Softball | 2/11/2016 4:46:00 PM
2016 Centurylink Tournament CentralABILENE – A revamped pitching staff and experienced starting lineup leads Abilene Christian softball into its 2016 season, which begins Friday with the start of the three-day, five-game Centurylink Tournament, hosted by Texas State.
The Wildcats open the classic vs. DePaul of the Big East Conference Friday at 10 a.m. and play their first of two games vs. the Bobcats at 3 p.m. Saturday ACU will play the defending Southland Conference champions from Northwestern State at 5 p.m. followed by a night cap with Oklahoma State, which finished 21-31 overall and 3-13 in Big 12 play in 2015.
ACU had its share of struggles last season in finishing at 14-33, but the Wildcats won five of their last seven Southland games, which included a three-game road sweep of Houston Baptist. The Wildcats finished a disappointing 10th (out of 12 schools) at 8-19, but gained enough notice from opposing head coaches to earn a sixth-place showing in the preseason poll and have three of their players named to the all-preseason squad.
Confidence is running high in the softball clubhouse. And with so many returning starters on offense and a healthy
Hannah Null back in the starting rotation the Wildcats' coaches and players all believe a winning season is in their grasp.
A women's sports renaissance has started to take shape on campus in recent months, starting last fall with the cross country team winning the Southland Conference championship. Soccer then finished 1.0 game out of first place at 7-2-2 to place third and volleyball placed fourth at 9-7. Women's basketball currently leads the Southland Conference at 11-1 and is 20-3 overall.
Softball will look to continue on this path of success while being led at the plate and in the field by sophomore shortstop
Peyton Hedrick – a top-25 finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year and a Southland Conference first team honoree. Hedrick didn't miss a start last season and hit a team-best .432 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. It's likely she'll occupy the No. 3 hole with center field speedster
Taylor Brown (.367 / 11 triples / 13 stolen bases) leading off and either freshman left fielder
Miranda Herron or senior second baseman
Demi McNulty batting second.
Herron, however, will miss the season's first few games with an injury. Taking her place as the starter in left field will be
Alli Spivey, the younger sister of former Wildcat baseball star Seth Spivey, who is about to start his second Spring Training in the Texas Rangers farm system.
Sophomore third baseman
Holly Neese batted cleanup close to all of last season and hit .310 with five home runs and 27 RBI, and following her are additional power threats
Brianna Barnhill (.294 / 8 / 20) and
Alyson Bishoff (.309 / 3 /26).
Catchers
Cara Hoover and
Kaleigh Singleton likely will continue their platoon while working in freshman
Donelle Johnson. Hoover and Singleton last season combined for five home runs and 28 RBI and either would be a good option for designated player, as would sophomore
Baylee Travers, who took turns playing first base last season with Bishoff.
Null is back in the circle and will look to pick up where she left off in 2014, a season in which she set the school's single-game strikeout record with 17 and pitched a no-hitter vs. Rhode Island.
Joining Null will be second-year Wildcat
Julia Montoya, who won a team-high eight games and saved two others last season, plus newcomers
Allison Turner and
Casey-May Huff. Turner is a left-handed pitcher who owns Arlington Kennedale's single-season records for most K's (214), no hitters (8) and perfect games (4).
Huff is a native of Calgary, Alberta, who spent her first two collegiate seasons pitching and playing the corner infield positions for Iowa Central. She made first team all-region a year ago after hitting .431 with 55 runs, 19 doubles, 10 home runs and 75 RBI.
