Jonker, Chippewas look ahead to 2015
5/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 30, 2014
Courtesy: Andy Sneddon/CMU Athletic Communications
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Softball is a pitcher's game, and with a lifetime on the diamond, the last 35 as Central Michigan's coach, Margo Jonkerknows that better than most.
"I think that should be one of our strengths next year," said Jonker, whose Chippewas finished 34-22 in 2014 and have an outstanding building block in the circle in sophomore-to-be Rachael Knapp, who went 15-6 with a 2.21 earned run average as a freshman. "Next year I think she can be better."
Knapp and the remainder of the pitching staff will have to find a new battery mate as dependable standout Cory DeLamielleurehas graduated, leaving as one of the best backstops in CMU history and whose 19 career home runs tie her for second on the school's all-time list.
"We're definitely going to miss the senior class, especially Cory behind the plate because she was instrumental in the pitchers' success," Jonker said. "She did a great job calling a game and really controlled the field extremely well. Definitely it's going to be a big loss."
Another hole to fill in 2015 will be in the outfield with the graduation of versatile No. 2 batter Brittney Horan, who played second base as a junior before moving to center field this season.
"She played, last year, an amazing second base and this year played amazing in the outfield," Jonker said. "Really for her skill set, she's done extremely well and really stepped up."
Plugging holes and unearthing new talent is nothing new in collegiate sports. While both DeLamielleure and Horan will be missed, there are others waiting in the wings who have, and will continue to be, groomed to step up.
"It's no different than any other year," Jonker said. "You lose key players and hopefully you have a strong enough reserve to carry on for the future. I think we're in good shape for the future between our returning players and our recruits."
A trio of candidates will vie to replace DeLamielleure behind the plate in sophomore-to-be Danielle Marlink, incoming-freshman Mason Kalina and Katelyn Rentschler, a junior-to-be who came to CMU as a catcher and was the starting first baseman in 2014.
The durable Cory DeLamielleure, a four-year starter, started all 55 of the Chippewas' games behind the plate in 2014.
"This year we went with one catcher, but that's rare," Jonker said. "That's not how I like to do things. I like to have two catchers because I think it's not good for their bodies to catch every game. I really like to go with two catchers and I'd like to have two people step up."
If Rentschler returns to first next season, it will give Jonker her entire starting infield back in tact with Chelsea DeLamielleure at second, CarolAnn Sexauer at shortstop, and Trista Coxat third.
Cox led the Chippewas in hitting (.343), home runs (12) and RBI (40) in 2014, while Sexauer was second with a .322 batting average. She also had seven homers and 23 RBI. Rentschler was third on the squad with a .291 average, while Chelsie DeLamielleure ripped 10 round-trippers and drove in 24 runs.
The Chippewas put together a solid 17-9 record on their spring trips in 2014, and, after sweeping Bowling Green in a Mid-American Conference doubleheader in late April, were 31-15 overall, 9-5 in the league.
But they dropped five of their last six regular-season conference games to finish 10-10 in league play. They went 2-2 in the MAC Tournament, which they had won in 2013 to earn a trip to the NCAA Regionals.
Coming up short in the MAC Tournament is a motivator, Jonker said.
"We wanted to do a little bit better in the MAC Tournament after we had won it the year before," Jonker said. "The players are pretty geeked about what we can do to make it better next year. I'm excited about that."
The Chippewas were, at one point, 16 games over .500 then didn't play their best ball down the stretch is another carrot, Jonker said.
"That was disappointing that we didn't play better in conference," she said. "There are things that the returning players learned about, little cracks in the foundation that didn't really appear until towards the end of the season.
"Hopefully we can alleviate those next year and not allow those to happen again."
That falls, at least for now, to the upperclassmen, the core of any team, and that group includes the likes of Sexauer, Cox, Chelsea DeLamielleureand Rentschler.
"The upperclassmen have to set the tone, and they have to start taking charge in September," Jonker said. "Leadership in the coaching staff is important, but leadership within the team is as important if not more important. So we have to get our leadership within the team to step up a notch again and really get everybody to buy in. They need to start building on that.
"It's going to be really important next year because we've got from six to eight newcomers coming in. That's a lot of new people coming in on a squad of 18."
But, as always, the game will come down to pitching. Senior-to-be Kristen Kuhlman played primarily in the outfield last season but can also pitch, and Jonker is hoping that junior-to-be Tricia Grahamcan become an effective hurler after two injury-plagued seasons.
"Our game depends a lot on how we do in the circle," Jonker said.
