Coming off a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I Championships, the 2016 Blinn College softball team is focused on another shot at a national title.
"Utah means something to at least half the team because all of the sophomores have been to nationals and it is a built in expectation for us," said Blinn coach Rick Church. "This is a different team with the same goal."
Last season, the Buccaneers won their first two games at the national tournament and finished the season with a 45-16 record. This year, the Buccaneers will have nine sophomores leading them toward a return to St. George, Utah and the national tournament.
First baseman Courtney White (Richmond) was named to the national all-tournament team last year and returns as a solid bat in the middle of lineup. Meghann Wrinkle (Rockdale) was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) first team All-American and All-Midwest Region, and will be in the middle of the lineup while playing both outfield and third base.
Jordin Wilkins (Katy) was named NFCA All-Midwest third team a year ago and will be hitting clean-up while playing either third or first base. Seeley Orsak (Katy) was a solid outfielder a year ago and should provide the lineup with another offensive threat.
"We have really good sophomore hitters coming back," Church said. "That year under their belt makes a difference for sophomores."
Katie Andrie (China Spring) will take over the starting shortstop job in 2016. Cheyenne Trader (Montgomery) started hitting well last season and is hoping to recover in time from surgery to be a staple at catcher. Tori Gleason (Cypress) and Ashley Langston (Manvel) each had a handful of at-bats last year and are looking for time behind the plate at catcher.
"We have a good mix of power and speed and we can put nine solid hitters in the lineup," Church said. "The question mark to me will be their how they respond to adversity."
The pitching duties will rest on the arms of three freshmen. Bobbi Berkey (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) has an excellent drop ball, Faith Genoway (Richmond) has the most velocity on the staff and Sam Junkin (Leander) has a quality rise ball to force pop-ups.
"We have a good contrast of pitchers and we will do it as a staff this year," Church said. "There is good chemistry with this staff."
The lineup's deep sophomore class will be complemented by an influx of new talent this year. Freshman catcher Katy Sawyer (League City) had shoulder problems in the fall but should earn time behind the plate. Second baseman Lauren Silver (Corpus Christi) will be a solid hitter, and sophomore transfer Erika Wood (Willis) can play middle infield or the outfield, giving the team extra flexibility. Alyssa Hitt (Kingwood) is a freshman with a strong arm at third base.
Nicole Garcia (Sugar Land) is a speedy player that will be in center field and can play at second base, while Kalli Edwards (Vidor) is a top-of-the-lineup player who will play in the outfield this season.
"We can't pay too much attention if we have a bad inning," Church said. "Whether we get up or down we need to compete and see how many innings we can win."
Blinn will open the season at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29, in the Galveston College Invitational against Louisiana State University-Eunice.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
