Golden Eagle softball season opens this weekend at Chattanooga tourney
Tech plays five games to start campaign
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Start from scratch. Essentially, that is the
challenge facing the Tennessee Tech softball team in 2009 as the
GoldenEagles return only six players who saw action last year. The
roster features one senior, one junior and 17 underclassmen.
Head coach Tory Acheson’s team opens the season this weekend
at the UT Chattanooga Invitational. Tech faces Campbell Friday at
noon and Troy at 2 p.m. On Saturday, Tech meets Virginia Tech at
9:30 a.m. and Maine at 2:30 p.m.
The Golden Eagles wrap up tournament play Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
against Chattanooga.
Tech returns only two players with at least 30 starts and two with
more than 100 at-bats in their careers. The six returning players
accounted for just 72 of Tech’s 240 runs last season.
After losing six key seniors — Beth Boden, Stephanie Fischer,
Katie Speiser, Sarah Street, Blaes Schmissrauter, and Kristyn
Castonzo—the Golden Eagles must rely on youth to lead them in
their quest for an OVC Championship in 2009.
With 17 freshmen and sophomores, the Golden Eagles have more
underclassmen than five OVC foes’ rosters. This crew is the
youngest Tech team that Acheson has ever coached and is the
youngest at Tech since 1995.
However, Acheson and his staff are not using that inexperience as
an excuse. Not by any means. Their expectations remain the
same.
“We expect to contend for the championship. Young team, old
team, new team, doesn’t make any difference,” Acheson
says. The Golden Eagles are striving for their fifth regular-season
OVC title in nine years
Tech players hail from nine different states across the nation
including Tennessee (5), Wisconsin (4), Georgia (3), California
(2), and one each from Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and
Texas, making it the most diverse team in the conference. The
Golden Eagles also hold the title of the tallest team in the OVC,
with eight players listed at 5-foot-8 or taller.
Kristina Hortert is the most experienced competitor with two years
of playing time under her belt. Hortert was forced to red shirt her
junior season with an injury that kept her from seeing any action
in 2008. Acheson will look to his lone senior to be the experienced
leader of the youthful program. Hortert is the only player
remaining from the last OVC championship team in 2007.
Tech will depend on its seven returnees for leadership both on and
off the field. Sophomore Maddie Schmissrauter looks to be the ace
of the pitching staff this season. Schmissrauter tallied 11 wins in
her freshman campaign, allowing only 56 earned runs in 161.1
innings of work. Joining her in the rotation will be freshman Holly
Thomas, who is expected to make an instant impact on the Golden
Eagle roster. She is used to winning, as she pitched her high
school team from Ooltewah to the Tennessee state championship in
her senior season. Thomas has potential to “be the best
we’ve ever had,” according to Acheson. Hortert will be
third in succession on the hill. Freshman pitcher Stacey Dampf is
coming off of an injury and may be a red shirt candidate.
The other half of the battery will feature sophomore catcher Callie
Schmidt, a transfer from Heartland Junior College, where she was
named second-team all-conference. Schmidt will also have a great
influence offensively as a right-handed power hitter. She “is
definitely going to open some eyes,” according to Acheson.
Sophomore Kaleigh Gates will also see action behind the plate.
First base will be played by standout freshman Whitney Cummings. As
a hitter, Tech will rely on Cummings as an asset in the RBI
department. The right hander was a pitcher in high school, leading
her team to the Oklahoma state championship and will be on the hill
for the Golden Eagles at some point during the season. Second on
the depth chart at first will be sophomore Anna Zdroik, who started
29 games in the outfield last year.
Sixty feet down the line will be sophomore Lacie Coquerille, who is
the only returning player with more than 46 career starts.
Coquerille committed only six errors in her 289 attempts, starting
all 63 games last season. Freshmen Jacquie Ristow and Jessica
Steele will also see time at second base.
With a cannon for an arm, freshman Samantha Everett looks to be the
starter at shortstop, with support from fellow freshman Jordan
Leff. “Both are outstanding athletes with unlimited
potential,” Acheson says. Each are right-handed power hitters
with amazing physical abilities. Ristow may also step in at times
at the position.
On the hot corner, sophomore Katie Betry will be competing with
Everett for the starting nod. Betry led all freshmen last year in
several offensive categories including batting average (.248),
slugging percentage (.397), runs (21), RBIs (21), and homeruns (5).
She played much of her freshman year in the outfield, but is listed
as an infielder for 2009.
The outfield will be filled with newcomers for the Golden Eagles
with five new faces looking at potential playing time. Junior
transfer Kimmie White, sophomore Kaleigh Gates, and freshman
Cassidy Skeen are slated to be the starters while Leff, sophomore
Taylor Horseman, and freshmen Brooke Basten and Erin Cutlip will
also spend time in the outfield positions.
The 2009 schedule will be another obstacle that Acheson’s
crew must overcome. Tech will open the year in early February,
taking part in the UT-Chattanooga tournament. From there, they will
travel to Georgia and California before returning to Chattanooga
for the Frost Classic at the end of the month and wrap up
tournament play in Kentucky.
The Golden Eagles will open regular season play in early March in
Nashville against Lipscomb, then will waste no time as they dive
into OVC play that same week at Eastern Kentucky. After 10
consecutive home games, Tech will end the regular season on an
11-game road trip. The Golden Eagles will see action at home in
Cookeville only 10 days during the regular season, the fewest since
the 1999 campaign.
Tech faces stiff challenges both offensively and defensively.
The offense will try to produce runs against three schools that
were ranked in the top eight in ERA last season: Michigan (1),
Virginia Tech (6), and Morehead State (8).
Defensively, the Golden Eagles will attempt to find a way to shut
down five schools who averaged more than five runs per game last
year, including seven teams who racked up nearly one home run/game
or better.
Acheson is optimistic about upcoming season.
“It might be one of those years that starts out slow, but
ends special,” he says.
