Softball opens season against Ohio State Friday
As the first weekend of college softball season approaches, preseason Mid-American Conference polls predict Central Michigan will finish second in the West division.
For head coach Margo Jonker, the ranking came as no surprise.
"I think that's pretty legitimate right now," Jonker said. "Our goal is to try to knock everybody off and win the conference, obviously, every year. We'll wait and see what happens but it's one game at a time."
In the 2016 season, the Chippewas finished with a 24-27-1 record overall and 11-11 in the MAC, which was good enough for a spot in the MAC softball tournament as the No. 8 seed before losing to both Kent State and Western Michigan.
Returning talent
Jonker expressed excitement in her returning athletes, including her returning pitchers and catchers from the previous season. Those pitchers are senior Rachael Knapp, junior Hanna Warren and sophomore Laura Vaccaro. Senior Danielle Marlink and junior Maison Kalina are back for the season as catchers.
There will also be familiar faces in CMU's outfield this season, as no starters were lost from 2016. Back for the Chippewas are juniors Lacey Tolfree and Sara Hansen along with sophomore Allison Curtis.
"Our (pitchers and catchers) are back," Jonker said. "Our outfield is solidly returning a very experienced and outstanding defensive outfield."
In the infield, however, the future is slightly more questionable. Having graduated five seniors who played infield positions, Jonker said her team's depth will be able to combat this transition.
"I'm excited to see what they can do," Jonker said. "There's a lot of flexibility within the infield. A number of people can play different positions, so it should be a fun year."
Coaching addition
Brittney Horan is the most recent addition to the coaching staff. She graduated from CMU in 2014 and served as a volunteer assistant for the softball team the past two seasons. Horan will serve as a full-time assistant for the upcoming season, an addition Jonker has high hopes for.
"Brittney is obviously very loyal to the program," Jonker said. "It hasn't been that long ago since she played at Central, so she gets it from that angle. She can see it from a player’s perspective and just knows the game really well."
Challenging opening weekend
The Chippewas start the season on the road in College Station, Texas, where they will face two Power-Five conference teams over the course of the three-day trip.
Action starts Friday at 12:15 p.m. against Big 10 opponent Ohio State and Lamar University out of the Southland Conference. Ohio State is currently ranked 33rd in the USA Softball preseason poll.
On Saturday, the Chippewas will play Lamar for a second time at 10 a.m. rounding out the day against Big 12 power No. 18 ranked Texas A&M immediately after the conclusion of the Lamar game.
Sunday will feature one game for CMU as the Chippewas will play Ohio State a final time before returning home.
"We have a challenging weekend up ahead, which we're very capable of," Jonker said. "If I didn't think we were capable, we wouldn't be in it. It's just a matter of who's going to come to play."
