Softball Preview, Part 7: Loyola

Feb. 16, 2007

A year ago, Loyola University Chicago's roster featured 10 freshmen, and although the team is still considered young this year with six more freshmen added to the mix, third-year head coach Yvette Healy is optimistic her team can challenge for the Horizon League crown in 2007.

"We are still a young team, but we had a successful fall season even though we had some people missing time due to injury," Healy said. "To beat Northwestern at Northwestern gives us some confidence. I can sense a shift in our poise to play well and compete with nationally ranked teams. Now we need to build on our wins against those NCAA Tournament teams to really break through."

Last spring, Loyola got some of those aforementioned breakthrough wins as it knocked off then-Big Ten leader Michigan State, and won at Notre Dame for the program's first win over the Irish since 1999. This season, Healy will look to a strong core of seniors - Raven Gengler, Tara Miller and Nora Schober - to provide the leadership necessary for such a young, but talented group.

"Our leaders are phenomenal people and excel both on the field and in the classroom," Healy said. "They have a great work ethic and approach to the game. It is exciting for me to be coaching them for a third year since they wholeheartedly buy into the direction we are taking program. It's always fun when you have a returning all-region player. That was a great honor for her and our program. It's even better when you have enough depth and talent that someone else on the team was voted most valuable player."

That all-region player, only the third Rambler to earn such an honor, was Tara Miller, who batted a team-high .357 with 60 runs scored, eight home runs, eight doubles, 24 RBI and 34 stolen bases. The First Team All-Horizon League outfielder was plunked by a team-high 14 pitches and was one of only two Ramblers to start all 61 contests in 2006. Hitting out of the lead-off spot in the batting order, Miller set the table for the Loyola offense by owning a .466 on-base percentage.

She will be joined in the outfield this season by fellow senior Nora Schober, who was voted team MVP and was selected as Loyola's Female Athlete of the Year after enjoying a breakthrough season. The versatile outfielder, who was playing only her second full season after missing all but one game of her freshman year due to injury, hit .327 with team highs of 13 doubles and 43 RBI, which fell one shy of the Loyola single-season standard. The Second Team All-Horizon League honoree also belted eight home runs and swiped 15 bases.

Gengler saw most of her time behind the plate last year and was a threat to hit the long ball each time she stepped into the batter's box. The slugging backstop hit two home runs and drove in 23 runs and finished the year with five hits in her last nine at-bats.

Junior infielder Kat Krause, who earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors in 2006, is coming off a record-setting season in which she smacked a school-record 11 home runs, which pushed her into the top spot on the LU career chart with 15, as well. She should see time on the left side of the infield this season. Junior Lindsay O'Gean, one of the best fielding infielders in the League, should assume the second-base duties again this year after starting 59 contests a year ago.

A pair of sophomores who saw plenty of action a year ago should also vie for playing time as utility players this spring. Kaycee Tharp, who saw time both in the infield and outfield as a freshman, was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team after batting .286 in circuit play. Kristin Guska, a strong player with some pop in her bat, hit a pair of home runs and saw most of her action last season at first base. Also competing for playing time is junior outfielder Katie Duffy, who saw action in 37 contests in 2006, sophomore catcher Margaret Parkinson, who saw limited action behind the plate and infielder Alexandra Trudnich, who displayed a keen eye with 14 walks in only 59 plate appearances as a freshman last spring.

Loyola returns only one pitcher from last season that won a game, sophomore Krista Crosson. The right-hander won nine games a year ago and struck out a team-high 87 batters in 157 innings of toil. Once again, the Ramblers will rely on a youthful pitching staff to learn on the job.

Healy welcomes five freshmen and a pair of transfers to the mix this season, a group that should see plenty of playing time this spring. Transfers Ashley Mitchell and Shannon Roney have enjoyed successful careers at Marshall and Lewis, respectively and should contribute immediately.

Five true freshmen also join the fold. Speedsters Stephanie Cihlar and Ellen Kresl will compete for playing time in the outfield, adding amazing offensive sparks to the lineup. Amy Solava, Angie Funston and Kristen Medrud are versatile and adept enough to both pitch and play in the field. Funston should see time on the left side of the infield when she is not pitching, utilizing her power and speed. Both Solava and Medrud add power with the ability to hit the long ball.

"This year's freshmen reflect our total approach to the game," Healy said. "Several of them are on academic scholarships and they are humble, hard-working young ladies that are also extremely talented players.

This season, Loyola will again play a challenging schedule as it kicks off the season against perennial contenders UCLA and California, along with Florida and Stanford, while also playing non-conference games versus regional powers DePaul, Notre Dame and Northwestern, among others.

"Being in the Chicagoland area is a huge advantage," Healy said. "Because of our location, we are right down the street from teams that regularly win the BIG EAST, Big Ten and Mid-American Conferences, competing in the NCAA Tournament. We don't want our conference championship to be the hardest game we've played all year. We are competitive and have a talented group that wants to see where it stacks up against the best teams in the country."

When all is said and done, the Ramblers hope to stack up on top of the Horizon League and earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.