By:Patrick Hall Friday, 9 February, 2007

Having strengthened the pitching corps and recruited a significantly faster squad, Head Coach Ron Hill is looking forward to an exciting brand of softball at Angood Field this spring. With 12 of his 15 players being freshmen, Hill faces plenty of challenges, but he feels confident that this team has the potential to get back to the top of the Jayhawk Conference.

“Obviously, pitching is the sine qua non of success in this game,” said Coach Hill. “With our ace Wanger (Alicia Neuschwanger, Loveland, CO) returning with even more power than last year, we start strong at the top. We’ve also got Giselle (Guzman, Mexico City, Mexico) returning. She’s moving the ball around very well, and I expect a lot of quality outings from her. And then there’s our freshman, Amber Youngers from Elkhart, KS. She’s looking very promising, having thrown five shutout innings in a recent scrimmage. I’m confident that we have the throwers to allow our younger players time to develop their confidence in the field and at the plate.”

That confidence should come quickly for the Beavers, having substantially increased both power and speed which will give Pratt a much more aggressive look this year. The rundown by position looks like this:

Catcher

Handling primary catching duties will be Brooke Bell, a freshman from Herrington. Bell is athletic, fast, and will be an especially aggressive base runner for Pratt. Kadie Berlin, a freshman from Wichita, will also see time behind the plate as well as in the outfield. Berlin is one of Coach Hill’s options to DH.

First Base

Jennifer Reifschneider, a freshman from Wichita, has moved from her customary position in the outfield to first base. Reifschneider is Pratt’s top power hitter, and the Beavers will rely on her to drive in runs. Lauren Swearingen, a freshman from Frankfort, KS, will back up Reifschneider on the one bag. Swearingen is an excellent defender and shows promise at the plate.

Second Base

Newcomer Luisa Escabar, from Mexico City, will look to lead off for the Beavers in more ways than one. Hill says Escabar is developing into quite a leader on the field, and with her defensive talents, Pratt should be very strong at second.

Shortstop

Amie Osner, from Kingman, will handle shortstop responsibilities this spring. Osner is very fast with tremendous potential. She’ll also hit near the top of the order, as the Beavers want to take advantage of her speed on the bases.

Third Base

Traci Doty is Pratt’s lone transfer this year, and they’ve appeared to pick up a gem from Univ. of Louisiana-Monroe. According to Coach Hill, Doty is the best third baseman he’s ever had at Pratt. She’s strong in the field and at the plate, and will give the Beavers a nice 1-2 punch in the order. Backing her up will be Alyssa Burt, a freshman from Cheney, KS. Burt has been looking good in the pre-season, which bodes well for her future contributions this year.

Outfield

Overall, Coach Hill feels like the outfield is much stronger than last year. In center field will be Jenae Ricke from Medicine Lodge. She’ll provide speed on the bases and range in the outfield. In left will be Andrea McAfee, a freshman from Council Grove. She should be hitting near the top of the order and is another speedster. In right will be Toni Herman, another Herrington product. Herman is a natural lefty slapper who is also fast. Audrey Withrow rounds out the outfield corps. Withrow is a freshman from Wichita who has great speed between first and third.

With all their speed, Hill’s squad should be running a lot this year, and with their new found focus on a very aggressive style of play, it should be a highly entertaining year in Pratt.