The Bluffton University Softball Team starts its season Sunday, March 1, against Saint Vincent College in Clermont, Florida, to play in THE Spring Games Tournament. The Beavers look to improve their record from last season after finishing 7-31 overall and 2-14 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Head Softball Coach Amanda DeMoine and Assistant Coach Hannah Tarski photo by Sarah Heydinger
Coach Amanda DeMoine will begin her third season at the helm for this Softball team. Assistant Coach Hannah Tarski will join DeMoine in her first season at Bluffton University.
In addition to 11 returners, 10 new players make up a little less than half the team, which includes eight first-years and two sophomore transfers.
“The added youth allows us to make positional or strategic changes throughout the games that we were limited with last year,” said DeMoine. “They are going to be pushing our returning players and have brought in a great energy and eagerness to prove themselves.”
As a team, they scored 171 runs last year with a batting average of .285. The team’s on-base percentage was .348, slugging percentage was .412, and hit a total of 19 home runs.
A key player to keep an eye on this year is senior Caylin Morstadt. As a junior, Morstadt led the Beavers with 41 hits, 10 home runs and 34 runs batted in with a batting average of .373. She was also named to the Second Team All-Heartland Conference and was also named to the Third Team All-Central Region by the NFCA.
Courtney Jasinski and Megan Hill are the other seniors on the roster. The three seniors combined have played 237 collegiate games for Bluffton. Jasinski’s batting average from last season was .307 , and she had 11 runs batted in. Hill finished the season just under .300 at .299 with 18 runs batted in and four home runs.
In the 2020 softball preseason poll, the Beavers are projected to finish last in the HCAC. They start the season as underdogs in their quest for a chance to play in the conference tournament. The last time Bluffton qualified for the conference tournament was in 2015 when they lost in the semi-finals to Hanover College 7-6 in nine innings.
The first home series for the Beavers will be Wednesday, March 18, when they host Calvin College. They will begin conference play Saturday, March 28, when they host Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
