Judson hopes to build on hot start
If the results of its spring break trip to Arizona are any indication of things to come, this could be a banner year for the Judson University softball team.
Fueled by the hitting of three freshmen and veteran pitching, the Eagles finished their Arizona trip 6-4, the best start for the program under fourth-year head coach Becky Bruns.
"I'm super excited," said Bruns, who is assisted by former St. Edward and Judson standouts Natalie Smith and Jessica Hart. "They have worked really hard and impressed me so far. They're buying into it and getting on bored and stepping up."
The Arizona trip was led by the bats of freshmen Nicole Dimiceli of Lake Park (SS/C, .559, 2 HRs, 10 RBI), Kristin Krueger of Palatine (2B, .556, 6 RBI) and Carrie Sensor of Burlington Central (3B, .452). Junior 3B/OF Rachel Pope hit .444 on the trip.
The pitching has been anchored by senior Aimee Ewert of Jacobs (3-2) and sophomore Lizzy Jacobson of Elgin (2-1). Freshman Elizabeth Eklund of Wauconda went 1-1 in Arizona. Jacobson (.355, 2 HRs, 7 RBI) and Ewert (.304) each supplied good hitting in Arizona as well. In the circle, they combined for 38 strikeouts and 13 walks in Arizona. Jacobson was the team's second-leading hitter last season at .302.
Bruns will also rely on the leadership of seniors Brittany Nicely (OF), Amy Meier (OF, 2B) and Kristi Roeker (OF) this season.
Other players expected to contribute for the Eagles include junior C/1B Tricia Lakotish, sophomore 1B Leah Hoffman, freshman catcher Brenda Perry, sophomore IF/OF Kati Niggemann and sophomore SS/OF Deb Leganski of Larkin. Leganski had 6 RBI in Arizona and Nicely 5. Leganski was the team's leading hitter last season at .367.
"We're very versatile this year," said Bruns, whose team was 18-24 last season but did make an at-large appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament. The Eagles finished 7-9 in the CCAC in 2007.
"We have people who can play multiple positions well and we're fighters. I think we can contend in our conference this year and I think we can really give some teams a run. The pitching has to hold up. That's my concern. We've got a lot of talent. If the pitching holds up we should have a good season."
The Eagles will play their home games at the Elgin Sports Complex this season while the Judson field is being renovated to welcome the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch league to Elgin.
Judson is scheduled to play CCAC games against Calumet College today and St. Xavier on Thursday, both at the complex, before heading to Southeast Indiana for a tournament this weekend.