Women's Softball Season Preview

NEW... That's the word around the OCU softball locker room this year. New season. New field. New faces. New dreams. New goals. New...

"We are excited to begin a new season on a new field this year. It is going to be great to have a place on campus to call home," said Head Coach Emory Clark who begins his third season at the helm of the OCU softball program.

The new season also brings new dreams for the five returning players from the 2010 team. Crystal Thorne, who has worked extremely hard during the off season, will return in left field for the Trailblazers. Elizabeth Smith will see a great deal of time in the catcher's spot behind the plate. Alyna Rash returns as an outfielder and pinch runner. Allison Mays will return at second base. Katie Clark will see limited playing time due to an injury, but, hopefully, will be able to return around mid-season to platoon with Smith at the catcher's spot. Four of these five ladies all received Ohio Collegiate Athletic Conference (OCAC) recognition in 2010. "Our returning players will once again form the nucleus of our team. Some will be starters. Some will be role players. They all will be important, in their own right, to the success of our program this year," said Coach Clark.

Some new faces can also be seen around the Trailblazer softball program. Joining Coach Clark on the coaching staff will be first year Assistant Coach Adam Cottrell. "Adam came out a few times last year and helped us with games and practices. With Dominick Lehman graduating after two years as a graduate assistant, Adam has stepped in has already proven himself to be a good addition to our program."

Freshman MacKenna Jennings will step into the pitcher's circle for the Trailblazers. Jennings comes to the Trailblazers following a standout career at Circleville High School. Joining her in the infield will be  freshman Kelli Manning (first base), PaLaura Parker (short stop) and Rachel Briggs (third base). "Our infield is young, but I believe it will prove to be the strongest infield set we have had since I came to OCU three years ago," Coach Clark said. "All of these young ladies have good gloves and defensive skills and they all have good range in their respective positions."

New faces in the outfield will include freshman center fielder Sarah Williams, right fielder Lindsey Frazier, Shelby Moffett, and Lauren Supple. The Trailblazers also add depth to the squad with freshman utility players Sharonda Jones, Tiffany Aber and Jazmin Smith.

The Trailblazers have set some new goals as a program this season. "We met early and set some goals as a team. Our first goal is always to represent Jesus Christ and Ohio Christian University with Christian character and class. We also set the goal to win at least 10 games this season," said Coach Clark. "Each year the talent level of our team has increased. This year we believe we have the talent to win some games and chart a new course for the future of OCU softball."

The Trailblazers open their season on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 3:30 PM against the Cougars of University Cincinnati-Clermont. The Trailblazer's 26 game regular season will conclude against OCAC rival Clark State at Springfield, OH. "Following our regular season, our goal is to compete in the NCCAA Mideast Region Tournament (May 2-3, 2011 at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA) and the OCAC tournament at Clark State (May 13-14, 2011 at Springfield, OH).