Kangaroos Begin 2009 Softball Season At Hotel Encanto De Las Cruces Tournament
2/5/2009 4:45:00 PM | Softball
UMKC kicks off of the 2009 softball season on Friday, Feb. 6 in New Mexico at the Hotel Encanto De Las Cruces Tournament. The Kangaroos will play five games in Las Cruces, N.M., and face five different opponents over the course of three days.
UMKC starts with Colorado State on Feb. 6 at 10:00 a.m. before facing Ohio State at 3:00 p.m. later in the day. The Kangaroos will play Ohio on Feb. 7 at 12:30 p.m. before wrapping up competition in the tournament on Feb. 8 against Cleveland State at 12:30 p.m. and host school New Mexico State at 3:00 p.m.
The Kangaroos finished the 2008 with an 8-31 overall record and went 6-14 in The Summit League. Head coach Meredith Smith returns eight players from last season and welcome 12 newcomers to the mix in 2009.
Hotel Encanto De Las Cruces Tournament
Las Cruces, N.M.
Friday, Feb. 6 - Sunday, Feb. 8
Live stats will be provided for some of UMKC's games in New Mexico, go to www.NMStateSports.com
Opponent Preview
UMKC vs. Colorado State ? Feb. 6, 2009 ? 10:00 a.m.
Colorado State finished the 2008 season with a 29-22 overall record and went 9-11 in conference play. The top returner for the Rams is Caitlan Stem. Stem finished with a .374 batting average with 12 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs. Returning on the mound for CSU is Kim Klabough, who finished the 2008 season with a 4.62 ERA to go along with 67 strikeouts.
UMKC vs. Ohio State ? Feb. 6, 2009 ? 3:00 p.m.
Ohio State wrapped up the 2008 season with a 33-23 overall record and a 7-13 mark in Big Ten play. Sam Marder is the top returner for the Buckeyes after posting a .475 batting average. Marder also recorded nine doubles and 14 home runs to go along with 54 RBIs last season. Kim Reeder, meanwhile, is the top returning pitcher for Ohio State with a 2.46 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 2008 during an 18-win season.
UMKC vs. Ohio ? Feb. 7, 2009 ? 12:30 p.m.
Ohio finished last season with a 29-26 overall record, which included a 10-12 mark in MAC play. Melissa Bonner returns for the Bobcats with a .359 batting average, recording 11 doubles and one home run. Emily Wethington is back on the mound for Ohio following a 13-win season, where she posted a 2.47 ERA and with 138 strikeouts.
UMKC vs. Cleveland State ? Feb. 8, 2009 ? 12:30 p.m.
Cleveland State went 31-18 overall and 14-4 in Horizon League play in 2008. The Vikings welcome back Christa Coppus, who finished with a .361 batting average a season ago. Coppus also recorded 13 doubles, one triple and three home runs in '08. The top returner on the mound for CSU is Amanda Macenko, who finished with a 1.44 ERA with 272 batters retired.
UMKC vs. New Mexico State ? Feb. 8, 2009 ? 3:00 p.m.
New Mexico State went 26-36 in 2008 and 7-11 in conference play. Stacey Lien returns for the Aggies with a .329 batting average with four doubles and five home runs. Lien also had 39 RBIs a season ago. Kim Watson, meanwhile, is the top pitcher, as she finished with 40 strike outs and a 2.75 ERA in 92 innings of work.
2009 UMKC Softball Season Preview
Head coach Meredith Smith will continue building the foundation of the UMKC softball program in 2009, and the third year coach is optimistic about the season that lies ahead. The Kangaroos return eight players from last season and welcome 12 newcomers to the mix in 2009. UMKC will have a youth-filled roster, as just four upperclassmen return for the squad with a majority of the roster being composed of freshmen and sophomores.
“While we'll be young, I feel that if we can start off on the right foot then the entire season will produce good results,” said Smith. “We have gone to great lengths to mentally prepare our kids this season, and I think that will have a huge hand in our successes this season.”
The Outfield
The majority of UMKC's experience lies in the outfield, as the squad returns three players from last season with two players seeing action in the majority of the games. Carli Slagle returns for the ?Roos after playing in all 39 games a season ago with 38 starts. The Macon, Mo., native led the team with nine RBIs to go along with three doubles and four long balls.
“Carli is a junior for us this season and will be adding seniority to our outfield,” said Smith. “She is the most powerful hitter back from the 2008 squad and adds the added bonus of being versatile enough to play where we need her to play.”
Ashley Whiteside learned a great deal during her freshman campaign last season, where she appeared in 37 games with 35 starts. In 86 at bats, Whiteside finished with 10 runs, and she was second on the team with three stolen bases on the year.
“Ashley has improved tremendously since her freshman year,” said Smith. “She is learning to be a better vocal leader and will play center field for us and work as the lead-off as she possesses incredible speed.”
UMKC will also look to Brittany Owens to step in and contribute in 2009. The Haysville, Kan., native missed the majority of her true freshman season for the Kangaroos, after suffering an injury in the team's first game of the season.
Following a successful fall season, the Kangaroos have four freshmen who could see time in the outfield in Rhiannon Mendez, Rashonda Stanley, Nicole Chalstrom and Megan Vicino.
Mendez, a native of Merriam, Kan., was an honorable mention all-Sunflower League selection at Shawnee Mission North High School. Stanley, meanwhile, was a three-time all-district and all-region honoree at Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Mo. Stanley had a very successful prep career, as she led her squad to a 94-23 overall record. She is a transfer from Webster University where she played one year of collegiate soccer and Stanley will look to pull double duty at UMKC and compete for both the softball and women's soccer teams.
“Rhiannon and Rashonda will be new to batting on the left side for us, as both possess great speed out of the box,” said Smith.
