The 2008 Evansville softball team is one of experience. After losing only two seniors at the conclusion of the 2007 season, this year’s team features eight returning starters, including four seniors. Add to that three other returners and four newcomers, and you get a lineup that is balanced and versatile from top to bottom.
Seniors Jacki Bradley, Brittany Herald, Cassey Kemna and Laura Rather will lead the Aces. These seniors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the game.
“Experience breeds confidence,” says Lewis. “All of our seniors have been starters for us since the day they got their uniform. I think their last year is going to be as special as they are people. The hardest part of looking at a group of seniors is knowing you aren’t going to have them much longer.”
Bradley will return to the circle as the Aces’ only left-handed pitcher. The hurler had a team-low 2.23 ERA, going 11-6 with 11 complete games in the 19 games that she started. Her ERA?ranks among the top ten in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley allowed only 55 runs on the season, which was ninth best in the MVC. The senior also picked up two saves in relief. She will also be a candidate for some time in left field. At the plate, Bradley had three home runs and 19 RBIs in 37 games.
Kemna will return for her final campaign at UE, spending time at second, third and some outfield. Kemna started 49 of the Aces’ 53 games in 2007. In 144 at bats, Kemna only struck out 14 times. After stealing five bases in her first two years with the Aces, Kemna recorded a team-best 13 stolen bases in 17 attempts, which was also third best in the MVC.
Herald will once again return to patrol first base. She was the only player to start all 53 games last year. Herald led the team with a .993 fielding percentage and 413 putouts. Offensively, Herald led the team in almost every offensive category. The first team all-conference player tallied six home runs and 39 RBIs in 152 at-bats.
Rather will be the starting rightfielder, while also spending time as the backup catcher. Rather had a team-high 13 doubles, and her ten home runs were the third most in UE history. The senior was a first team all-conference selection and Mideast All-Region team member as chosen by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The names Herald and Rather can be found up and down the top ten in the MVC?individual standings. Offensively, Herald is at the top of the list with on-base percentage (.511), triples (5) and walks (34). She also ranks third in batting average (.388) and slugging percentage (.651), seventh in doubles (12) and total bases (99), and eighth in number of hits (59) and RBIs (39). On defense, Herald’s 416 putouts were second best. Rather finished just behind Herald in fourth with a .648 slugging percentage. Rather also ranked fourth with 13 doubles, eighth with ten home runs and ninth with 94
total bases.
The entire Aces’ pitching staff looks to be much improved and more experienced this season. Head coach Gwen Lewis will have a variety of pitching styles to choose from in Bradley, junior Ashley Hobbs and sophomore Jennifer McKee. The three combined for 23 of the team’s 33 wins in 2007.
Hobbs is a three-time MVC Pitcher of the Week selection and will return to the circle after leading the team with 156 innings pitched in 32 appearances. Over the stretch, Hobbs compiled an 11-9 record with a 2.69 ERA. Opponents hit just .236 off the righty and struck out 127 times at the plate.
McKee will be expected to step up and be a staple to the Aces’ pitching success after seeing limited time last season. McKee finished the fall season with a 1.31 ERA in 16 innings.
Sophomore Krista Price will move to full-time behind the plate. Price played in 52 games as a freshman at various positions. Offensively, Price capped 2007 with four home runs and 17 RBIs, while stealing ten out of 15 bases. The freshman was hit a record eight times at the plate.
Sharing time with Kemna at third will be Lissa Fehlman. The junior started 45 of the 46 games she played. Fehlman went 2-for-3 with a home run at the plate against Indiana State to send the game to extra innings at the MVC tournament, earning her an all-conference bid.
The middle infield will be covered by a combination of Kemna, junior Amanda Ockomon, sophomore Kristen Shirk, and freshman newcomer Kelci Alsip. Ockomon is one of the Aces’ top five offensive threats and will be the primary shortstop after starting 51 of her 52 games there last season. She finished second to Herald with 51 hits. Shirk started 35 games last season in the infield and was in the top three on the team in batting average at .317. After striking out 31 times as a freshman, Shirk only struck out 17 times in 2007.
Sophomore Jamie Lindauer, a 19-game starter in 2007, will join Rather in the outfield as the starting centerfielder this year, replacing Ashley Werner, the Aces’ long-time starting centerfielder. Lindauer’s .357 batting average in the fall should be a sign of great things to come for this season.
Vying for time in left field will be Bradley, and newcomers Sophia Galati, Jennifer Stahlhut, and Rachel Kauffman.
“I think we have a reputation nationwide that we are the ‘little school that could’ and we can,” says Lewis. “We are the smallest school in the MVC, but we don’t play that way...and believe me we take tremendous pride in being able to make that statement.”
Last season, the Aces placed in the nation's top-50 in doubles per game, home runs per game and slugging percentage. The team took its highest ranking in doubles per game as they finished 29th with 1.45 dpg. UE also finished 39th with 0.92 home runs per game and 49th with a .450 slugging percentage. The team’s 49 homers and slugging percentage were both new UE season records, shattering the Aces' previous 43 home run record and .406 slugging percentage set last season. The Aces’ .281 batting average and .450 slugging percentage were the highest they have been in the last five years.
“We have the talent to get to the top of the league,” says Coach Lewis. “In order to do that we need to break the game up into small segments. We need to be concerned with every step on the ladder, not the top of the ladder.”
This season the Aces are one of the most veteran groups in the MVC. The Aces will be a strong contender against any opponent.
“Everyday is a challenge in and of itself,” Coach Lewis says. “I expect challenges every step of the way; every inning, every game, every day and in every way. I believe that is why we are all here; we thrive on competition and challenges.”
The Aces’ kick off their season February 9 against the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
