2006 softball guide working.indd - Washburn Athletics

By Gene Cassell
Washburn Sports Information Director
The Washburn Lady Blues softball team returns to
the field with new enthusiasm and excitement following
a disappointing 2005 campaign.
For the first time since joining the MIAA, the Lady
Blues fell short of qualifying for the MIAA postseason
tournament finishing ninth in the conference standings
with a 5-13 record. However, the Lady Blues did finish
the 2005 season with an overall record of 30-26, recording
a winning season for the 11th straight year.
“We were not happy with last season,” fourth-year
coach Lisa Carey said. “It’s unacceptable for us to play
the way we did during conference and we will change it
around this season.
“We’ve worked really hard this fall to correct our
mistakes and problems we had last season, and I believe
we have corrected what was a problem. We also have
another year of experience of collegiate softball under
our belts and I believe that will help us as well with our
play and our confidence levels.”
The Returners
The Lady Blues return nine letter winners off of last
season’s squad including first team NFCA all-Region
Catcher Kala Huske. Huske was also a first team all-
MIAA pick after leading the Lady Blues with a .343
batting average with a team-tying high of 29 RBI.
Huske will be counted on as one of two seniors to lead
the squad this season.
Fellow first team all-MIAA pick, junior center fielder
Ashley Webb, who improved from her honorable mention
all-MIAA status as a freshman, batted .316 leading
the team with 31 runs scored while batting .400 in
MIAA play.
Sophomore shortstop Brooke DeVader was a second
team all-MIAA pick at first base following her first
season of collegiate ball, but will make the switch to the
other side of the infield for 2006. DeVader led the Lady
Blues with 16 multiple-hit games while batting .302.
She also hit seven home runs, which were tied for ninth
on the Lady Blues single season chart.
“We have a solid nucleus for the team with these three
all-conference performers, and will need them to have as
good as, if not a better season than they did a year ago,”
Carey said.
Sophomore outfielder Mandy Tarbutton was an honorable
mention all-MIAA pick last season after hitting
.272 with a team-high 191 at bats and 52 hits.
2006 SEASON PREVIEW
Also returning to the Lady Blues is the other senior on
the team, Erin Pierce. Pierce finished the 2005 season
with a 7-10 record and led the MIAA in innings per
outing. She also tossed the sixth Lady Blues no-hitter
in Washburn history in a 1-0 win over Fort Hays State
on March 15. She tallied a 2.37 ERA.
Junior third baseman Mikala Mohler returns to the
hot corner after starting all 56 games last season. She
recorded 33 hits and scored 22 runs with five doubles
and a home run in 2005. She had the fifth highest assist
total in school history with 147.
Fellow infielder, sophomore Malarie Fellers, started
all 56 games at second base and finished second on the
team with 11 doubles while scoring a team-tying high
31 runs.
Sophomore pitcher Kelly Swygert recorded a 9-4
mark her first season at Washburn with a 2.18 ERA.
She had three shutouts and eight complete games in 15
starts.
Even though she’s not officially a newcomer, redshirt
freshman first baseman Dani White will play her first
season of softball for the Lady Blues after sitting out the
2005 season after suffering a knee injury that kept her
out of the entire season.
“all of our returners are expected to step up their play
from what they had last season,” Carey said. “We have
confidence in them as coaches and this fall, all of them
played very well and we’re looking for that to carry over
into this spring as well.”
The Newcomers
To help fill some gaps on the squad, Carey went out
and added a junior college transfer outfielder in Lindsey
Mansfield. Mansfield was an honorable mention all-
Jayhawk conference pick at Coffeyville Community
College.
Another transfer, sophomore Mandi Daigh from
regional foe Nebraska-Omaha, will allow Huske a
chance for a breather after catching every inning and
every pitch of the 2005 season. Daigh will also have an
opportunity to bat in the line up as a designated player.
A trio of freshman will round out the roster in outfielder
Autumn Hauck, pitcher Sarah Wege and infielder
Tish Williams. Hauck was named her district’s player
of the year after batting .509 with 30 runs scored and
29 hits, along with 36 stolen bases. Wege was named
her team’s most valuable player three seasons straight.
Williams will redshirt the 2006 season.
“all of our newcomers will provide an immediate
impact to the success of the team this season,” Carey
said.
2006 Washburn Softball Media Guide
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