 1st Team second baseman Lindsey Willett (Louisville, Ky.), 2nd Team pitcher Charlotte Jones (Lexington . Ky.), All-SCAC Honorable Mention outfielder Monica Vonderbrink (Danville, Ky.), and All-SCAC Honorable Mention catcher Rebecca Rhule (Lexington, Ky.) are all prepared to continue the Colonel's softball programs success this season. The post-season also added to the Colonel's honors with Blackburn, Willett, and Jones each being named to the SCAC All-Tournament Team.
Senior Maggie Blackburn hit .320 with 39 hits and 22 runs batted in (RBI) last year to go along with 11 stolen bases in 42 games for the Colonels. During her career, she has received All-SCAC 2nd Team and All-SCAC 1st Team honors in her freshman and sophomore years respectively.
Willett, another Colonel senior, hit .288 and scored a team-high 31 runs in 2007. She also led the league in stolen bases accruing 22 stolen bases in 43 games. Willett was named to the SCAC Honorable Mention Team her sophomore year as well.
Jones, a sophomore pitcher, posted a 3.06 earned run average (ERA) in 80.0 innings, which tied her for a team-leading seven wins. She also led the team in strikeouts with 45.
Vonderbrink, a senior, hit .305 with 22 runs, including a team-high five home runs, while driving in 16 runs, and stealing eight bases in 39 games. In past seasons Vonderbrink has been named to the All-SCAC 2nd Team and SCAC All-Tournament Team. Junior Rebecca Rhule hit .307 in 43 games scoring 10 runs and contributing 13 RBI's to the Colonel offense.
Centre returns four additional starters from last year including senior third baseman Courtney Frye (Danville, Ky.), senior catcher Brittany Gowers (Louisville, Ky.), senior pitcher Julia Hubbard (Louisville, Ky.), and senior outfielder Laura Hufnagle (Lexington, Ky.).
Frye, a two year starter, will be depended on heavily for her senior leadership in the infield and Gowers, who was abroad last semester, will be expected to lead the catching staff while splitting duties behind the plate. Hubbard, a three year starter, is expected to be the leader of the pitching staff and will pitch as a starter in the rotation. During her career she has been named to the SCAC Honorable Mention Team, the All-SCAC 2nd Team, as well as the SCAC All-Tournament Team. Hufnagle, also a three year starter, amassed a team leading 29 RBI's last season and in her sophomore season, led the conference in both home runs (13) and RBI's (48).
The other Colonels who will be looked upon to contribute this season include junior Jennifer Marees (Jacksonville, Fla.), as well as sophomores Amber Mills (Danville, Ky.), Maggie Francis (Hazard, Ky.), Taylor Bottoms (Burgin, Ky.), Jenny Jones (Stanford, Ky.), and Tyler Travis (Lexington, Ky.). Freshman Taylor Childress (Nashville, Tenn.), Brette Hogan (Frankfort, Ky.), Jess Jowers (Nashville, Tenn.), Sarah Hall (Canal Winchester, Ohio), and Chelsea Luckey (Columbia , Ky.) also look to aid the Colonels in their hunt for a Conference Championship.
The 2008 season is scheduled to begin Saturday, March 1 as the Colonels host the Centre March Mayhem Tournament. The Colonels first game will be played noon against Transylvania University with their second game taking place at 2 pm against Coe College . Both games will take place at Centre's home field located in Millennium Park in Danville, Ky. |
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