By JOSH BURRIS
It was a disappointing season for the Bluffton Lady Tigers’ softball team last year.
Bluffton entered the year with a goal of finishing with a .500 record, but came up well short at 3-20 overall.
Coach Ben Powers, who took over as head coach last season, said their inexperience showed last season, especially on the defensive side.
“We were going to go as far really as our pitching was going to take us,” Powers said. “We had a lot of girls last year that weren’t quite ready for varsity action that were kind of forced into that role. We seemed to blow up one inning or have that six-out inning and had just too many walks on a consistent basis.”
The Tigers will be young once again this season, but Powers said their pitching has improved.
Junior Lily King, sophomore Tyrah Shaw, and freshman Avery Petty will carry the load for Bluffton on the mound.
Powers said they are throwing strikes and looking good in practice so far.
“I’m definitely excited. We are in a much better place this time this year than this time last year,” he said.
King also is one of the the team’s top returning hitters. She led the Tigers in batting average last season and will also spend some time playing outfield when not on the mound.
Shaw and Petty will also plug into other spots around the field when not pitching.
Returning to the Tigers away from the mound are senior Karadyn Riley, junior Kaitlyn Tungate, and sophomores Kayla Kiefer, Madison Smith, and Claire Craighead.
Powers said he is not sure where all the girls will play in his lineup just yet, but said Kiefer will be at catcher, Smith will back her up at catcher and play some outfield, and Riley was the team’s first baseman last season but can play all around.
The Tigers have just one senior and three juniors on the roster. Eleven sophomores and freshmen make up the rest of Bluffton’s 15-player roster. Powers said there were not enough girls to have a JV team, so the varsity roster will be very young.
“We are extremely young,” Powers said. “I’m probably going to start based on what I’ve seen at this point six freshmen and sophomores.”
Newcomers besides Petty include freshmen Isabella Stout, Tressa Renner, and Marly Drayer. Stout has settled in as the team’s shortstop, Renner can play third and first base and catch, and Drayer will see time in center field.
While the Tigers do have a lot of youth, Powers said the team is looking better overall than last season.
“(Last year) We were kind of top loaded at the top of our lineup, but we really fell off in the bottom half. As an entire team, I feel like we are better than we were last year from top to bottom. We aren’t as top-heavy,” Powers said. “We aren’t going to have that big hole in our lineup like we had last year where we would get the top going and we just couldn’t find a way to get them in. And our pitching is better.”
Powers said the team’s youth will definitely benefit them in the long run. As the girls continue to develop and gain experience, Powers hopes that translates to some winning records down the road and maybe a sectional championship.
Powers thinks a winning season is achievable as early as this year. He said the bats are looking good and that if the pitching holds up that it’s an attainable goal.
“Our goal is to have a winning season. That would be a great season,” Powers said. “And if our pitching holds up and keeps us in games, I feel like we can hit well enough to be above .500 or right around that .500 mark.”
The Tigers should see some tough competition as well in the ACAC. Powers said South Adams and Adams Central are who he expects to finish near the top of the conference as they have most other seasons, but said the rest of the pack will also present challenges.
“The conference is a pretty stout softball conference,” Powers said.
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