2007 Softball Season Outlook

    Reestablishing a championship mentality is the primary objective for the Central Michigan University softball program in 2007.
    “We are looking to get that swagger back,” coach Margo Jonker said.  “I feel this year’s team is up to that challenge with the depth of pitching, overall team speed, and defensive experience we have.”
    CMU returns 10 letterwinners and eight starters from last year’s team that finished 22-27 overall, 13-7 in the Mid-American Conference.  The Chippewas were second in the MAC West Division but struggled offensively in the MAC Tournament and were eliminated in two games.
    Four starters were lost from that team, including utility player Brittany Decker, first baseman Christan Dhondt,  pitcher Jessica Garvin and corner infielder Allie Hansen.
    Headlining the returnees in 2007 are two-time first team All-MAC third baseman Amy Hudson, second team All-MAC outfielder Jacque Benedict, and MAC All-Freshman Team selection Ali Pettit in the circle.  Add to that senior starters Stephanie Crews at shortstop, Lindsey Calme at catcher, and Jill DeRoche at pitcher and the Chippewas have a veteran lineup.
“A key for us this season is going to be consistency,” Jonker said.  “When we start playing well, we have to keep concentrated on the task at hand at all times.  I think that got away from us a little bit last year.
    “We’ve putting the team in challenging situations in early drills and it has responded well.  Another key will be starting the season strong, especially with our pitchers.”
 

Pitching
One of CMU’s strengths this season is depth in the circle.
“We have three pitchers we can depend on and we’re in a better place depth-wise than where we’ve been in a while,” Jonker said.
Senior Jill DeRoche and sophomore Ali Pettit are both award-winning hurlers with DeRoche earning first team All-MAC honors in 2005 and Pettit being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team last season.  They will be joined by freshman Kari Seddon.
DeRoche battled injuries last season and finished 6-12 overall with a 3.16 ERA.   She was 3-2 in league action while lowering her ERA to 1.94.  Fully healthy, DeRoche went 16-3 as a sophomore, including an 11-0 MAC regular season record.
With the nagging injuries to DeRoche last year, Pettit was thrust into a major role as a rookie and she finished with an 8-5 record and 2.63 ERA.  Pettit was an impressive 6-0 in MAC regular season action with a 1.22 ERA.
“Ali has made huge improvements and really added to her repertoire of pitches,” Jonker said.  “She’s a workhorse and a competitor.”
Newcomer Seddon is expected to get plenty of action in the rotation and when she isn’t in the circle she will likely be found at another position because of her athletic ability.  She was a two-time first team all-state selection at St. Clair High School.
Redshirt sophomore Christa Delamater saw limited action last season and she will provide depth while freshman Katie Greenman is a utility player who could pitch if needed.

Catcher
    Lindsey Calme returns for her fourth season as a starter behind the plate. She’ll be backed up by junior Lynsey VanSweeden and freshman Mallory Martens.
    “Calme has a lot of experience and we’re looking for her to be more vocal this season,” Jonker said.     “Lindsey has great power and she has shown the ability to hit well.  Her role this season is to just move runners.”
    Calme’s batting average dipped last season but her power still allowed her to rank among the team’s RBI leaders with 15.  
    VanSweeden saw limited action last season in her first year with the Chippewas and she has worked to improve her hitting.  Martens is a freshman from nearby Bay City Central High School where she was coached by CMU Hall of Fame catcher Kris Tipmore-Popp.

