Softball team looks to reload with youth

Coach Shanda Ness' 2012 Cornell softball team takes on a new look, but seeks the same results following a record-setting campaign.

Last year's lineup loaded with experience and heavy hitters paved the way to a historical 25-14 spring in which the Rams reached the Iowa Conference Tournament and made their program debut in the regional rankings.

Now Ness transitions to "by far" her youngest club in six seasons, one stacked with potential and pitching depth. Sixteen of the team's 21 players are freshmen and sophomores.

"My expectations are always to be a team that is improving," said Ness, who owns a 91-90-1 career mark on the Hilltop with four consecutive 18-plus win seasons. "This will be challenging with so many young players and the strength of schedule we'll be facing this season. The potential is there. It's been a fantastic group to work with. They come to practice every day and work hard."

The Rams get started this weekend at the UW-La Crosse Invitational at Rochester Regional Stadium & Bubble in Rochester, Minn. Cornell plays Saint Mary's (Minn.) in a 10 a.m. doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 25. The team has single games Sunday, Feb. 26 against 21st-ranked UW-River Falls at 10 a.m. and Concordia (Wis.) at 2:30 p.m.

Cornell continues a 22-game season-opening road trip March 1-4 with six contests at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. The team's 10 scheduled home games are squeezed in a period from April 10-24, beginning against IIAC foe Buena Vista.

"We'll spend a lot of time on the road," Ness said. "We plan to mix things up with our lineups. It could take a while before it all shakes out. We have a lot of unanswered questions."

One certainty is the pitching staff, which returns three capable arms in senior Jill Trzaska and sophomores Amanda Engel and Jackie Sernek. Trzaska joins senior outfielder Chrissy Rasor and senior infielder Kim Griseto as team captains.

Trzaska is coming off a solid 10-5 campaign in which opponents batted just .216 against her, a new school record. She sported a 3.18 earned run average with 73 strikeouts in 79.1 innings pitched. Trzaska led the Rams to their first-ever IIAC Tournament win last spring with a complete-game effort over Loras.

Engel finished 5-6 with a 2.90 ERA in 70 innings as a freshman. She posted 45 strikeouts to 22 walks. Engel tossed a two-hitter against nationally-ranked Coe in an IIAC Tournament loss. Sernek went 7-2 on the mound with a team-low 1.76 ERA in 75.2 innings. She fanned 63 batters while walking 28.

"I'm excited to have our pitching staff back intact. We definitely have good game experience in that aspect," Ness said. "Jill is a senior and is motivated to have a great final year. The other two will definitely provide innings."

The Rams return three regular position players to the starting lineup in sophomore shortstop Rebekah Ozga, sophomore second baseman Rachel Aubry and left fielder Rasor. Ozga scored a school-record 40 runs last spring while batting .333 with 43 hits, five home runs, 30 RBIs and a .504 slugging percentage. Aubry had 14 runs scored, and like Ozga, started every game in the middle infield. Rasor hit .361 with 14 RBIs and a .459 slugging percentage.

Other key returning letterwinners are Griseto (.308 BA), outfielders Caitlin Bisinger (.234 BA, 15 starts) and Brittani Yost (.333 BA), and sophomore catcher Abby Haubold (.333 BA). Junior Kerbee Koehler returns from an injury to provide a boost in the outfield. The Rams have a handful of newcomers who could contribute early, including Britt Schoon, Sabrina Hargis, Kari Martin and Rilee Vest.

Cornell has several big bats to replace in the lineup, most notably Second Team All-American catcher/designated player Carly Goolsby (.424 BA, 53 hits, 30 runs) and First Team All-IIAC outfielder Nicole Duncan (.357 BA, 32 RBIs, 32 runs), who graduated with 10 career school records.

"We definitely have some offense to make up for. Our biggest question is offense," Ness said. "Hitting will be a factor in how we set our lineup."

The Rams tied for fifth place in the IIAC last season with a 7-9 record. Ness hopes to carry momentum into the program's 15th and final season as a member of the IIAC.

The IIAC has three teams listed in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Preseason Poll in No. 5 Luther, No. 10 Coe and No. 12 Central.

"Our goal always is to get into the conference tournament," Ness said. "There is not a weak team in the conference from top to bottom. We certainly look to make a mark in our final year."