Chalstrom comes to Kansas City from North Pole, Alaska, where she was a first team all-conference selection at North Pole High School as a senior. She also played for the Alaska Northstars club team, where she guided the squad to a third place finish at the 2007 Triple Crown World Series. Vicino, meanwhile, joins the ?Roos after earning four letters at Hinsdale Central High School in Oak Brook, Ill.
“All of the outfielders are working hard right now, as they are all fighting for that final starting position,” said Smith.
The Infield
The Kangaroos will rely on an influx of newcomers to fill their infield in 2009, as the team returns just one letterwinner.
“We will be fairly young in the infield but the great thing about this infield is that they are all interchangeable,” said Smith. “All of our infielders are fundamentally sound and it is really going to come down to who can hit the ball.”
UMKC's lone veteran who saw action on the field last season but didn't record her time in the dirt is sophomore Amanda Kinn. She appeared in 37 games last season as a true freshman, while earning the starting nod in 31 games. Kinn finished the year with 13 hits and is the top returner with five steals.
“We have converted Amanda from an outfielder to an infielder this season,” said Smith. “She is a very versatile infielder and can really play any position. Amanda has a great work ethic and we'll just look for her to improve her game at the plate over the course of the season."
Coach Smith is looking for two players to impact the infield immediately in Kelly Fisher and newcomer Kaelene Curry.
“Kelly and Kaelene are right now set to be my middles and they are both interchangeable and defensively sound,” said Smith. “Both of them are also slappers with great bat speed.”
Fisher did not play during the 2008 season, but was a three-year letterwinner at Greenway High School prior to enrolling at UMKC. She will serve as the captain for this 2009 season. Curry, meanwhile, was a two-year letterwinner at Downers Grove South High School, where she helped the Mustangs to a fourth-place finish in Illinois Class 2A State Tournament in 2007. Curry was selected as an all-conference and all-area selection as a senior after guiding DGHS to a 25-7 record in Class 4A in 2008.
UMKC will also look to freshman Betsy Hanley, Chelsey Hartwig and Michaela Hupp to help shore up the infield in 2009. Hanley was a Morris Daily Herald first team selection as a senior, while also earning all-conference and all-area honors at Minooka Community High School in Illinois. Hartwig was selected as the Suburban North Conference Player of the Year as a junior, while Hupp helped Olathe East High School to four consecutive Sunflower League titles and Kansas Class 6A state championships in three of her four seasons.
“All three are in the same boat as the outfielders, in that they are competing for starting positions,” said Smith. “Betsy, Chelsey, and Michaela all possess great footwork and are great additions to our infield this season.”
The Catchers
Behind the plate, UMKC will have a trio of players vying for playing time in 2009. Returnee Lauren Rodrigues has a bulk of experience, as she caught in 34 games as a freshman with 23 starts. The California native had 109 putouts with 13 assists last season, and she finished with six RBIs, one double and one home run.
“Lauren caught for half of the season for us last year,” said Smith. “She has been showing improvement at the plate and worked really hard to be a better vocal leader behind the plate.”
Senior Amanda Evans and freshman Danielle Bennefeld will also fulfill duties behind the plate for UMKC this season. Evans, a transfer from Midland College, earned honorable mention all-Region 5 honors a season ago.
“Evans is our co-captain for this season and she will run our defense,” said Smith. “She is our power hitter and will provide us with senior leadership out on the field.”
Bennefeld led her team to three conference titles at Blue Springs High School and a third place finish at the 2007 Missouri Class 4A State Tournament. Bennefeld will also see time in the infield for the Kangaroos this season.
“Danielle was originally a third baseman who we have converted to a catcher, and she is picking up everything real fast,” said Smith. “She has a great arm and is absorbing everything well.”
The Pitchers
The Kangaroos are excited to welcome back a pair of pitchers to the roster in Samantha Hurst and Taya Upkes. The duo will form a solid one-two punch for Coach Smith in the pitching circle in 2009.
Hurst, who is one-of-two seniors on the squad, led the UMKC pitching staff with 110 strikeouts and finished with a 5.02 ERA in 32 appearances. Hurst's 7.19 strikeouts per seven innings was the second best total in The Summit League in 2008, and her 110 strikeouts were the third most in school history. She was also the first Kangaroo to reach 100-K mark since the 2003 season.
“Sam will provide us with senior leadership and has improved dramatically from year-to-year,” said Smith. “She gained a lot of confidence from last season and has mastered several pitches, which will prove to be deadly for our opponents.”
Upkes, meanwhile, led the team with a 4.24 ERA as a true freshman, where she posted a 3-13 record in 32 appearances. The South Dakota native started 13 games, and she finished the season with 70 strikeouts.
“Taya will be out until the middle of February, but once she returns we'll be looking for her experience from last season to aid the squad,” said Smith. “She has got a great drop ball and decent speed which should keep other teams guessing.”
UMKC also welcomes freshman Anna Sokolik to the pitching rotation. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native compiled an impressive 66-30 record at Pleasant Valley High School, where she posted a 0.96 career ERA. The three-time first team all-conference and all-district honoree averaged better than 100 strikeouts per season, and she was a first team all-state honoree and an Iowa Class 4A State Championship all-Tournament team selection as a junior.
“Anna can literally play almost everywhere and is just a great athlete,” said Smith. “She possesses good command on her drop ball and we'll look for her to step up, as she'll see lots of time on the mound this season.”
Rounding out the pitching staff is junior Nicholle Ellis, who sat out the 2008 season at UMKC due to injury. Ellis joined the team prior to last season after serving primarily as a relief pitcher at Feather River Community College in 2007.
“Nicholle was just medically cleared to start throwing again so she'll take a little bit of time to get ready,” said Smith. “But once she gets back into the groove of things it'll be exciting to watch her work.”