Infield
    First base is the only real question mark around the horn as CMU returns starters at second, short, and third.
    The left side of the infield matches up against any in the country defensively with two-time All-MAC pick Amy Hudson at third and senior Stephanie Crews at short.  Not many balls get down the line or through the hole with Hudson’s quick reflexes at the hot corner and Crews’ range.
    The pair also posted the squad’s top batting averages last season with Hudson tallying a school-record mark of .414.  She ranked 25th nationally in hitting and drove in a team-high 20 runs.
    “Amy is a player with all the tools,” Jonker said.  “She has proven that she has goals of getting better and wants to do greater things in her career.”
    Crews batted a career-best .258 last season with 18 RBI.  
    “Stephanie’s challenge is to be consistent in her final year,” Jonker said.  “When she is on her game, she solidifies our infield with her leadership presence.”
    Sophomore Kim Cozat started 31 times last season, mostly at second base, and she got comfortable as the season went along.  Her batting average jumped 61 points in MAC play, going from .176 overall to .237 in league action.
    First base is the one new variable this season with the loss of Christan Dhondt to graduation.
    Junior Chivon Kloepfer is a solid defender who is putting in the work offensively to challenge for the spot.  
    Newcomers Jill Schulz, Adrienne Groff and Kari Seddon are all possibilities in the mix at first as utility players and Ali Pettit could also play there when she is not pitching.  Schulz and Groff will likely be in the lineup somewhere with their power potential.  Freshman Jenny Vetter is working on the transition to the college game and could see time here as well.
    “Versatility in the infield will give us plenty of depth at each position,” Jonker said.  
Schulz and Katie Greenman could both play any of the four positions with Cozat sliding to short if needed.

Outfield
    Jacque Benedict returns in 2006 after an injury shortened her second-team All-MAC campaign last season.  She’s joined by another returning starter in Suzie Giroux.
Benedict hit .252 overall and .344 in MAC play.  She missed the final 11 games of the season after suffering a leg injury in a collision against Toledo.
    “Jacque looks good and we are expecting a stellar senior season from her,” Jonker said.
    Giroux batted .227 while primarily playing center last year and she is being counted on for leadership this year, along with offensive production.
    “Suzie has the ability to keep the defense on its toes,” Jonker said.  “She can slap or hit away from the left side.”
    Look for Giroux to move over to left for most of the season with sophomore newcomer Tracy Kaatz patrolling center after earning JUCO All-America honors last season at Macomb Community College.  She hit .561 on the year and was awarded the NJCAA Division II adidas Golden Shoe Award for baserunning.  She stole 67 bases in 71 tries.
    Freshman Christina Novak, senior Katie Horvath, and redshirt freshman Amber Olejniczak will also be in the mix.  
    Novak has a great upside with a blend of footspeed and power and Horvath has primarily been used as a pinch runner in her career.  Olejniczak received a medical redshirt for last season and her move to the left side of the plate could equal more playing opportunities if she can prove she can get on base.

Schedule
    CMU opens the season Feb. 16-18 at the New Mexico State Troy Cox Classic with a five-game weekend tournament.
    A week-long trip to Florida during Spring Break has the Chippewas playing in the South Florida Louisville Slugger Tournament (March 2-4) and the South Florida adidas Invitational (March 8-11).
    “The tournaments we are playing in will challenge us but not overwhelm us,” Jonker said.  “They are set to prepare us for success.  If you play too easy of a schedule it does not prepare you for MAC play and too hard a schedule can break your confidence.  I believe we will be right where we should be when we head back home at the end of March.”
    CMU plays at Detroit on March 28 before opening Mid-American Conference play with a doubleheader at rival Western Michigan on March 30.  A 22-game league ledger is on tap with nonconference games against in-state foes Detroit, Oakland, Michigan State, and Michigan.  
    The home opener is a doubleheader against Oakland on April 3.
    Nearby Midland, Michigan and Currie Stadium will once against host the MAC Tournament.  The top eight teams will face off May 9-12 for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
    Defending divisional champions Western Michigan and Kent State are the favorites again this year according to the league’s coaches poll.
    “WMU and KSU return a lot of the lineup along with their No. 1 pitchers who are both strikeout pitchers,” Jonker said.  “There are a lot of new coaches in the league this year and I see the bar being raised with those programs and a strong conference race.”

    
    

    
   

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