Softball Preview, Part 6: Wright State
Feb. 6, 2008
The Wright State softball team put together quite a finish in 2007 despite being the seventh seed at the Horizon League Tournament, the Raiders won four straight games to claim the title and advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Evanston, Illinois.
Fourth-year head coach Mike Larabee looks to build off of that finish in 2008 with nine letterwinners returning, all of which started at least 36 games last season. Of those nine, an amazing seven earned some type of postseason honor from the Horizon League.
Leading the list of returnees is senior Jherica Williams, who was a First Team All-Horizon League selection in 2007 as well as the League's Newcomer of the Year. Williams hit .345 with three home runs and 18 RBI as she led the squad in batting average, hits (61), runs scored (45), doubles (15), triples (3) and stolen bases (26). The 45 runs scored also set a new school record.
After starting the first 40 games last season in right field, Williams moved behind the plate for 17 of the final 20 games and is expected to be the starting catcher for the Raiders again in 2008.
Three other seniors return in 2008 in Bridget Henry, Michelle Logan and Jacqueline Macy. Henry provides solid defense at the hot corner as she was second on the team with 122 fielding assists. Logan, an outfielder, batted .269 and was third on the team in stolen bases with 12 while first baseman Macy was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team after hitting .467 with three runs batted in during the tournament. Macy also set a new school record for putouts in a season with 372.
Despite having nine letterwinners returning and four seniors, Wright State will be one of the younger teams in the Horizon League this season as the Raiders have no juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen on the roster.
The sophomore class is highlighted by Jamie Perkins, who received the Pitching Award and was the Horizon League Tournament MVP in 2007. Perkins hit .500 in the tournament offensively with four runs scored and was 2-0 in the circle with a save, did not allow a run and gave up just five hits in 10.2 innings with five strikeouts and no walks.
A part of the League's All-Newcomer Team, Perkins hit .266 overall last season with three home runs and 19 RBI and went 10-20 pitching wise with a 3.59 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 197 innings of work.
Allison Cox was selected to the All-Tournament Team as she picked up Wright State's first two wins of the tournament against Cleveland State and Butler along with hitting .400 at the plate. Offensively, Cox tied for the Raider lead in home runs last season with five and was second in runs batted in with 27. As a pitcher, she was 15-15 with 71 strikeouts.
Infielder Kristen Bradshaw received Second Team All-League honors as she hit .297 while tying for the team lead in home runs with five and leading the way in RBI with 34. She was also led the squad in walks with 26, was second in runs scored (41), doubles (12) and stolen bases (14) and set a school record for fielding assists in a season (150).
Infielder Malerie Klingler earned All-Tournament Team recognition as she hit .417 in the tournament. For the season, Klingler drove in eight runs and stole four bases.
Outfielder/catcher Briauna Birl wraps up the list of returning sophomores for Wright State. Along with hitting .250 with five stolen bases for the season, Birl was the recipient of the Defensive Award at the Horizon League Tournament for her play in center field.
Rounding out the Raider roster in 2008 are seven newcomers, six of them freshmen.
The lone sophomore newcomer, Sharon Palma, comes to Wright State after pitching last season for Bowling Green. Palma was 2-0 with a 1.91 earned run average for the Falcons in 2007 with 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work.
The six Raider freshmen are outfielder Mollie Berry (Oregon, OH/Clay), infielder/.pitcher Louie Haney (Springfield, IL/Chatham-Glenwood), infielder/pitcher Heather Bauer (Medina, OH/Highland), outfielder Stephanie Leep (Springfield, OH/North), infielder Justine Shilt (Greenville, OH/Greenville) and freshman outfielder/pitcher Ashleigh Jackson (Johnson City, TN/Science Hill). All but Leep played significant roles in the Raiders posting a 14-4 mark in the fall season as Leep joined the squad in January.
The Raiders will compete in four tournaments to start the 2008 campaign, beginning with the Bulldog Round Robin in Starkville, Mississippi February 15-17, taking on Fordham, Southern Illinois and host Mississippi State. Wright State will also take part in tournaments hosted by South Florida, Chattanooga and New Mexico before opening the home portion of its schedule with a doubleheader against Findlay on March 20. After traveling to four states for the opening four tournaments, WSU will play in just three states over its final 38 games, 31 of those in Ohio.
The schedule features eight teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the preseason USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll (Georgia Tech, Ohio State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Southern Illinois, Hofstra, South Florida, Fordham).
--Story provided by the Wright State office of Sports Information
