NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team has a full slate of games scheduled for the 2022 season as the Belles open the docket with a trip to Florida.
Under the guidance of first-year co-head coaches Cassie Young and Jamie Young, the 2022 squad features 11 returners and eight newcomers to the softball program this spring. Mandi Hettinger, Caitlin Traxler, McKenna Shoupe, and McKenna Myers all competed in the majority of the team's 30 games last spring as the quartet each posted batting averages over .330 in 2021. Hettinger has been relied upon both in the batter's box and in the pitching circle over her career. A two-time MIAA Pitcher of the Week, she carries a career batting-average of over .300 with 75 hits and better than 35 runs batted in over the past three seasons. In the circle, Hettinger has more than 219 innings pitched to her name with just 26 walks allowed in over 50 appearances. Traxler stormed onto the scene for the Belles last year after transferring to Saint Mary's as the junior had the highest batting average among returners (.375) a year ago. Additionally, she led the team in RBI (23) and was second in runs scored (18). Shoupe garnered MIAA Position Player of the Week last April and hit better than .360 in the lead-off slot in the lineup. The sophomore outfielder had team-bests with three triples, 14 walks, and 13 stolen bases in her rookie campaign. Myers was second on the team with 20 RBI with better than a .350 batting average to round out the group of four players with at least 30 hits apiece.
McKayla Noecker, Mac Pepper, Anna Gruber, Libby Bierbaum, Natalie Quinlan, Paige Madden, and Winnie Tomsheck round out the corps of returners for the Belles in 2022. Noecker hit better than .314 in 30+ plate appearances. Pepper boasted 18 hits and five sacrifice hits a year ago. Gruber, Bierbaum, and Quinlan each collected multiple hits on the season, and Madden and Tomsheck bring veteran leadership and experience to the field this spring.
New to the squad in 2022 for Saint Mary's are Rylee Hershberger, Maddie James, McKenna Grigoli, Alexis Rauch, Grace Renschen, Shelby Dellasandro, Abigail Tietema, and Ashley Helwig. Hersberger, a junior, joins the team after spending the previous two years at Defiance College while the seven freshmen will all look to contribute to the team's success this spring.
The Belles open the year in the greater Orlando, Florida area for ten games during the College's spring break week. Play kicks off on Sunday, March 6 as Saint Mary's takes on Coast Guard and Bluffton on their first day of the Spring Games. The first doubleheader in the Midwest for the squad is slated for Thursday, March 17 at Manchester. The team is scheduled to have their home opening doubleheader on Wednesday, March 23 against North Park. Conference play for the Belles kicks off on Saturday, April 2 when Calvin makes the trip to the Purcell Athletic Fields for a twinbill starting at 1:00 p.m.